Lab 1-1 Basics of Electricity

Go to the following webpage and go through the interactive electricity lab for an overview of the basics of electricity.

http://ippex.pppl.gov/interactive/electricity/

• Before beginning, get a balloon from me.

As you do the lab, answer the questions below.

1. What is an atom?

2. What is the normal “charge” of an atom?

3. Define electricity.

Before doing the balloon thing, get AWAY from the computers. Static electricity can kill the computer. When you rub a balloon on your head you literally create tens of thousands of volts! This voltage has no current and is literally waiting to be conducted to another source. Touching a good conductor, such as metal, moves the voltage from your body through to the grounded object you just touched. Scuff your shoes on the carpet and that’s 10,000+ volts being built up. The more painful the shock, the higher the voltage!

That’s why some physicists call static electricity high voltage electricity!

4. Why will a balloon rubbed against your hair or a wool sweater stick to a wall?

5. Charge up your balloon and try to stick it to your neighbor’s balloon. Does it stick? Why or why not?

6. Since rubbing your hair against the balloon, or your feet on the carpet, creates a positive charge, why is it important to ground yourself before working on a computer?

7. What happens during a storm that causes lightning?

8. Describe how electricity flows through a wire.

9. Define resistance

10. A copper wire would have what kind of resistance?

11. Why are plastic and glass good insulators?

12. How do you get an atom or group of atoms to create electricity?

13. Define volts

14. What is the purpose of a switch in an electrical circuit?

15. How can you measure the current passing through a wire?

16. What is this measurement called?

17. As resistance gets ________ amps get higher.

18. As voltage gets higher, amps get ________.

19. In magnetism, opposite poles _____ and similar poles ______.

20. Describe a magnetic field.

21. What is a simple way to make a magnet?

22. Circling a magnet around a wire will produce what?

Extrapolate from what you learned.

23. Why is it important to keep small magnets away from computers?

24. How come static electricity can fry a computer component?

25. Why are there different wattage ratings for different power supplies?