Lights Out!
Figure 1. Students use tablets in class, which require electricity.Copyright Microsoft Word
What would your life be like without electricity? In this lesson, students engage in the science and engineering practices of making observations and asking questions to make sense of the phenomenon of electricity. They learn about two main forms of electricity, static and current, and that electrons can move between atoms, leaving atoms in a charged state. Students discover the disciplinary core concepts of electric forces and current while applying the crosscutting concept of energy transfer.
Since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879, engineers have continued to develop new products that use electricity. For example, in our everyday life we regularly use inventions such as the television, radio, refrigerator, water heater, washing machine and computer. We now demand so much electricity that engineers are asked to invent new ways to make it. The work of engineers has resulted in a choice of renewable alternative energy sources, such as hydroelectric power, solar and wind energy.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Explain the difference between static and current electricity.
- Understand that electricity is a form of energy that can move.
- Recognize that energy in the form of electricity can affect common objects and is involved in everyday events.
- Describe and list energy alternatives for electricity that engineers are developing.