CoSci P3 Electricity 2021-2023

Conceptual question Padlet link

● How are the relationships between charge,
current, voltage and resistance used to P3 Presentation
explain the behaviour of circuits?
P3 Bridge to IB Physics

Core and supplement underlined

Electric charge

1. State that there are positive and negative charges.

2. State that unlike charges attract and that like charges repel.

3. Describe and interpret simple experiments to show the production and detection of
electrostatic charges by friction.

4. State that charging a body involves the addition or removal of electrons.

5. Describe an electric field as a region in which an electric charge experiences a force.

6. Distinguish between electrical conductors and insulators and give typical examples.

Current, potential difference and electromotive force (e.m.f.)

7. Demonstrate understanding of current, potential difference, e.m.f. and resistance.

8. State that current is related to the flow of charge and that current in metals is due to a flow of
electrons.

9. Show understanding that a current is a rate of flow of charge and recall and use the equation I
= Q/t.

10a. Understand that the current at every point in a series circuit is the same.

10b State that, for a parallel circuit, the current from the source is larger than the current in each
branch.

10c. Recall and use the fact that the current from the source is the sum of the currents in the
separate branches of a parallel circuit.

11. State that the potential difference (p.d.) across a circuit component is measured in volts.

12. Use and describe the use of an ammeter and a voltmeter, both analogue and digital.

13. State that the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of an electrical source of energy is measured in
volts.

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14. Show understanding that e.m.f. is defined in terms of energy supplied by a source in driving
charge round a complete circuit.

Resistance

15. State that resistance = p.d. / current and understand qualitatively how changes in p.d. or
resistance affect current.

16. Sketch and explain the current-voltage characteristic of an ohmic resistor and a filament
lamp.

17. Recall and use the equation R = V/I.

18. Recall and use quantitatively the proportionality between resistance and length, and the
inverse proportionality between resistance and cross-sectional area of a wire.

Supporting Questions:
How are charge and electric current related?
How are charge and voltage related?
How are current, potential difference and resistance related?
How do models help or hinder the understanding of concepts of electricity?

P3 Concepts
Term Definition

Conductor A material that allows the flow of an electric current through it (e.g. all metals)

A material that does not allow the flow of electric current through it (e.g. wood,
plastics, glass)

A region in which an electric charge experiences a force.

A separation of charge stuck on insulating materials. Can be generated by friction.

The rate of flow of charge or the flow of charge per second (I=Q/t)

Work done transferring unit positive charge from one point to another or amount of
electrical energy transferred to other forms when unit charge passes between two
points

Energy supplied by a source in driving (unit) charge completely around circuit, per
unit charge

A circuit in which the voltage across each component is the same (current likely to
differ)

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 A circuit in which the current through each component is the same (voltage likely
to differ)

A property of matter which has two types (positive and negative) causing attraction
or repulsion. Measured in Coulombs.

A measure of the difficulty of passing an electrical current through it. Calculate

from Resistance = voltage (or p.d.)/current

The voltage across a component is directly proportional to the current through it,
provided the temperature remains constant

The current that (theoretically) flows from the positive side of the battery to the
negative.

Referring to the actual flow of electrons from the negative side of the battery to the
positive.

Transfer of energy allows work to be done within a circuit. Measured in Joules.

Fill in the terms above using the words below

Conductor Static electricity Parallel circuit Electric field Charge Q

Potential Conventional Electron flow Ohm’s Law Series circuit

difference, (V) current
(voltage)

Insulator Electromotive Current (I) Electrical energy Resistance (R)

force

P3 revision questions and mark scheme

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Static electricity
1. State that there are positive and negative charges.
2. State that unlike charges attract and that like charges repel.
3. Describe and interpret simple experiments to show the production and detection of electrostatic charges by
friction.
4. State that charging a body involves the addition or removal of electrons.
6. Distinguish between electrical conductors and insulators and give typical examples.

This picture was taken in 1975. What happened next?

Lightning is the result of a buildup of static electricity in

clouds. As water and ice pass each other in the cloud and
rub against each other, friction causes electrons to be
passed from the water to the ice. The buildup of negative
charge on the bottom of the cloud is what causes lightning. A
full explanation is in this video

Want to know more about lightning? Read here

At school we have lightning detectors that can tell when

charge is building up on the clouds nearby.
Conductors and Insulators
A conductor allows negatively charged electrons to flow through it; an insulator does not allow electrons
to flow. Electrons are still present in an insulator but are normally stationary or “static”. Static electricity
is concerned with electrons/charges on insulators.

Static Electricity Experiment P3.1: Static electricity activities

The word “static” means stationary, it refers to the way electrons behave in an insulator, static electricity
is an accumulation of charge. So how is it created?
● Static electricity can occur when two insulators are rubbed together.
● Although they cannot flow, it is possible for FRICTION
to cause electrons to be removed from the surface of
an insulator leaving it positive, this is because the
material now has more protons.
● It is also possible to add electrons to the surface of an
insulator making it negative, because there are now
more electrons than protons.
● Electrons are the only charges that are transferred
between materials. Protons never move!
● It depends on the materials as to which insulator will
become positive or negative. But one will always end up positive and one will always end up
negative.

Attraction and Repulsion

The most important piece of information you need to remember when considering static electricity is...

Like charges repel, unlike charges attract.

A proton (positive) and electron (negative) attract each other. Two electrons or two protons would repel
each other. A Van Der Graff generator transfers electrons to the person touching it, these negative charges
build up on the surface and repel each other. The force is great enough to make individual hairs stand on
end due to the repulsion between the excess electrons on the surface of the person.
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Electric Fields
5. Describe an electric field as a region in which an electric charge experiences a force.

An electric field is an example of a force field. Just as a gravitational field will cause an object with mass to
experience a gravitational force, an electric field is any region in space where a charge experiences a
force. For example, the Van de Graaf generator creates an electric field because other charges
experience a force when they are near it. The hair standing on end in the picture on page 4 is evidence that
they were experiencing a strong electric field.

✅ Quick Check Questions:

1. Complete this sentence: Like charges 2. If an object loses electrons it will become
__________, while unlike charges ………………………… charged.
________. If it gains electrons it will become
…………………………. charged.

3. Explain how a balloon becomes charged if 4. Explain why aeroplanes need to be earthed
rubbed on a woolly jumper/sweater. (have extra charge removed) after long flights
before they can be refuelled.

🙇 Past exam question. Command term: Explain

(a) Bicycle frames can be painted using an
electrostatic paint spray. The paint
droplets leave the spray gun with
a positive charge. The bicycle
frame is given a negative charge.

(i) Explain why the paint droplets are all given a positive charge.

............................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................
(2)
(ii) Explain why the bicycle frame is given a negative charge.

............................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................
(2)

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Electric Circuits

Electric circuits use moving charges to transfer energy from one place to another. There are four main
components in any electric circuit:

Sources put electrical energy into a circuit. Whenever you use an electric device, there are three different
types of source that you use. Here are their circuit symbols. What are they?

…...………….. ……………….

Loads are the components or devices that use the electrical energy and convert it into another form. These
circuit symbols give some examples of loads. Can you identify each symbol?

…………… ……………. …………….. …………… ……………. ……………….

Conductors are wires that are used to connect the components. We assume that they have no resistance
and electricity flows easily through them. All metals are good conductors of electricity. Wires are normally
made of copper

A switch is used to control the flow of electricity. Here is the circuit symbol.

Wires that join together look like this If they don’t connect, this is what they look like

For electricity to flow, there must be a closed loop that allows the charge to flow in a full circle. You can
think of the flowing charge as water flowing in a pipe. Consider this circuit diagram:

Which switches need to be closed for:

a) ONLY lamp A to light?

b) ONLY lamp B to light?

c) ONLY lamp C to light?

d) C and A to light?

Which switch is in control of the whole circuit?

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Series Circuits Parallel Circuits
In a series circuit, there is only one path for the In a parallel circuit, there are multiple paths for the
charge to follow. In the circuit below, we describe current to flow. You will see junctions in the circuit.
the bulbs as being connected “in series” The bulbs shown below are connected “in parallel”

Experiment P3.2: Constructing Series and Parallel Circuits

Using the equipment provided, construct the above circuits. Make notes here about the bulb
brightnesses. How do they compare within each circuit and also how do the brightnesses compare
between series and parallel circuits? Which circuit gives you more control over which bulbs are on or off?

My observations:

Oh no! Which way does charge flow?

This video explains the history of the discovery of electricity

and where a lot of the names and symbols have come from.
It also discusses a very embarrassing aspect of
physics---when we analyze circuits, we assume that positive
charge is flowing, even though everyone knows that it is
really electrons that flow. We will always analyse circuits with
Conventional Current Flow. This means that we will show
charge as flowing out of the positive terminal of a battery.

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Electric Current
7. Demonstrate understanding of current, potential difference, e.m.f. and resistance.
8. State that current is related to the flow of charge and that current in metals is due to a flow of electrons.
9. Show understanding that a current is a rate of flow of charge and recall and use the equation I = Q/t.
10a. Understand that the current at every point in a series circuit is the same.
10b State that, for a parallel circuit, the current from the source is larger than the current in each branch.
10c. Recall and use the fact that the current from the source is the sum of the currents in the separate branches of
a parallel circuit.

Some definitions:

● CHARGE – Electrons carry a charge that is measured in Coulombs (C), it takes billions of
billions of billions of electrons to make 1 C of charge.
● CURRENT – Current is “the rate of flow of charge”, it is measured in Amps (A). If lots of charge
passes a point in a small time, this is a large current.

Quantity Symbol Unit

Charge Q Coulombs (C)
Current I Amps (A)
Time t Seconds (s)

To calculate the current flowing in a circuit, you need to know how many coulombs of charge are flowing,
and the amount of time it takes to flow.

𝑄
Current Formula 𝐼= 𝑡

If there are more electrons (and therefore more coulombs) moving around a complete circuit in the same
amount of time, the current is higher. If the same amount of coulombs move around the circuit faster, the
current is higher.

✅ Quick Check Questions (show full working):

1. What is the current in a circuit if the charge passing each point is

(a) 10 C in 2 s, (b) 20 C in 40 s, (c) 240 C in 2 minutes?

2. A phone battery stores about 14000C when fully charged. If a charger provides 2.5A, how
long does it take to fully charge? Answer in seconds and minutes

3. If the current through a lamp is 5 A, what charge passes in (a) 1s, (b) 10s, (c) 5 minutes?

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12. Use and describe the use of an ammeter and a voltmeter, both analogue and digital.

Ammeters measure current and are always connected in series. This forces the current through the
ammeter so that it can be measured. Some top tips (quick video here):

-always connect the red or positive side of the power supply to the red terminal on the ammeter
-use the largest scale first, then switch to the lower scale if the current value falls within its range.
-use the “mirror” behind the needle to eliminate parallax error.

Experiment P3.3: Measuring Current

Construct the circuit below without ammeters and then insert the ammeter at the different locations
shown, recording your readings. Be sure to have your teacher check your results before taking apart the
circuit

Series Circuit Parallel Circuit

I1 = I2 = I3 = I4 = I5 = I6 = I7 =

What is the relationship between the currents in a For a parallel circuit, what is the rule for current at a
series circuit? junction?

✅ Quick Check Questions--Find the Unknown Currents

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EMF and Potential Difference (Voltage)

7. Demonstrate understanding of current, potential difference, e.m.f. and resistance

11. State that the potential difference (p.d.) across a circuit component is measured in volts.
13. State that the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of an electrical sources of energy is measured in volts
14. Show understanding that e.m.f. is defined in terms of energy supplied by a source in driving charge round a
complete circuit.

Electricity is so useful because it is an easy form of energy to move from one place to another.
Just as you can store energy in objects (gravitational potential energy) by raising them to
higher elevations, you can store energy in charges (electrical potential energy) by either
pushing like charges together or pulling opposite charges apart. Potential Difference or Voltage
is a measure of this energy.

More definitions:

● POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE – The potential difference (or voltage) across a component is the
difference in the amount of energy across it per unit of charge. It’s the difference in potential
energy of the electrons before they reach the component and after they leave it.
● ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE (emf) – Emf is the amount of energy given to a coulomb of charge
by the power source in a circuit.

Charge Q Coulombs (C)

Voltage (Potential
V Volts (V)
Difference)
Energy or Work Done E Joules (J)

Emf and potential difference are very similar. They are both a measure of ‘amount of energy per unit
charge’. However, there is an important difference which you need to remember:

Emf is the amount of energy supplied to a coulomb of charge by a power source in driving the
charge around a complete circuit.

Potential difference across a component is the amount of energy supplied to a component by a

coulomb of charge

For example, if you have a 12 V car battery, each Coulomb of charge that comes out of the battery will
have 12 J of energy that will then be used in the lights, air conditioner, etc.

Using a Multimeter - watch this video to see how to use the UWCSEA meters

Multimeters have many functions and give a digital output. ALWAYS use the “COM”
terminal and connect it toward the negative of the power supply or battery. The black
terminal you use depends on which function you want. For today, use “V” (Voltmeter)
and turn the dial to DC Volts

Voltmeters measure potential difference and are always connected in parallel.

This allows it to compare the energy that the charge has before and after the
component. You do not need to disconnect your circuit to measure potential
difference.

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Experiment P3.4: Measuring Voltage
Construct the circuit below and then use the multimeter to find the voltage at the points shown. Be sure
to have your teacher check your results before taking apart the circuit

Series Parallel
Circuit Circuit

V1 = V2 = V3 = V4 = V5 = V6 = V7 =

What is the relationship between the voltages in a What relationships can you find here?
series circuit? Remember it represents energy.

✅ Quick Check Questions -- Find the Unknown Voltages

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Resistance
Another definition:

● RESISTANCE – Resistance is what makes it difficult for electrons to flow. Every

conductor has resistance, it is caused by electrons colliding with atoms in the conductor.
Loads such as bulbs and resistors also have resistance. A big resistance means it is
hard for electrons to flow, therefore current is small. Resistance is measured in Ohms
(Ω).

Ohm’s Law Exploration

1) Run the “Circuit Construction Kit” from here

2) Create a simple circuit with one battery and one light

bulb. Also place a “non-contact” ammeter over the circuit
and click the “values” box

Try clicking on some of the different features in the menus

to the right, but stay with your simple circuit.

3) You can change the values of voltage in the battery and resistance in the bulb by highlighting the
component and then right-clicking. DO NOT CHANGE THE INTERNAL RESISTANCE OF THE BATTERY.
Complete the following table:

Battery Voltage (V) Bulb Resistance (Ω) Current (A)

9 10

3 10

3 5

6 5

12 4

Find three Voltage/Resistance combinations that would result in a current of 2 amperes:

1) V = R= 2) V = R= 3) V = R=

4) What is the relationship between Voltage, Resistance and Current? Can you come up with an equation?

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 15. State that resistance = p.d. / current and understand qualitatively how changes in p.d. or resistance affect
current
17. Recall and use the equation R = V/I.

Ohm’s Law: Putting It All Together

Georg Ohm may be the only high school teacher to get a major law of
physics named after him.

Ohm’s Law 𝑉 = 𝐼𝑅
Ohm’s law has many uses:

1) It allows you to find the resistance of an object by dividing its potential difference by its current
2) It allows you find the potential difference across a component by multiplying V and I
3) It allows you to predict the current that will flow in a simple circuit.

Using Ohm’s law and what you know about the way currents and potential differences behave, try to find
the missing values for these circuits.

Dare to try the challenging extension question

(not in IGCSE)?

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 16. Sketch and explain the current-voltage characteristic of an ohmic resistor and a filament lamp.

Experiment P3.5 – Testing Ohm’s Law

Wire up the following circuits in turn to see if Ohm’s Law applies to a fixed resistor and a bulb:
Circuit for fixed resistor Circuit for filament bulb

Vary the voltage on the power supply from 2 V to 11 V in 1 V increments and measure the current and
voltage for each setting. You MUST use the voltmeter for your voltage measurements. Do NOT trust the
setting on the power supply. Make a suitable data table of your results. Calculate the values for the
resistance column.

Results table
Resistor Light bulb

V /V I /A R /Ω V /V I /A R /Ω

What do you notice about the resistance What do you notice about the resistance
values for a resistor? values for a bulb?

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Conclusion
Resistor Light bulb

Sketch a graph of your results: Sketch a graph of your results:

Conclusion (remember ROSS: relation, origin, Conclusion (remember ROSS: relation, origin,
shape, slope) shape, slope)

Further questions to consider Further questions to consider

Does the resistor obey Ohm’s Law? Does the filament bulb obey Ohm’s Law?

How can you tell? How can you tell?

What does the gradient of the resistor graph tell When does the bulb have the lowest and highest
you? resistance?

Sometimes the graphs are drawn with the axes the other way round. Sketch the graphs below.

Resistor Light bulb

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Resistance of wires
18. Recall and use quantitatively the proportionality between resistance and length, and the inverse proportionality
between resistance and cross-sectional area of a wire.

Experiment P3.6A Experiment P3.6B

Resistance Using Putty Resistance Using Graphite

The resistance of a wire is affected by a few factors including its length, its cross-sectional area, its
temperature and the material it is made out of. In this course we only consider the wires length and cross
sectional area in detail.

Mathematically we can say that the resistance of a wire is directly

proportional to its length and inversely proportional to its
cross-sectional area. This means if we double the length we double
the resistance. If we double the cross-sectional area we halve the
resistance.

What would the following graph shapes be, if all other variables were held constant?

✅ Quick Check Questions (show full working):

1. A wire is 1.0 m long and has a resistance of 1Ω. What would the resistance be of a wire
made from identical material but 2.0 m long?

2. A wire has a DIAMETER of 2.0mm and a resistance of 5mΩ. If the diameter were halved,
what would be the new resistance?

3. A wire has a resistance of 12Ω. The metal used to make this wire is then melted down and
remade into a wire that is half as long. What will the resistance of this new wire be?

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Thinking about combining resistors

Now let’s apply what was learnt above about wire resistances to think about how connecting resistors in
different ways can affect the current flow in a circuit. Cross out the incorrect terms where appropriate.

When two resistors are in series, it is similar to increasing

the length/area of the wire. This causes the resistance to
increase/decrease, and therefore we would expect the
overall current flow to increase/decrease.

When two resistors are in parallel, it is similar to

increasing the length/area of the wire. This causes the
resistance to increase/decrease, and therefore we would
expect the overall current flow to increase/decrease.

Review questions
1. Look at the circuits below

In which circuit are lamps T and R lit but lamp P is not lit?

2. Draw a circuit diagram that shows an ammeter and a voltmeter correctly connected to measure the
resistance of a resistor. You must use correct symbols for the voltmeter, ammeter, resistor and
battery.

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3. A battery is labelled ‘9 VOLTS’. Which information does the label give about the battery?

A the power it can supply B the current it can supply

C its electromotive force (e.m.f.) D its resistance

4. A piece of wool is rubbed against a piece of glass and as a result the glass becomes negative.

What is the charge on the wool? ________________________________

Describe the motion of the electrons.

____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

5. The diagram shows how a student has connected some electrical components. The lamp does not
light because the circuit has not been completed.

Where must the crocodile clips be connected, so that the lamp lights only when the switch is closed?

A at P and R B at P and S C at Q and R D at Q and S

6. An iPhone uses a 1.5V battery and draws 50 mA of current. What is the resistance of the iPhone?

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7. The following data is obtained for an experiment done with a light bulb. Does this light bulb obey
Ohm’s Law? Justify your answer without the use of a graph.

V /V I /A
6.0 1.2
12.0 2.0
18.0 2.7
24.0 3.3
30.0 3.8

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

8. Explain the shape of the shape of the two graphs below.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

9.

10.

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11.

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