Resources
Episode 104: Drift Velocity
From the Institute of Physics, this learning episode shows that charge carriers in good conductors usually move very slowly. It illustrates the derivation and use of the equation I = nAvq.
A range of activities include:
• viewing the movement of permanganate ions in an electric field
•...
Episode 105: Sources of Electrical Energy
This activity from the Institute of Physics discusses energy transfer in electric circuits and links this, by analogy, to other more familiar examples.
The activities include:
• demonstrations of human and lemon-powered batteries to illustrate that that there is nothing special about the chemical...
Episode 106: Electrical Power
From the Institute of Physics, in this learning episode, students calculate electrical power and through discussion, review their understanding of: • current • potential difference • electromotive force (emf) • charge • drift velocity Students are reminded of the idea that power is the rate of doing work (or the...
Episode 107: Preparation for Resistance Topic
This series of activities, from the Institute of Physics, help student to understand electrical resistance. What is resistance, how it can be measured, how it arises and what affects it? During the topic, resistance is related to current, voltage, type of material, temperature and light intensity. The electrical...
Episode 108: Resistance
From the Institute of Physics, this learning episode provides a quantitative definition for resistance (R = V / I) which reinforces the qualitative notion that more resistance means less current. It looks at Ohm’s law, describing that this is not the same thing as the definition of resistance.
Activities...
Episode 109: Electrical Characteristics
Produced by the Institute of Physics, in this practical investigation students measure the current and voltage characteristics for several components and identify ohmic and non-ohmic behaviour. Students determine the V-I characteristics for: • a carbon resistor • semiconductor diode • a filament lamp In addition,...
Episode 10: Diverse Worlds - The Moon and Titan
Rebecca Barnes takes a look at the Earth's Moon and Titan, two very different natural satellites in our Solar System, and finds out about the two ESA missions that have explored them.
Episode 110: Resistance and Temperature
From the Institute of Physics, this learning episode looks at the resistance of a metal and a semiconductor, giving a microscopic explanation of how resistance can vary with temperature. There is also a brief look at superconductivity and its applications.
...Episode 111: Semiconductor Devices
LDRs (light dependent resistors) are semiconductor devices. From the Institute of Physics, in this learning episode students investigate the resistance of an LDR at different light intensities. This can be used as a basis to explain how photons liberate free electrons...
Episode 112: Resistivity
In this learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, students see how and why the resistance of a wire depends on the wire’s dimensions. They learn the definition of resistivity and use it in calculations.
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