(EAM) Electricity and Magnetism Module Overview
Electricity and Magnetism Module Overview
You know how important electricity is to your everyday life. Without electricity, we would literally be in the dark and operating machines that rely on muscle power. Meanwhile, without magnets, we could not generate electricity. Electricity and magnetism are essential to the workings of nearly every device, vehicle, appliance, and machine we use. In this module, you will see how they are related as you apply your knowledge of electricity and magnetism.
Essential Questions
- How are electrical circuits different from each other in terms of the number of paths, amount of current, resistance, and voltage?
- Explain the different ways that an object can become electrically charged.
- How do electricity and magnetism interact?
- What are everyday applications of the interaction of electricity and magnetism?
Key Terms
- Electricity - a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current.
- Electron – negatively charged subatomic particles
- Proton - positively charged subatomic particles
- Electric field – the area in which the electric force is noticeable
- Static electricity – results from the build-up of electric charges on an object.
- Friction – the process of rubbing two objects together can cause the electric charges on the objects to separate. In this process, only electrons can be transferred from one object to another object. One object will become negatively charged as it gains electrons, while the other object will become positively charged as it loses electrons.
- Induction – the process of electrons being rearranged without the need of contact to occur between the two objects.
- Conduction – the process of electrons flowing from one object to another by direct contact.
- Electric discharge – occurs when electric charges leave a charged object. (Example: lightning)
- Electric current (I)- movement of electric charge. Measured in amperes (A).
- Circuit – a complete, closed path for electron flow.
- Resistance (R)- the opposition to the current. Measured in ohms (Ω).
- Voltage - the potential difference in electrical potential energy between two places in a circuit. Measured in Volts (V).
- Ohm's Law - the law stating that the direct current flowing in a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference between its ends. It is usually formulated as V = IR, where V is the potential difference, or voltage, I is the current, and R is the resistance of the conductor.
- Alternating Current (AC) - an electric circuit with current that reverses direction at regular intervals.
- Direct Current (DC) - an electric circuit with current flowing in one direction only.
- Series Circuit – circuit in which electric charges only have one path to flow.
- Parallel Circuit – circuit containing different branches in which the electric charges can flow
- Magnetic field - a region around a magnet or current-carrying wire where magnetic forces can be measured.
- Magnetism - is the force of attraction or repulsion that is produced by an arrangement of electrons.
- Lodestone - a piece of magnetite that has magnetic properties and attracts iron or steel.
- Electromagnetic induction – when a magnet is moved near a wire, an electric current is generated.
- Temporary magnet - a magnet that loses its magnetism when removed from a magnetic field.
- Permanent magnet - a piece of magnetic material that retains its magnetism after it is removed from a magnetic field.
- Electromagnet – a coil of wire becomes an electromagnet when an electric current is used to produce a magnetic field in a coil of wire.
- Electric motor – a rotating electromagnet converts electrical energy to mechanical energy.
- Generator - machine that converts mechanical energy to electricity through the process of electromagnetic induction.
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