Unit 5 - Electrical Engineering

Overview

This lesson is an introduction to basic electricity.

The power provided through electricity is a part of their everyday lives, but they may or may not have considered where it comes from, why it works or how it is produced and transmitted. Few students could imagine life without it. They might consider something like a camping trip to be life without electricity. Upon further investigation, though, they would discover the role of electricity in preparing for the trip and in the materials they might pack. Following this lesson, students will learn about some basic electronic components and digital electronics.

What is Electricity?

Electronics

Digital Electronics

Concepts

1. As engineers design electrical systems, they must understand a material’s tendency toward being a conductor or insulator.

2. Electron flow is created as electrons are transferred between atoms.

3. Current, voltage, and resistance are measurable quantities that are used to explain electron flow in an electrical system.

4. Generators are used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, while motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

5. Magnets play an important role in creating electromotive force which is used to make and convert electricity.

Performance Objectives

It is expected that students will:

· Identify the roles of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom.

· Identify an element based on the atomic number.

· Identify metals, metalloids, and non-metals on the periodic table.

· Judge whether a material is a conductor, insulator, or semiconductor based upon its number of valance electrons and its position on the periodic table.

· Explain how the Law of Charges holds an atom together.

· Explain how electrons transfer from one atom to another to create electron flow.

· Define current, voltage, and resistance.

· Measure voltage and current using a multimeter.

· Understand the properties of a magnet.

· Build an electromagnet to demonstrate its characteristics and functions.

· Build a DC motor to identify the primary parts and demonstrate how it functions.

· Build a generator to identify the primary parts and demonstrate how it functions.

· Understand the role of an electromagnet in the function of a DC motor and generator.

· Compare the characteristics of a basic motor and generator.

Essential Questions

1. Why are some materials good at conducting electricity and some are not?

2. How do electricians measure electricity values?

3. How are motors and generators the same? Different?

Concepts

1. An electrical circuit is a system made up of conductors and electrical components that form a complete path for electrical current.

2. Engineers use circuit diagrams to communicate components and functions of electrical circuits.

3. A variety of electronic components are incorporated into electrical circuits by engineers to achieve specific functions.

4. When building or diagnosing circuits, it is important to be able to measure voltage, current, and resistance.

5. Ohm’s Law explains the mathematical relationship between voltage, current, and resistance.

6. The transistor is an important electronic device because it allows a small amount of current to control a larger amount of current.

7. Engineers, designers, and engineering technologists are needed in high demand for the development of future technology to meet societal needs and wants.

Performance Objectives

It is expected that students will:

· Build series, parallel, and combination electrical circuits.

· Create circuit diagrams using standardized schematic symbols.

· Build and test physical electrical circuits based upon circuit diagrams.

· Integrate DC sources, lamps, switches, diodes, light emitting diodes, resistors, and capacitors into electrical circuits to achieve specific functions.

· Distinguish between the functions and operations of fixed resistors, variable resistors, and photo resistors.

· Determine the value of a fixed resistor based upon the color codes on those resistors.

· Measure voltage, current, and resistance using a multimeter.

· Mathematically calculate voltage, current, and resistance using Ohm’s law.

· Create a circuit that uses a transistor as a switch.

Essential Questions

1. How are series and parallel electrical circuits similar? Different?

2. Why is it important that those who create and use circuit diagrams use common symbols or conventions?

3. Why is the mathematical relationship expressed through Ohm’s Law so important for designing and evaluating electrical circuits?

Concepts

1. Computer processors are the key component of electronic devices and function based on logic.

2. Digital wave forms that communicate binary digits are the means of communication within and among digital electronic devices.

3. Engineers decide upon inputs, outputs, and the logic necessary for an electronic device.

4. Engineers must decide on the necessary constraints and trade-offs in control systems.

Performance Objectives

It is expected that students will:

· Interpret logic scenarios to determine outputs based upon possible conditions within those scenarios.

· Distinguish between the functions of NOT, AND, OR, NAND, NOR, and XOR gates.

· Create truth tables for logic scenarios and match those gates to truth tables.

· Convert binary numbers to Base-10.

· Convert ACII characters to binary.

· Create a digital wave form and graph it for a binary sequence.

· Communicate using electronic circuit diagrams.

· Use transistors as switches to create circuits that function as AND and OR gates.

· Determine the logic, sensors, gates, outputs, and other components needed to emulate existing electronic devices that utilize logic.

· Design, construct, and test device solutions for emulating common electronic devices that utilize logic.

Essential Questions

1. What is the difference between how humans and computers think and make decisions?

2. Why are truth tables important to engineers as they make decisions about the best gates to use for a circuit?

3. How is it possible that modern computer systems rely on only two digits, 0 and 1, to communicate and process complex functions?

4. How do constraints and trade-offs affect the logic circuit that an Engineer designs?

Logic Scenario Link - https://tinyurl.com/jp5zsj5