Chapter 12 Electricity and Circuits

Power station: Electricity that we use at home, in our factories, is supplied from a power
station.
Electric cell: Electric cell is a source of electricity.
Production of electricity in a cell: An electric cell produces a small amount of electricity
from chemicals stored inside it. When the chemicals in the electric cells are used up, the
electric cells stop producing electricity.
Terminal: All types of electric cells have two terminals, a positive terminal, and a negative
terminal. Life without electricity is difficult to imagine. Many devices and machines in our
day-to-day lives run on electricity.

Battery: When two or more cells are joined together, the

combination is called a battery.

Bulb: We get light from a thin tiny wire inside the glass cover. This is called the filament. It
is supported by two thicker wires, as shown in Fig. One of these thick wires is connected to
the metal casing around the base of the bulb. The other is connected to the metal tip of the
base. The base of the bulb and the metal tip of the base are the two terminals of the bulb.
These two terminals are fixed in such a way that they do not touch each other.
The inside portion of the bulb is filled up with inert gases, like argon.

Circuit: The complete path, from one terminal of the electric cell through the bulb and back
to the other terminal of the electric cell, is called a circuit.
Open circuit: If there is any gap in the path of a circuit, the bulb does not light up. Such a
circuit is called an open circuit.
Closed circuit: A circuit that has an ‘unbroken path’ through which an electric current can
flow is called a closed circuit.
The flow of current in a circuit: As soon as the path from one terminal of the electric cell to
the other is completed, an electric current starts flowing through the circuit and the bulb lights
up. The electric current flows from the positive terminal of the electric cell to its negative
terminal.

In the bulb, current enters through

one of its terminals flows through
the filament inside the bulb, and
comes out through the other terminal
of the bulb. When the current flows
through the filament, it starts
glowing.

Fused bulb: If the filament of the bulb is broken, the circuit is not completed and hence the
current cannot flow. The bulb with a broken filament is called a fused bulb. When a bulb gets
fused, it does not light up.
Electric switch: Electric switch is a simple device that either breaks the circuit or completes
it to stop or start the flow of current.
 When the switch completes the circuit, it is called a closed switch.
 When the switch breaks the circuit, it is called an open switch.

Conductors
 Materials through which electric current can flow are called conductors.
 Most metals are conductors.
 Our body is also a good conductor.
Insulators
 Materials, through which the electric current
cannot pass, are called insulators. In other
words, insulators are bad conductors of
electricity.
 Rubber and wood are insulators.
All metals are conductors of electricity while some
are better conductors than others. A few non-
metals like graphite (pencil lead is made of
graphite) are also conductors of electricity.
 Examples of insulators are glass, wood, rubber, pure water, and dry air. However, the
smallest impurity in water (impurities are substances like salts, dissolved in water)
makes it a conductor.
 The handles of screwdrivers and testers used by electricians are usually made of wood
or hard plastic. They also wear rubber gloves while repairing an electric switch to
avoid electric shock.
Conduction tester: It is a simple device to test whether a material is a conductor or insulator.

Filament: The thin wire that gives off light is called the filament of the bulb.
Dry cell: Dry cell is a source of electricity. It generates direct current (DC) due to a chemical
reaction that takes place inside it.
Bulb: An electric bulb is a device that glows and emits light when an electric current is
passed through it.
Conductors: Materials that allow the electric current to pass through them are called
conductors.
Electric cell: Electric cell is a source of electricity.
Electric circuit: The complete path from one terminal of the electric cell through the bulb
and back to the other terminal of the electric cell is called an electric circuit.
Filament: In an electric bulb, there is a thin tiny wire inside the glass cover. This is called the
filament.
Switch: Electric switch is a simple device that either breaks the circuit or completes it to stop
or start the flow of current.
Electric Current flows only if there is an unbroken or complete
path, starting from one terminal of the source, through various
devices back to the other terminal of the source. Most of the
devices and machines we use like electric iron, ovens, room
heaters, refrigerators, ceiling fans, or electric bulbs work when an
electric current flows through them.
Source Of Electric Current: A device that can be used to
produce an electric current is called a source of electric current.
Common sources of electric current are cells and batteries
(collection of cells) which come in various shapes and sizes (Fig.
14.2), and electric current that we get from plug points in houses. A very useful kind of cell
that we use very often is the dry cell. Due to a chemical reaction that takes place in cells and
batteries, electric current is produced. For large-scale production of electricity, flowing water
or steam is used.
The Dry Cell:
A dry cell is a very convenient source of electric current. The dry cell, as its name suggests,
contains dry or semi-solid ingredients.
Let us take a look inside a dry cell [Fig. 14.3(a and b)].

The dry cell contains a paste of ammonium chloride

inside a zinc container. Inside the paste, a cardboard
container containing powdered manganese dioxide
and carbon is placed. The cardboard container has
microscopic ‘holes’ in it (such materials are called
porous materials) through which a chemical reaction
takes place between ammonium chloride paste and
powdered manganese dioxide. A rod, usually carbon,
with a metal cap is dipped into the manganese
dioxide. The whole thing is then sealed (with only the
metal cap sticking out) so that the contents do not
spill out.
The zinc can is also wrapped so that only the base is exposed. Every source of electric current
has two ends or terminals where conducting wires are connected to draw electric current. The
tip of the metal cap and the base of the zinc can are called the positive and negative terminals
of the dry cell, respectively. Electric current can be thought of as ‘flowing in’ from one
terminal and ‘flowing out from the other. If the tip of the metal cap and the base of the zinc
can are connected by a metal wire, current will flow through it.
Different Types of Electric Cells:
Apart from the simple primary cells like dry cells, there are different types of electric
cells. Different cells use different methods for producing an electric current.

 Primary cells can be used

only once, and have to be
thrown away once they have
been used up.
 Some cells can be recharged
once they are drained. These
are called secondary cells.
They are used in mobile
phones, laptops, and car
batteries.
 Nowadays, solar cells are being
used in many applications. Solar cells use sunlight to produce an electric current. Fig.
14.4 Some devices that work on dry cells.
 Many calculators are powered by solar cells. Solar panels made up of solar cells are
used to light up streets and many homes.

Flow Of Electric Current

Three basic conditions (Fig. 14.5) are required for an electric current to flow.
 A device used to produce an electric current like a
cell, battery, or plug point acting as a source.
 A wire made of a metal like copper, silver, or
aluminum, which will allow an electric current to flow
through easily.
 An unbroken loop (of the wire) running from one
terminal of the source, through various appliances,
back to the other terminal of the source.

Making a Simple Electric Circuit:

When we connect the terminals of a pencil cell (the name given to the cell due to its shape) to
a bulb using two wires, the bulb glows. This happens because we provide a path for the
current to flow. A path for an electric current to flow is called an electric circuit.
In Figure 14.6(a), one wire from the pencil cell is connected to the torch bulb, while the other
wire is not. The electric circuit is not complete here. In Figure 14.6(b), both the wires from
the cell are connected to the torch bulb. The electric circuit is complete in this case. Electric
current flows only if there is an unbroken path or closed circuit starting from one terminal of
the source, through the torch bulb, to the other terminal of the source. Thus, the bulb glows in
Figure 14.6(b) but not in Figure 14.6(a). The circuit in Figure 14.6(a) is not complete. Hence,
current cannot flow through the circuit and the bulb does not glow. Such a circuit is called an
open circuit. The circuit in Figure 14.6(b) is complete. Electric current flows through the
circuit and, as a result, the bulb glows. Such a circuit is called a closed circuit.

Electric current flows in a particular direction. In an electric circuit, the electric current flows
from the positive terminal to the negative terminal of the electric cell. Figure 14.7 shows the
direction of the flow of electric current in a circuit.
Electric Switch: We use electric switches to put on or off electrical devices and machines.
But do you know how it works?

An electric switch is a device that is used to open or close an electric circuit.

When we open an electric circuit, the flow of electric current in the circuit stops [Fig.
14.9(a)], and when we close an electric circuit, an electric current flows through it In an
electrical circuit, a switch is sometimes.
Electric Torch: electric torch has one or more dry cells inside it, which act as the ‘source’.
These cells are connected through a switch to a small bulb. When the switch is pushed to the
‘on’ position, the circuit is complete and the bulb glows. When the switch is pushed to the
‘off’ position, the circuit is incomplete (broken). Now the current cannot flow through the
circuit, and the light goes out.
Electrical Safety
Electricity can be very dangerous if you do not handle electrical devices carefully. One
should never play with electrical wires and sockets. Electricity from cells is safe and you can
experiment with it, but you have to be careful not to connect the two terminals of a cell
directly through a wire/conductor. Electricity generated by portable generators is dangerous
and should not be used for experiments.
Source of electric current: A device that can be used to produce an electric current is called
a source of electric current.
Electric circuit: A path for an electric current to flow is called an electric circuit.
BATTERY IMPORTANT POINTS
 In a dry cell, a chemical reaction takes place to produce an electric current.
 A dry cell contains solid or semisolid ingredients.
 All cells have two terminals: the positive and the negative terminal.