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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 substances that are needed to make a battery
• discussing energy and work in an electric circuit
• electromotive force and electrical potential energy
• defining the Volt in terms of energy transfer so that 1V = 1JC[sup]-1[/sup]
• looking at quantitative energy transfers
• using terminology such as voltage, electromotive force and potential difference
• student questions relating to measuring potential difference – with solutions provided

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