Circuits (parallel and series)

     A parallel circuit is a circuit that divides into two or more paths before coming together again.  

     A series circuit is connected along one path.  

Series circuites are connected on one path therefore the resistors that occur on the circuit get all the same current.  In order to find the Req we need to know what Req is.  Req is equivalent resistance.  Equivalent resistance is a resistance that represents the total ohmic value on the circuit.  So if there are 3 resistors on a circuit, and each has a value of 10 ohms, then to find Req, all we have to do is add them up.  

R1 + R2 + R3= Req

10Ω+10Ω+10Ω=30Ω

So for this particular equation our Req would be 30Ω.  

Parallel circuits are different from series circuits.  One of the major differences is that if a resistor in a parallel circuit gets cut off from the rest, the current would still flow. Also, the circuit in a parallel is divided into different branches.   We can see parallel circuits in our everyday life, for example this surge protecter is connected by a parallel circuit.  

Electricity

     We learned about electricity and how it works. One of the specific things I learned is Ohm's law.  The formula for Ohm's law is I=VR where I is current, V is voltage and R is resistance.  So what is Ohm's law?  Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to Potential Difference across the two points.

     We also learned a little about how electricity and batteries works.  Batteries have a charge inside them.  When metal touches their ends their electrons flow and it allows the battery to power what ever it is connected t=to>  This allows many of our things to be portable and convenient to us.

Electricity

     What is electricity?  Electricity is a form of energy that consists of charged particles like protons and electrons.  Electricity is important because so many things in our lives require electricity.  Our phones, televisions, stoves, refrigerators, even our watches and cars use electricity.  If we didn't have electricity, we wouldn't have the convenience that we have today.  We wouldn't be able to do things like watch the olympics.

     Electric current is the flow of electricity through a conductor.  A good example of this is the wires in our homes.  They carry an electric current through them.  When a current goes through a resistor, it experiences some resistance.  This means that in order for the electricity to flow, it needs more voltage than usual.  Resistors just require more voltage for electric current to flow.  

Capacitance

     Capacitance in the ability of an object to store an electric charge. We often see these in every day life in things like batteries.  The formula to find C, or Capacitance is 

C=q/V

C= Capacitance

q=charge

V= Voltage 

A battery is a great example of capacitance or something that can hold an electric charge.  The reason our remotes, cars, and phones work is because of the battery and the ability the battery has to hold an electric charge.  If it was not for capacitance, nothing requiring electricity to work would be portable.  Everything would need to be connected to something that can power it like the outlets in our walls.  Nothing would be able to store electricity.  

Electric Potential

Electric potential is the electric charge between two points in a circuit.  Electric potential is seen in our every day life in things like metal door handles or door knobs.  The reason I say this is because a door handle contains a lot of electricity and is charged.  Therefore when someone touches it, the charges are transferred and the person feels a small shock.

 In the picture above, this individual could have been shocked due to the electric potential that is stored inside of the door handle.  The charge in this particular system is present between the door handle and the person.

Electrostatic

     This week we learned about electrostatics.  Some of the things we learned was that opposite or unlike charges attract and like charges repel from each other.  This is important to remember because it can sometimes help us find how many charges are present within a given system.  Another thing we learned was that conductors are materials that allow electric charges to travel freely.  We see conductors a lot in our daily lives.  One of those places is in our own very house.  When we look behind our TV we see a series of wire.  Those wires carry electric current to the TV from the wall and allow the TV to work.

     The wires are the conductors for the TV.  Surrounding those conductors are insulators.  Insulators prevent electric current from flowing.  Those insulators are protecting us from electric shock.  

Power/Work/Force

This week in physics we learned about force, power, and work. We learned that work is equal to force multiplied by distance. So W = fd. This means that the farther you go, the more work you do. Force is equal to mass*acceleration. Then there is power. Power is equal to work divided by time.
These are all related in some ways.  In the picture above, you can see the route the receiver ran. If his acceleration was 2m/a and he has a mass of 89kg then his force, 98kg(2m/s) is 196N. Now that we have the force we can find the work. Work is just force(distance). If the receiver ran 25m then the work would be  w= 196(25) = 4,900 J.  Now with the work we can find power with work divided by time. So it could be 4,900/4 which is 1,225 W. And that's how we find power