Glossary

Many of the following words will gather more meaning to you as you work through this booklet.

Each time you see a new word in bold throughout this workbook, add its definition in the table
below in case you need to refer back later.
Word Definition

Ammeter An instrument used to measure the current in a circuit.

Amperes Is a measure of the amount of electric charge in motion per unit time

Anode the terminal or electrode from which electrons leave a system.

Battery A container where chemical energy is converted into electricity and is then used
as a source of power.

Capacitor A device used to store electric charge.

Cathode the negatively charged electrode by which electrons enter an electrical device.

Charge Is the basic property of matter, a charge can be negative or positive. Neither can
be destroyed or created.

Conductor An object or material that conducts electricity.

Coulomb Is the SI unit for electric charge.

Current The flow of electricity that allows electrically charge particles to move.

Diode Is a semiconductor device that allows current to flow one way, but restricts it
form going the opposite way, it acts as a one-way switch for current.

Dielectric Is an insultating material, when placed in an electric field, no current flows in

them because they have no free electrons that can drift through the material.

Electrons An electron is a subatomic particle that orbit around the nucleaus. Electrons
have a negative charge.

Graphite Is a mineral consisting of carbon. Graphite has a layered structure that consists
of rings of six carbon atoms arranged in widely spaced horizontal sheets.

Multimeter Is a tool to measure two or more electrical values.

 Word Definition

Neutrons Is a subatomic particles which has a neutral charge. The electrons orbits it.

Node A point in a network which lines intersect each other.

Nucleus The central part of an aotm consisting of both neutrons and protons. The
nucleas has a positive charge.

Ohm’s law Ohm’s law says that the current through a conductor between two points is
directly proportional to the voltage between the two points.

Ohms Unit of electrical resistance between two points of a conductor.

Parallel A parallel circuit comprises branches so that the current divides and only part of
it flows through any branch

Polarity The directional flow of electrons from one side to the other side. The pole with
more electrons has a negative polarity and the side with less electrons is said to
have a positive polarity.
Polymer Materials with large, repeating chains of molecules. Resulting in the material to
have unique properties. Some polymer bend and stretch but some are hard and
tough.
Probe a physical device used to connect electronic test equipment to a device

Protons Is a subatomic particle with is in the nucleaus. A proton has a positive charge,

Resistance Resistance is a measure of the opposition to current flow in

an electrical circuit. Resistance is measured in ohms

Schematic Is a symbolic diagram to represent a circuit.

Series A series circuit is a simple pathway that lets electrons flow to one or more
resistors. (Resistor is anything that uses power from a battery) e.g In a series circuit
the resistor is usually a light bulb.
Terminal Terminals are electrical connectors which are used to transfer electrical current
from a power or grounding source to a use.

Transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and

electrical power.

Voltage Voltage is the pressure that makes electrons move in a wire.

Volts Volt is the measure of potential difference within two terminal of a conducting
wire.

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© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23
Principles of electricity
Voltage
Watch the YouTube video ‘What is voltage?’ (duration 6:56) and complete the cloze exercise on
voltage below.

To understand how electricity works and what voltage is we first need to explore the three basic
_particles__________ that make up atoms: protons, neutrons and electrons.

Protons and neutrons are tightly packed in the core of the _core___ or the nucleus, while electrons
move around the _nucleus______ in regions known as shells or orbitals.

Each type of particle carries a different charge. _Protons______ are positively charged, neutrons
carry no charge (neutral) and electrons carry a _negative_______ charge equal and opposite to
that of 1 proton.

Oppositely charged particles are _attract________ to each other, and particles with the same
charge repel one another. An electrically _neutral_______ atom will have the same number of
protons and electrons in it, and the _positive_______ and negative charges are balanced.

However, if enough energy is applied an electron could be ejected and therefore the atom would
carry a net positive _charge_____ as there are more protons than electrons. Likewise, another
atom could receive an electron resulting in a __net_ negative charge.

_Voltage____ is the difference in electrical potential between two points. A battery is a source of
voltage. It uses chemical reactions to create a surplus of electrons on one side of the battery called
the anode and a surplus of _protons______ on the other side called the cathode. The electrons
want to flow to the positively charged _cathode______, but they can only do this if a path is
provided such as a _________ attached from the _conductor____ to the cathode of the battery.
The difference in electrical __potential_______ between the anode and cathode of a battery is
measurable in the unit _volts____ (V).

4 Electronic resources
Word bank: anode, atom, attracted, cathode, charge, conductor, deficit, negative, net, neutral,
nucleus, particles, positive, potential, protons, voltage, volts.

Current
Watch the YouTube video ‘What is electric current?’ (duration 5:12) and complete the cloze
exercise below.

Most electronics require _electric_______ current to operate. Electric current is the physical
movement of charge carried by _electronics________ usually along a conductor.

Copper is a metal that is an excellent conductor due to its _atomic_____ structure (In fact copper is
the second-best _conductor________ of all elements at room temperature only being bested by
silver). In a _copper_____ atom’s outermost electron shell there is only one electron. If a free
electron is pushed into the outer shell of one copper atom it will eject an electron into the next
copper atom and start a chain reaction of movement called electric _current______.

The _energy from electric current can be used for many applications from lighting a light bulb, to
driving a _motor____ in an electric train.

Electric current is measured in the unit _amperes______ (A) or amps for short. Current is
_measured_______ by counting the amount of charge (in coulombs) that move past a point in a
_circuit______ each second. One electron carries −1.602 ×10−19 _couloumbs_______ of charge.
One coulomb of _charge_____ moving past a given point in a circuit each second is equal to one
amp of current.

In reality, electrons flow from _negative_______ to positive (e-), as they are negatively charged
and are _attracted________ to a positive charge. However, in electronics, current is usually
assigned as flowing from _positive_______ to negative (higher potential to lower potential), this is
called __conventional__________ current and is represented by capital I.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

Word bank: amperes, atomic, attracted, charge, circuit, conductor, conventional, copper,
coulombs, current, electric, electronics, energy, measured, motor, negative, positive.

Resistance and Ohm’s law

In an _electrical_________ circuit resistance refers to the impedance or restriction of current and is
measured in the unit Ohms and uses the Greek letter _Omega____ as its symbol (Ω). Resistance
in a circuit is usually the result of current passing through a component such as a
_resistor_______, however, even the copper wire that most electronics use as a
__conductor_______ provides a small amount of resistance.

All electrical components impede the flow of current in an electric _circuit______ in some way and
contribute to __energy____ losses throughout the circuit. Most energy loss due to resistance is
transformed into _thermal______ energy as heat. Other energy losses include vibration and sound
from _moving_____ parts such as _motors_____ or speakers.

Resistance is useful in an electrical circuit as it allows you to _control___ voltage and current being
delivered to different __components________, as some components will have different operating
voltages and currents.

Resistance is the final fundamental principle of electricity and completes the puzzle that is the
relationship between Voltage and Current. _Ohm’s____ law states that voltage is equal to the
current in a circuit times the _Resistance_________ or V =IR . Where V represents
_Voltage______, I represents conventional current and R represents resistance. Therefore if you
know two of three _variables________ you can use that information to calculate the third by
manipulating the formula.

The easiest way to manipulate the formula is to use the Ohm’s law triangle (below) we will explore
this further during this unit.

6 Electronic resources
Word bank: circuit, components, conductor, control, electrical, energy, motors, moving, Ohm’s,
Omega, resistance, resistor, thermal, variables, voltage.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

Principles of electricity
Now that you have explored voltage, current and resistance, provide a description for each of the
fundamental principles of electricity, and how they are measured in the table below.
Principle Description

Voltage Voltage is similar to the pressure in a waterpipe

that makes the water flow. In this case, the
volateg is the pressures that pushes the electrons
and allows them to flow. They are measured in
Volts.

Current Current is flow of electrons that go past a certain

point in a certain time. They flow past the
negative and positive points and can either be a
direct current or an alternating current. Current is
measured in amperes. 1 amp equals to 1
couloumb per second.

Resistance Resistance is the resistance to the flow of

electrons. Resistance helps control the current
and voltages throughout the circuit. Resistance is
measured in ohms. In Ohm’s Law it says that The
Voltage is equal to the current in the circuit times
the resistance.

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Observing Ohm’s law
To observe the relationship between voltage and current, use the electrical simulator ‘Circuit
Construction Kit’ at phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/circuit-construction-kit-dc

When you open circuit construction kit select the ‘lab’ option and ensure that ‘values’ is ticked in the
top right corner as shown below.

Use the components menu on the left to create the circuit shown below. You will need a battery,
three wires and a light bulb. You will also need the ammeter which is in the menu on the right.

Once you have completed the circuit, click on the battery and change its voltage to 18V (see above
right). What changes do you notice in the circuit? Write your answer in the space below.
As you turn the voltage up, the electrons flow faster and the power of the light increases.

Change the battery back to 9V, select the light bulb and double its resistance to 20Ω. What
changes happen in the circuit? Write your answer in the space below.
The electrons flow slower because there is more resistance.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

10 Electronic resources
Ohm’s law triangle
In an electrical circuit, current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance.
This rule is called Ohm’s law. Ohm’s law states that voltage is equal to the current in a circuit
multiplied by the resistance V =IR .

The simplest way to remember Ohm’s law is to use the Ohm’s law triangle. The triangle represents
the relationship between Voltage, Current and Resistance and makes it easy to rearrange the
formula. As can be seen below, if you cover the quantity that you are trying to calculate the triangle
will show you how to calculate the value.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

Reading resistor values
Colour code method:
Reading resistor values is an invaluable skill in electronics. There are two very simple ways to read
the value of a resistor. The first method utilises the colour coding on the resistor and a simple chart
to read its value.

At first this may seem to be a slow method, but eventually, you will remember the values of each
colour. One tip to assist with remembering the values associated with each colour is to observe
how the colours follow that of a rainbow and the values increase accordingly.

In the chart above two resistors are shown of equivalent value, however, one is a 4 band resistor
and the other is a 5 band resistor. They both work in the same way, but one has a higher tolerance.
To read the resistors observe the table below.

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Resistor values activity
Use the colour chart on the previous page to calculate the value of the resistors shown in the table
below. Write your answers in the table.
Resistor 1st 2nd 3rd Multiplier Tolerance Value
digit digit digit
3 9 n/a 10 5% 39 x 10 = 390 Ω + or – 19.5 Ω

1 0 0 1000 2% 100 x 1000 = 100kΩ + or -

5000Ω

1 0 n/a 100 5% 10x 100 = 1kΩ + or - 50 Ω

3 3 0 100 1% 330 x 100 = 33k Ω + or - 1650Ω

7 5 n/a 1M 10% 75 x 1,000,000 = 75M Ω + or –

3,750,000 Ω

0 1 0 10 2% 10 x 10 = 100 Ω + or – 5 Ω

3 3 n/a 100 5% 33 x 100 = 3.3k Ω + or – 165 Ω

4 7 5 10 1% 475 x 10 = 4.75k Ω + or – 237.5

Ω

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

 Resistor 1st 2nd 3rd Multiplier Tolerance Value
digit digit digit
5 6 n/a 10k 10% 56 x 10,000 = 560k Ω + or – 28k
Ω

7 9 6 10M 2% 796 x 10,000,000 = 7,960M Ω+

or – 398M Ω

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My first circuit
Breadboards
Now that you have an understanding of the basic electrical principles and resistors. It is time to
create your first circuit. When learning electronics it is beneficial to start by using a breadboard to
create circuits. A breadboard lets you create and prototype circuits without soldering so that if you
make a mistake you can easily correct it.

Breadboards are plastic boards with rows and columns of organised holes in them. The legs of
components such as resistors and LEDs can be pushed into holes and connected to each other
according to circuit diagrams or schematics.

Once you understand how the rows in a breadboard are connected it is usually quite simple to
arrange components on the breadboard according to a schematic. As you can see on the
breadboard below the numbered rows are connected horizontally across the board and the positive
and ground rails are connected vertically. The left side of the board is not connected to the right.

When connecting components according to a schematic it is best to find groups of connections

(nodes) and insert those connections into the same row. If it helps you can number the nodes on
the schematic and reference the numbers on the breadboard.

Each time you complete a circuit, document it in the back of the book in the production journal.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

LED and resistor in series
Using your knowledge of electrical principles and resistors, create the circuit below. You need to
connect an LED (Light Emitting Diode) which is a polarized component, this means that electrical
current will only pass through it in one direction (unless the current is far greater than the LED is
rated for). To connect an LED to a circuit you need to identify the anode (+) and the cathode (-).
The easiest way to do this is to look for the flat spot in the brim around the bottom of the LED and
this will always be the cathode (see below).

The components needed to complete this circuit are: (1) breadboard (1) LED, (1) 330Ω resistor, (1)
3V DC power source and various resistors higher and lower than 330Ω.

Resistors
There are many different types of resistors that can be grouped into two categories, fixed resistors
and variable resistors. As the names suggest, fixed resistors have a value that does not change
e.g. a resistor in series with an LED to reduce voltage. Variable resistors can have their value
changed to suit the needs of the user, for example, a volume control on a stereo.

The mechanism for changing the resistance in a variable resistor can be mechanical such as a
potentiometer or by external influence such as light on a photoresistor.

Research the common resistor types listed in the table below and classify them as a fixed or
variable, draw its schematic symbol and briefly describe how the resistor works and where it would
be commonly used.

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Continuity indicator activity
To complete this activity you will need your original LED and resistor series circuit, a series of
conductive and non-conductive materials (e.g. different metals, graphite, glass and a polymer
such as PVC)

Modify your original circuit by adding two probes to create a continuity indicator according to the
diagram below.

If you have modified your circuit successfully, connecting the probes together should illuminate the
LED, and disconnecting the probes should darken the LED. This circuit is a very basic continuity
indicator and we can use this to test if materials are conductive, or find faults in circuits where there
is no conductivity.

Diodes
A diode is an electrical component that allows current to flow through it in one direction with far
greater ease than in the other, this is called asymmetric conductance. Most diodes are made from
semiconductor materials such as silicon (you will explore semiconductors in-depth in a later unit).

Although the function of a diode is simple, it can serve many purposes in electrical circuits such as
protecting a circuit from reverse current or rectifying alternating current.

Research the common diode types listed in the table below, draw the schematic symbol for each
and briefly describe how the diode works and where it would be commonly used.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23

 Diode type Schematic Description of function/common use
symbol

Light-emitting
diode (LED)

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Capacitors
In the previous circuit, you would have encountered an electrical component that you are unfamiliar
with, a capacitor.

A capacitor is a two-terminal passive electrical component. Capacitors can store energy and
release it in a very predictable and useful way. They can be used in a circuit for any number of
reasons but find common use as filters.

The simplest form of the capacitor is made by placing two metal plates close together with an
insulating material in between called the dielectric.

When current flows into a capacitor, the charges get "stuck" on the plates because they can't get
past the insulating dielectric. Electrons build up on one of the plates, and it, therefore, has a net
negative charge. The large mass of negative charges on one plate push away like charges on the
other plate, giving it a net positive charge. Charges are held by their attraction to each other until
an alternate path in the circuit is provided for the stored electrons to move to the positively charged
plate.

© NSW Department of Education, Nov-23