Ellie gets charged about Electricity!

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2 SCIENCE ALLIANCE Ellie gets charged about Electricity! by Carole Marsh 2008 Carole Marsh Permission is hereby granted to the individual purchaser or classroom teacher to reproduce materials in this book for non-commercial individual or classroom use only. Reproduction of these materials for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. Gallopade is proud to be a member of these educational organizations and associations. National Science Teachers Association The National School Supply and Equipment Association The National Council for the Social Studies American Booksellers Association American Library Association International Reading Association National Association for Gifted Children Museum Store Association Association of Partners for Public Lands Association of Booksellers for Children Managing Editor: Sherry Moss Assistant Editor: Michael Kelly Senior Editor: Janice Baker Cover Design: Vicki DeJoy Content Design: Clevell Harris, Darryl Lilly Although most of the experiments in this book are regarded as low hazard, author and publisher expressly disclaim all liability for any occurrence, including, but not limited to, damage, injury or death which might arise as consequences of the use of any experiment(s) listed or described here. Therefore, you assume all the liability and use these experiments at your own risk. Author and publisher recommend that all experiments be performed under adult supervision. 1

3 Ellie gets charged about Electricity! Table of Contents Science Alliance Intro Page 4 A Word from the Author Page 5 Get Charged About Electricity! Page 6-7 What is Electricity? Page 8 The Tiniest Particles Page 9 Magnetism and Electricity Page 10 What s All the Static? Page 11 Lighting Up the Sky Page Free-Flowing Electricity Page 14 Want a Different Battery? Page 15 Creating a Circuit Page 16 Benjamin Franklin Page 17 Fish Power! Page 18 You re Shocking! Page 19 Do You Have What It Takes? Page 20 Tools and Equipment Page 21 Someday, I ll Have a Cool Job! Page 22 Can You Become An Inventor? Page 23 Discoveries in Electricity Page 24 The Scientific Method Page 25 Science Fair Project Page What Did I Learn? Page 28 Join the Science Alliance Page 29 Metric Conversions Page 30 Glossary Page 31 Answer Key Page 32 3

4 What is Electricity? Have you ever touched something and got an electric shock? Your shock came from a buildup of static electricity. There are a couple of ways to make electricity. But all electricity comes from the movement of electrons from one atom to the next. Static electricity is electricity that doesn t move. It builds up, and is released in one brief moment. Electricity from batteries is made by chemical reactions between two different metals. Most of the electricity you use each day is made by generators, like the electricity in your home, your school, or even the streetlights in your neighborhood. Generators produce electricity through magnetism. In fact, you can t really separate electricity and magnetism. They re a package deal! Magnetism can create electricity and electricity can create magnetism. Have you ever had a power outage in your neighborhood? How did it feel not to have electricity? Power Outage! If you had no electricity for 30 days, what would you do? 1. Make a list of 5 electrical items you think you could not live without for 30 days. 2. Make another list of 5 electrical items you think you could live without for 30 days. Could Not Live Without Could Live Without

5 The Tiniest Particles Do you know what causes electricity? It s the movement of tiny charged particles known as electrons. Electrons are one of the tiniest particles in atoms. Atoms are so small that we can t see them with our eyes. In fact, scientists have to use a special microscope to see them. [nucleus] NEUTRON PROTON ELECTRON Each atom contains a center called a nucleus. The nucleus has a positive charge and contains particles called neutrons and protons. Electrons orbit around the nucleus. Electrons have a negative charge, which causes them to travel really fast around the nucleus. Most atoms contain the same amount of protons and electrons. If an atom has fewer electrons than protons, it is positively charged. If an atom has more electrons than protons, it is negatively charged. Electrons jump from one atom to another Opposites really do attract in electricity! Simply put, electricity is the flow of electrons from an atom with too many electrons (negatively charged) to an atom with too few electrons (positively charged). Think It Through Circle the correct answers below. Boy! Those electrons sure are making me dizzy! 1. The movement of tiny charged particles called electrons causes electricity. True False 2. An electron: a. circles the nucleus of an atom b. has a positive charge 3. A nucleus contains: a. protons and neutrons b. electrons only 4. Electricity is the flow of electrons from atom to: a. nucleus b. atom 9

6 Magnetism and Electricity Did you know that you really can t separate magnetism and electricity? That s because magnets are used to create electricity and electricity is used to make a special type of magnet. A magnet made by electricity is called an electromagnet. SOUTH POLE [current] NORTH POLE Back in the 1800s, scientists found that the needle on a compass moved when it was near an electric current. This told them that the electric current created a magnetic field around the wire. Other scientists found they could increase the magnetic field by running electric current through a coiled wire. When they added a piece of iron through the center of the coiled wire, the magnetic field got even stronger. Do you know what else it did? The electric current temporarily magnetized the piece of iron, creating an electromagnet. When the electric current stopped, the electromagnet lost its magnetism. IRON CORE ELECTROMAGNET [battery] Make Your Own Electromagnet! Materials needed: large nail or door hinge pin (test with a magnet to make sure they have iron in them) 30 feet of 18 gauge wire (22 to 30 gauge thickness) 9-volt battery and a battery connector (this snaps over the battery s terminals) Instructions: 1. Wind wire neatly around nail or hinge pin 100 times. For a stronger magnet, wind wire 200 times. 2. Leave 12 of wire loose at each end when you are done. 3. Hook the wire ends to either of the battery s connector wires. 4. Hold the electromagnet in your hand and try to pick up some paper clips. Compare your electromagnet to a plain magnet by picking up heavier items like spoons and forks. Which one is stronger? 10