The Path of Electrons
Students engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. Students role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons (paper or candy pieces) through the circuit.
Students follow the path of electrons.Copyright 2009 nshepeard, Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/sn1cks/3631728569
Engineers apply their scientific knowledge of electricity, magnetism and light to solving real-world problems that relate to cell phones, computer software, electronic music, radio and television broadcasting, the electrical energy grid, air and space travel, and a wide range of other areas. The electricity we use to listen to the radio or run refrigerators is created at power plants located great distances from where we use it. Engineers use power lines and transformers to move the electricity (electrons) created at the power plant to our homes, schools, offices and stores. Circuits are a way to control the flow of electrical energy in all of these systems.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain how a simple circuit works.
- Describe the functions of a switch and light bulb as resistors in a circuit.
- List several products that have been engineered to use electrical energy.