Unit Summary: Students will learn fundamentals of electrical circuits, like series, parallel, and combination circuits by constructing circuits and calculating circuit resistance, current, and voltage using Ohm’s law.

 Big Ideas:

• An understanding of work, energy, and power is required to determine system efficiency.

• An understanding of the basics of electricity requires the understanding of three fundamental concepts of voltage, current, and resistance.

• The atomic structure of a material determines whether it is a conductor, an insulator, or a semiconductor.

Essential Questions:

• What is the difference between series, parallel, and combination circuits?

• When is one kind of circuit used versus another kind and why?

• What is one possible way that “lost” energy might be collected in your home or school and transformed for a usable purpose?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of wiring a house with either series or parallel circuits?

Priority TEKS

• Know the equations for and calculate work and power

• Know the equation for calculation the efficiency of a system and use it to determine efficiency of a system that converts an electrical energy to a mechanical energy

• Know the equations related to describing the characteristics of simple circuits

• Calculate electrical power developed in a circuit.

• Calculate mechanical power developed when lifting an object

• Calculate circuit resistance, current, and voltage using Ohm’s law, including circuits with elements in series and/or parallel

• Compare and contrast the behavior of electrical circuits with parallel and series circuit designs.

 Activities & Projects

• Intro to Electricity Guided Notes 

• Circuit Calculations HW         

• Electrical Circuits Guided Notes

• Electrical Circuits Lab

• Mechanical System Efficiency 

• Assessment 2