4 Electric Circuits. TAKE A LOOK 2. Identify Below each switch, label the circuit as a closed circuit or an open circuit.

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1 CHAPTER 1 4 Electric Circuits SECTION Introduction to Electricity BEFORE YOU READ After you read this section, you should be able to answer these questions: What are the three main parts of a circuit? What is the difference between series circuits and parallel circuits? How do fuses and circuit breakers protect your home? National Science Education Standards PS 3d What Are the Parts of an Electric Circuit? Think about a roller coaster. The roller coaster starts out slow and easy. Then, it roars around the track. A few minutes later, the ride ends right where it started. The ride starts and ends in the same place. This kind of closed path is called a circuit. It s the same with an electrical circuit. It always forms a loop. Notice that the word circuit is a little like the word circle. Because a circuit forms a loop, a circuit is a closed path. So, an electric circuit is a complete, closed path with electric charges flowing through it. All circuits need three basic parts: an energy source such as a battery, wires, and a load. Loads such as a light bulb or oven connect to the energy source by wires. Loads change electrical energy into other forms of energy. These other forms might include heat, light, or mechanical energy. Loads change electrical energy into other forms because of their resistance to electric currents. The picture below shows the parts of a simple circuit. When the switch is closed, the metal blades and contacts on the switch touch. This allows the electric charges to flow through the circuit. Energy source When the switch is open, the metal blades and contacts on the switch no longer touch. This stops the electric charges from flowing through the circuit. Energy source STUDY TIP Compare Make a Venn Diagram comparing series and parallel circuits. 1. Identify What are the three parts of an electric circuit? Load Wire Switch Load Wire Switch TAKE A LOOK 2. Identify Below each switch, label the circuit as a closed circuit or an open circuit. Interactive Textbook 21 Introduction to Electricity

2 STANDARDS CHECK PS 3d Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced. 3. Describe What do loads do? 4. Identify What are two kinds of circuits? 5. Describe How are loads connected in a series circuit? A SWITCH TO CONTROL A CIRCUIT Most circuits have one or more switches. As you have seen, a switch opens and closes a circuit. It is usually made of two pieces of conducting material. One of the pieces moves. For charges to flow through a circuit, the switch must be closed, or turned on. If the switch is open, or off, the loop of the circuit is broken. Charges cannot flow through a broken circuit. Light switches, power buttons on radios, and even the keys on a computer keyboard open and close circuits. What Are the Types of Circuits? Look around the room. Count the number of objects that use electricity. You may find lights, a clock, a computer, or other appliances. All of the things you count are loads in a large circuit. The loads in a circuit can be connected in different ways. As a result, circuits come in two types: series circuits and parallel circuits. One of the main differences in these circuits is the way that the loads are connected to each other. As you read about each type of circuit, look at how the loads connect. SERIES CIRCUITS In a series circuit, all the parts connect in a single loop. There is only one path for charges to follow. So the charges moving through a series circuit must flow through each part of the circuit. All of the loads in a series circuit share the same current. The four identical light bulbs in the figure below join in a series. Because the current in each bulb is the same, the lights glow with the same brightness. However, if you add more light bulbs, the resistance of the whole circuit goes up. This causes the current in the circuit to drop, so all of the bulbs will dim. In a series circuit, the same current flows through each light bulb (load) and back to the battery. Interactive Textbook 22 Introduction to Electricity

3 USES FOR SERIES CIRCUITS Series circuits have only one path for moving charges. So, if there is any break in the circuit, the current stops. For example, if one light bulb in a series circuit burns out, the circuit breaks. None of the light bulbs in the circuit will light. Using series circuits would not be a very good way to wire your home. Imagine if your refrigerator and a lamp were in a circuit together. Your refrigerator would run only when the lamp was on. And, if the bulb burned out, the refrigerator would stop working! However, series circuits are useful in some ways. For example, we use series circuits to wire burglar alarms. If any part of the circuit in a burglar alarm fails, the current stops. The lack of current signals that a problem exists, and the alarm will sound. PARALLEL CIRCUITS Instead of being wired in a series, circuits in buildings and houses are wired in parallel. A parallel circuit is a circuit in which loads are connected side by side. Current in a parallel circuit flows through more than one path. 6. Explain What causes all of the lights in a series circuit to go out, if one burns out? Critical Thinking 7. Explain Why are series circuits not a good way to wire your home? 8. Describe How does the current in a parallel circuit flow? In a parallel circuit, current flows from the battery and travels a path through each bulb. The current then flows back to the battery. If one bulb is unscrewed, the other three continue to glow at full brightness. Unlike the loads in a series circuit, the loads in a parallel circuit do not have the same current. Instead, each load in a parallel circuit uses the same voltage. For example, each bulb in the figure above uses the full voltage of the battery. As a result, each light bulb glows at full brightness. If more bulbs are connected in parallel, all will glow at full brightness. You can connect loads that need different currents to the same parallel circuit. For example, a hair dryer, needing high current, can be connected to a circuit with a lamp, needing less current. Critical Thinking 9. Explain Why do we use parallel circuits in household wiring? Interactive Textbook 23 Introduction to Electricity

4 USES FOR PARALLEL CIRCUITS In a parallel circuit, each path of the circuit can work by itself. If one load is broken or missing, the charges will still run through the other paths. So, the loads on those paths will keep working. In your home, each electrical outlet is usually on its own path and has its own switch. With a parallel circuit, you can use a light or appliance, even if another stops working. 10. Identify What is the name given to each part of a circuit coming from a beaker box or fuse box? 11. Identify What are two safety devices used in circuits? How Do We Make Circuits Safe? In every home, several circuits connect all of the lights, appliances, and outlets. The circuits come from a breaker box or a fuse box that acts as the electrical center for the building. Each part of the circuit is called a branch. In the United States, most branches are 120 V. CIRCUIT FAILURE Broken wires or water can cause a short circuit. In a short circuit, charges do not go through one or more loads in the circuit. The resistance decreases, so the current increases. The wires can heat up, and the circuit could fail. The wires might even get hot enough to start a fire. Circuits also may fail if they are overloaded. When too many loads are in a circuit, the current increases, and a fire might start. Safety features, such as fuses and circuit breakers, help prevent electrical fires. The blown fuse on the left must be replaced with a new fuse, such as the one on the right. FUSES A fuse has a thin strip of metal. It is placed in the wiring at the beginning of a circuit. The electrons in the circuit flow through this strip. If the current is too high, the metal strip melts. As a result, the circuit breaks and charges stop flowing. To make the current flow again, you must find out what made the current too high. Sometimes too many appliances are running at the same time. Then, you must put in a new fuse. Interactive Textbook 24 Introduction to Electricity

5 CIRCUIT BREAKERS Circuit breakers, like fuses, stop the current if it is too high. A circuit breaker is a switch that automatically opens if the current is too high. A strip of metal in the breaker warms up, bends, and opens the switch, which opens the circuit. Charges stop flowing. You can close an open circuit breaker by flipping its switch after the problem has been fixed. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), shown in the figure below, acts as a small circuit breaker. The GFCI opens the circuit if the currents on both sides of the circuit are different. To close the circuit, you must push the reset button found in the middle of the GFCI switch. 12. Describe How can a circuit breaker be made to work after it has opened? GFCIs are often found on outlets in bathrooms and kitchens to protect you from electric shock. ELECTRICAL SAFETY TIPS You use electrical devices every day. So it is important to remember that using electricity can be hazardous. Warning signs, such as the ones below, can help you avoid electrical dangers. To stay safe when you use electricity, follow these tips: Make sure the insulation on cords is not worn. Do not overload circuits by plugging in too many appliances. Do not use electrical devices while your hands are wet or while you are standing in water. Never put objects other than a plug into an electrical outlet. Say It Identify Discuss some of the electrical problems you have experienced with a partner. Could any of the safety tips have helped avoid the problems? Obeying signs that warn of high voltage can keep you safe from electrical dangers. Interactive Textbook 25 Introduction to Electricity

6 Section 4 Review NSES PS 3d SECTION VOCABULARY parallel circuit a circuit in which the parts are joined in branches such that the potential difference across each part is the same series circuit a circuit in which the parts are joined one after another such that the current in each part is the same 1. Describe What three parts must be present in a circuit for it to work correctly? 2. Interpret Graphics Look at the circuits below. Label each circuit as a series circuit or a parallel circuit. Label the following parts on Circuit A: energy source, load, and wires. Circuit A Circuit B 3. Explain How do fuses and circuit breakers protect your home against electrical fires? 4. Infer Suppose that you turn on the heater in your room and all of the lights in your room go out. Why would the lights go out? 5. Identify Which part of a circuit changes electrical energy into another form of energy? 6. Identify Which safety tip should you use if you have a overloaded circuit? Interactive Textbook 26 Introduction to Electricity

7 N Electricity and Magnetism Answer Key continued 4. It slows the current. 5. The current would be much greater with the car battery because it pushes electrons with more force. 6. long length, thick diameter, high temperature SECTION 3 ELECTRICAL CALCULATIONS 1. It doubles. 2. resistance 3. P V I 12 V 700 A 8,400 W 4. V I R 2 A V 5. The 60 W bulb gives off energy more quickly. 6. watts and kilowatts 7. E P t 30 W 3,600 s 108,000 J 8. E P t 5 kw 8 h 40 kwh 9. Turn off the lights; turn down heat or air conditioning; use a fan instead of air conditioning. Review 1. Circuit B has the higher current. 2. Current: increases Voltage: stays the same Resistance: decreases Energy use: increases 3. V I R 3 A 9 27 V 4. E P t 200 W 12 h E 2,400 Wh 2.4 kwh 5. More voltage pushes more current through the wire. Lower resistance lets more current flow through the wire. ELECTRIC CIRCUITS 1. an energy source, wires, and a load 2. First circuit should be labeled closed circuit, and second circuit should be labeled open circuit. 3. Loads change electrical energy into other forms of energy. 4. series and parallel 5. All the loads in a series circuit are connected in a single loop. 6. The circuit breaks and all current stops. 7. If one thing in the circuit burns out, no current flows. 8. through more than one path 9. Parallel circuits allow you to turn off devices while others still operate. 10. a branch 11. fuses and circuit breakers 12. Flip its switch. Review 1. an energy source (such as a battery), wires, and a load (a light bulb or appliance) 2. There should be labels on the battery (as energy source), lamps (as load), and wires. 3. They both open, so charges stop flowing. 4. Turning the heater on overloaded the circuit, and the fuse or circuit breaker opened the circuit to stop the flow of current. 5. the load 6. Do not plug in too many electrical devices in a circuit. Chapter 2 Electromagnetism SECTION 1 MAGNETS AND MAGNETISM 1. They have two poles. Magnets exert force on each other. They have magnetic fields. 2. points on a magnet that have opposite magnetic qualities 3. the magnet s north pole 4. a magnet that is free to rotate 5. They can be placed with two north poles facing each other or two south poles facing each other. 6. north pole to south pole 7. Where the field lines are closest together, the field is strongest. 8. The domains line up in iron, but in copper and aluminum, they cancel each other out. 9. Drop the magnet or heat it up. 10. When you magnetize an object, the domains line up. When you demagnetize an object, the domains go out of line. 11. a south pole 12. Each domain within a magnet is like a tiny magnet with a north pole and a south pole. 13. a magnet made from a metal that has strong magnetic properties, such as iron 14. the magnetic field line around a bar magnet 15. a magnetic south pole 16. the movement of electric charges in the Earth s core 17. Earth s magnetic field Interactive Textbook Answer Key 92 Electricity and Magnetism