SCI 1901E - Energy

Chapter Objectives - Chapter 10: Electricity: Circuits and Superconductors

Lesson notes:

This lesson is devoted primarily to the scientific basis for understanding electricity. This lesson contains some physics, but will focus primarily on the generation and transmission of electrical energy.

Objectives:

1. Understand the concepts of charge, current and potential difference.

2. Understand how a common battery works.

3. Understand the concept of electrical resistance and be able to use it with Ohm's Law in calculations involving series and parallel circuits.

4. Be familiar with superconductivity.

5. Understand the concept of electrical power and resistive power loss, and be able to work problems involving both.

6. Understand how a fuel cell works.

Vocabulary:

electrolyte
critical temperature
yttrium-barium-copper oxide
Meissner effect

Homework:

TQ: 10-4, 10-9
TP: 10-3, 10-4, 10-7, 10-10

Additional Sources of Information:

The Franklin Institute Science Museum provides a nice site on the life of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding father of our Nation and of the science of electricity.

A short biographies for the following are provided:

An article "What in the world is electricity and where does it go after it leaves the toaster?" by Dave Barry provides a wonderfully humorous if not scientifically accurate description of electricity.

Last update: April 01, 2009