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Cambridge O Level Physics Your notes

4.4 Practical Electricity

Contents
Electrical Safety
Electrical Energy
Electrical Power

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Electrical Safety
Your notes
Uses of Elelctricity
Electricity is used in most aspects of modern day living
As a result, the demand for electricity as a global society is immense
Some common uses of electricity are:
Heating
Such as plug-in heaters, electric ovens and hobs, even gas boilers use electricity to power
them
Lighting
Such as street lights, shop signs, ceiling and wall lighting, and plug-in lamps
Battery charging
For devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops
Powering motors
Motors are used in machines like washing machines, tumble dryers & hair dryers
Electronic systems
Such as TVs and games consoles

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Electrical Hazards
Mains electricity is potentially lethal – potential differences as small as 50 volts can pose a serious Your notes
hazard to individuals
Risk of Electrocution Hazzard Symbol

The risk of electrocution is indicated by hazard signs but other risks which would not be signposted are
listed below

Common hazards include:

Damaged Insulation – If someone touches an exposed piece of wire, they could be subjected to a
lethal shock
Overheating of cables – Passing too much current through too small a wire (or leaving a long
length of wire tightly coiled) can lead to the wire overheating. This could cause a fire or melt the
insulations, exposing live wires
Damp conditions – If moisture comes into contact with live wires, the moisture could conduct
electricity either causing a short circuit within a device (which could cause a fire) or posing an
electrocution risk

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Excess current from overloading of plugs, extension leads, single and multiple sockets when
using a mains supply - If plugs or sockets become overloaded due to plugging in too many
components the heat created can cause fires Your notes
Overloaded Extension Lead

Overloading extension cables can lead to overheating and in some cases, fires

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Mains Circuits
Mains Electricity Your notes

Mains electricity is the electricity generated by power stations and transported around the country
through the National Grid
Everyone connects to the mains when plugging in an appliance such as a phone charger or kettle
Mains electricity is an alternating current (a.c.) supply
In the UK, the domestic electricity supply has a frequency of 50 Hz and a potential difference of about
230 V
A frequency of 50 Hz means the direction of the current changes back and forth 50 times every
second
Mains electricity, being an alternating current, does not have positive and negative sides to the power
source
The equivalent to positive and negative are called live and neutral and these form either end of the
electrical circuit

Three-pin Plug & Earth Connection

UK Plug Socket & Plug

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Your notes

The plug socket and inside of a three-pin plug showing the three wires and their connections. The live
and neutral wires deliver the electricity to the device. The Earth wire is for safety
In order to protect the user or the device, there are several safety features built into domestic appliances,
including:
Double insulation
Earthing
Fuses
Circuit breakers
Insulation & Double Insulation
The conducting part of a wire is usually made of copper or some other metal
If this comes into contact with a person, this poses a risk of electrocution
For this reason, wires are covered with an insulating material, such as rubber
Insulated Wires

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Your notes

The conducting part of a wire is covered in an insulating material for safety

Some appliances do not have metal cases and so there is no risk of them becoming electrified
Such appliances are said to be double insulated, as they have two layers of insulation:
Insulation around the wires themselves
A non-metallic case that acts as a second layer of insulation
Double insulated appliances do not require an earth wire or have been designed so that the earth wire
cannot touch the metal casing

Earthing
Many electrical appliances have metal cases
This poses a potential safety hazard:
If a live wire (inside the appliance) came into contact with the case, the case would become
electrified and anyone who touched it would risk being electrocuted
The earth wire is an additional safety wire that can reduce this risk
If this happens:
The earth wire provides a low resistance path to the earth

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It causes a surge of current in the earth wire and hence also in the live wire
The high current through the fuse causes it to melt and break
This cuts off the supply of electricity to the appliance, making it safe Your notes

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Fuses & Trip Switches

A fuse is a safety device designed to cut off the flow of electricity to an appliance if the current Your notes
becomes too large (due to a fault or a surge)
Circuit Symbol for a Fuse

The circuit symbol for a fuse - take care not to confuse this with a resistor. The wire runs straight through
the rectangle representing the fuse wire
Fuses usually consist of a glass cylinder which contains a thin metal wire.
If the current in the wire becomes too large:
The wire heats up and melts
This causes the wire to break, breaking the circuit and stopping the current
A trip switch, found in the Consumer Box (where the electricity enters the building) does the same job
as a fuse
When the current is too high the switch 'trips' (automatically flicks to the off position)
This stops current flowing in that circuit

Choosing Which Fuse to Use

Fuses come in a variety of sizes (typically 3A, 5A and 13A) - in order to select the right fuse for the job,
you need to know how much current an appliance needs
If you know the power of the appliance (along with mains voltage), the current can be calculated using
the equation:
power
current =
potential difference
P
I=
V
The fuse should always have a current rating that is higher than the current needed by the appliance,
without being too high - always choose the next size up
Example:
Suppose an appliance uses 3.1 amps
A 3 amp use would be too small - the fuse would blow as soon as the appliance was switched on

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A 13 amp fuse would be too large - it would allow an extra 10 amps to pass through the appliance
before it finally blew
A 5 amp fuse would be an appropriate choice, as it is the next size up Your notes

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Electrical Energy
Your notes
Electrical Energy Equation
Everyday appliances transfer electrical energy from the mains to other forms of energy in the
appliance
For example, in a heater, this will transfer electrical energy into a thermal energy store
The amount of energy an appliance transfers depends on:
How long the appliance is switched on for
The power of the appliance
A 1 kW iron uses the same amount of energy in 1 hour as a 2 kW iron would use in 30 minutes
A 100 W heater uses the same amount of energy in 30 hours as a 3000 W heater does in 1 hour
Calculating Electrical Energy
To calculate electrical energy use the equation
E = VIt
Where:
E = energy (joules, J)
V = voltage (volts, V)
I = current (amps, A)
t = time (seconds, s)

Exam Tip
Remember that kilo (k) means 1000, so 1 kW = 1000 W

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Electrical Power
Your notes
Electrical Power Equation
In mechanics, power P is defined as the rate of doing work
The potential difference is the work done per unit charge
Current is the rate of flow of charge
Therefore, the electrical power is defined as the rate of change of work done:
E W
P= =
t t
Where:
P = power in watts (W)
E = energy in joules (J)
t = time in seconds (s)
W = work done in (J)
The work done is the energy transferred so the power is the energy transferred per second in an
electrical component
The power dissipated (produced) by an electrical device can also be written as
P = IV
Where:
P = power in watts (W)
I = current in amps (A)
V = potential difference in volts (V)
Using Ohm's Law V = IR to rearrange for either V or I and substituting into the power equation, means
power can be written in terms of resistance R
P = I2R
V2
P=
R
Where:
P = power in watts (W)
I = current in amps (A)
R = resistance in ohms (Ω)
V = potential difference in volts (V)
This means for a given resistor if the current or voltage doubles the power will be four times as great.
Which equation to use will depend on whether the value of current or voltage has been given in the
question
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Rearranging the energy and power equation, the energy can be written as:

E = VIt Your notes

Where:
E = energy transferred in joules (J)
V = potential difference in volts (V)
I = current in amps (A)
t = time in seconds (s)

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Worked example
Your notes
Two lamps are connected in series to a 150 V power supply.

Which statement most accurately describes what happens?

A. Both lamps light normally
B. The 15 V lamp blows
C. Only the 41 W lamp lights
D. Both lamps light at less than their normal brightness
Answer: A
Calculate the current needed for both lamps to operate
P = IV
P
I=
V
For the 41 W lamp:
41
I= = 0.3 A
135
For the 4.5 W lamp
4.5
I= = 0.3 A
15
For both lamps to operate at their normal brightness, a current of 0.3 A is required
Since the lamps are connected in series, the same current would flow through both
Therefore, the lamps will light at their normal brightness

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This is option A

Your notes
Exam Tip
You can use the mnemonic “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Power equals I squared R” to remember whether
to multiply or divide by resistance in the power equations.
When doing calculations involving electrical power, remember the unit is Watts W, therefore, you
should always make sure that the time is in seconds

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Measuring Energy Usage

The Kilowatt Hour (kWh) Your notes
Energy usage in homes and businesses is calculated and compared using the kilowatt hour
The kilowatt hour is defined as:
A unit of energy equivalent to one kilowatt of power expended for one hour

Appliances are given power ratings, which tell consumers:

The amount of energy transferred (by electrical work) to the device every second
Power Rating for a Kettle

This kettle uses between 2500 and 3000 W of electrical energy

This energy is commonly measured in kilowatt-hour (kW h), which is then used to calculate the cost of
energy used

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Calculating with kWh

The kilowatt hour can also be defined using an equation: Your notes
E = Pt
Where
E = energy (kWh)
P = power (kW)
t = time (h)
This equation is unusual because S.I. unit are not used, both energy and power are × 103, and
time is in hours, not seconds
Since the usual unit of energy is joules (J), this is the 1 W in 1 s
Therefore:
1 kW h = 1000 W × 3600 s = 3 . 6 × 106 J
Since 1 kW = 1000 W and 1 h = 3600 s

To convert between Joules and kW h:

kW h × (3 . 6 × 106) = J
J ÷ (3 . 6 × 106) = kW h
The kW h is a large unit of energy, and mostly used for energy in homes, businesses, factories and so on

Worked example
A cooker transfers 1.2 × 109 J of electrical energy to heat up a meal.
Calculate the cost of cooking the meal if 1 kW h costs 14.2p
Answer:
Step 1: Convert from J to kW h

(1 . 2 × 109) ÷ (3 . 6 × 106) = 333 . 333 kW h

Step 2: Calculate the price

1 kW h = 14. 2 p
333 . 333 × 14. 2 = 4733 p = £ 47. 33

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