Materials Needed Three 1.5-V batteries Christmas mini lights (you can check with
ID: 1651341 • Letter: M
Question
Materials Needed
Three 1.5-V batteries
Christmas mini lights (you can check with your family, friends, school, neighbors, to get some used, only partially functioning or you can get some for sale very close to or after Christmas): you should have about 10 mini light bulbs
Masking tape
wire snips or strong scissors to cut the mini light wires.
How to Prepare the Mini Lights
Cut from the strand of mini lights the following sections:
1 section with three light bulbs
2 sections with two light bulbs
3 sections with one light bulb
Procedure I
1 Strand--1 Light Bulb--1 Battery
Tape one end of the wire with one light bulb to one end of one battery
Hold the other end of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the light shines
1 Strand--2 Light Bulbs--1 Battery
Tape one end of the wire with two light bulbs to one end of the other battery
Hold the other end of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the lights shine
1 Strand--3 Light Bulbs--1 Battery
Tape one end of the wire with three light bulbs to one end of the other battery
Hold the other end of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the lights shine
Procedure II
2 Strands--1 Light Bulb each--1 Battery
Use two strands with one light bulb and tape one of their ends of the wire to one end of one battery
Hold the other two ends of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the lights shine
3 Strands--1 Light Bulb each--1 Battery
Use three strands with one light bulb and tape one of their ends of the wire to one end of one battery
Hold the other three ends of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the lights shine
2 Strands--2 Light Bulbs each--1 Battery
Use two strands with two light bulbs and tape one of their ends of the wire to one end of one battery
Hold the other two ends of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the lights shine
Procedure III
1 Strand--3 Light Bulbs--1 Battery
Use one strand with three light bulbs and tape one end of the wire to one end of one battery
Hold the other end of the wire to the other end of this battery and observe how bright the lights shine
1 Strand--3 Light Bulbs--2 Batteries
Connect another battery to the first one - you can tape the two together. Make sure that you connect positive and negative ends of batteries and not two positive or two negative ends.
Hold the other end of the wire to the other end of the second battery and observe how bright the lights shine
1 Strand--3 Light Bulbs--3 Batteries
Connect another battery to the first second one - you can tape the two together. Make sure that you connect positive and negative ends of batteries and not two positive or two negative ends.
Hold the other end of the wire to the other end of the third battery and observe how bright the lights shine
Resistors in Series
Watch this video about resistors in series and answer the following questions:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/circuits-topic/circuits-resistance/v/circuits-part-2
Resistors in Parallel
Watch this video for resistors in parallel and answer the following questions:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/circuits-topic/circuits-resistance/v/circuits-part-3
Household Circuits
Household circuits have many similarities to what we have discussed so far, the big difference is that we have higher voltages as compared to what we get from the batteries and that the current does not flow in one direction but changes the direction many times per second. The current coming from a battery is called direct current and we abbreviate it usually with DC. The current coming directly from an outlet isalternating current and we abbreviate it usually with AC. The number of cycles of changing direction per second is again called frequency. When the currents alternate, the voltages alternate, too.
Electricity Around the World
Electric Power
If you ever joined your family in purchasing or changing light bulbs you may have come across the term "wattage" for classifying the brightness of a light bulb. The higher the wattage, the greater the brightness of the light bulb. The correct scientific term for wattage is electric power and it is measured in watts (now you know where the term wattage originated from).
Answer the Questions below (12-15) Please do not write in cursive and write NEAT..
Q12. Find out what the voltage value is for the outlets in your home. Find out what the frequency of the voltage is for the outlets in your home. Report your findings here.
Q13. Do some research about electricity around the world and find two countries that have different voltages in the household outlets as compared to your home. Do some of these countries also have different frequencies?
Q14. Find at least two different light bulbs in your house and read their wattage and report it here. Do some research to find out which type of light bulb these are. Also find out what other types of light bulbs are available. Report your finding here.
Q15. Check one of the household appliances for which you can change the power output (hair drier, microwave oven, electric mixers, ...). Describe this appliance here. Give the possible values for power output and describe what the different values do in practical terms.
Explanation / Answer
Q12. Find out what the voltage value is for the outlets in your home. Find out what the frequency of the voltage is for the outlets in your home. Report your findings here.
Answer: In North America (USA), the most common voltage value is 120 V for the outlets in home. The frequency of the voltage is for the outlets in home is 60 Hz.
Q13. Do some research about electricity around the world and find two countries that have different voltages in the household outlets as compared to your home. Do some of these countries also have different frequencies?
Answer: A voltage of (nominally) 230 V and a frequency of 50 Hz is used in Europe (Italy, Germany, France etc.), most of Africa, most of Asia (India, China etc.), much of South America and Australia. In North America (USA, Canada etc.), the most common combination is 120 V and a frequency of 60 Hz. Thus, the countries have different frequencies also as illustrated in the above lines.
Q14. Find at least two different light bulbs in your house and read their wattage and report it here. Do some research to find out which type of light bulb these are. Also find out what other types of light bulbs are available. Report your finding here.
Answer: 1.LED bulbs--> Wattage: 30W (Type: LED)
2. Incandescent bulb--> Wattage: 100W (Type: Incandescent)
Q15. Check one of the household appliances for which you can change the power output (hair drier, microwave oven, electric mixers, ...). Describe this appliance here. Give the possible values for power output and describe what the different values do in practical terms.
Answer: Hair Dryer ---> Power output: 1000W. With lower values of power output, it provides drying air with very slow rate.