This Association for Science Education (ASE) publication about electrical testing was developed in association with a company called Square D Ltd in Swindon, Wiltshire. At the time of publication Square D was a major manufacturer of electrical equipment, operating more...

In these experiments students make and test circuits to investigate a range of effects:

Section A: Transforming a d.c. power supply
*Experiment A(i): Step-up voltage regulator
*Experiment A(ii): Step-down voltage regulator
*Experiment A(iii): High current step-down regulator
*...

This Association for Science Education (ASE) publication about the physics of fluid flow was developed in association with the Dowty Group,. At the time, the company had four divisions that were Aerospace and Defence, Mining, Industrial, and Electronics. The Group...

This Association for Science Education (ASE) publication about optical fibres was developed in association with the General Electric Company (GEC). At the time of publication GEC was the largest manufacturer of electrical and electronic products in the United Kingdom,...

Comets are considered to be time capsules containing information about the conditions of the early Solar System. In order to understand what comets are, where they come from, and their influence on the evolution of Earth, it is necessary to find out what material they contain. This teacher demonstration and student...

These activities, from the Institute of Physics, look at electrical circuits. They provide a review of previous knowledge and introduce the language needed to cope with the greater depth of learning at post-16 level. Activities include: • a discussion about electrical circuits to reinforce knowledge and highlight...

From the Institute of Physics, these activities present a range of examples involving different types of charge carrier and links the measured current to rates of flow of charge. The activities consist of a series of demonstrations which could be set up before the lesson. These include: • considering different...

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
•...

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...

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,...

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.

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...

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.

...

Produced by the Institute of Physics, this learning episode helps students to investigate the effective resistance of circuits with components in series and parallel. The activities include demonstrations, worked examples and student investigations.

In these activities, from the Institute of Physics, the concept of electrical power is explored. Students find that the energy transferred by an electrical component depends on the potential difference, current and the time for which it operates.