CONDUCTIVITY

• What’s conductivity?
• Conductivity is the measure of the ease at which an electric
charge or heat can pass through a material. We are going to
focus on electrical conductivity.

• Electrical conductivity tells us how well a material will allow

electricity to travel through it. Electrical conductivity depends on
how tightly or strongly bound a material’s electrons are tied to its
atoms.

• Depending on their electrical conductivity, we can classify

materials as conductors (electricity can travel easily through them
because they have weakly bound electrons), and insulators
(electricity can’t travel easily through them because they have
strongly bound electrons).
• What’s conductivity?
EXAMPLES

Conductors Insulators

Aluminum Rubber
Copper Glass

Iron Wood
Gold Diamond
Silver Paper
• What’s conductivity?

Conductor OR Insulator ?

WOOD

Insulator! ✔✔✔
• What’s conductivity?

Conductor OR Insulator ?

IRON

Conductor! ✔✔✔
• What’s conductivity?

Conductor OR Insulator ?

PAPER

Insulator! ✔✔✔
• What’s conductivity?

Conductor OR Insulator ?

SEA WATER

Conductor! ✔✔✔
• What’s conductivity?

Conductor OR Insulator ?

GRAPHITE

Conductor! ✔✔✔
• What’s conductivity?

Conductor OR Insulator ?

PURE WATER

Insulator! ✔✔✔
ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
• Electrical circuits – What they are

• As we learned earlier, when we talk about electricity in electrical

circuits throughout this unit, we will be talking about Direct Current
(DC). That means that electricity is formed by a flow of electrons
that move continuously through a conductor material in one
direction.

• And so, in order for the electric current to flow, we must connect
those conductor materials to each other, creating a closed
pathway for the electric current to flow through.

• That’s what an electrical circuit is: a group of components

connected to each other creating a closed pathway through which
an electric current flows and produces different effects.
• Electrical circuits – Components

• Now that we know what electrical circuits are, we need to know

about the components that form them. Electrical circuit
components are represented through international, easy to
understand symbols. Depending on their purpose, we can
classify these components into the following categories:

- Generators.

- Conductors.

- Output elements.

- Control elements.

- Protection elements.
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS -
GENERATORS -
• Electrical circuits – Generators
• Generators are the components that provide energy to the circuits.
Generators can be cells, batteries, or alternators. Here we can
see the symbols pertaining to these components, as well as the
type of electric current they provide.

Electric current
Name Picture Symbol
provided

Cell DC

Battery DC

Alternator AC
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS -
CONDUCTORS -
• Electrical circuits – Conductors
• Conductors are the electrically conductive materials that connect
the components of the circuit to each other (wires). Here we can
see the symbol used to represent wires in electrical schemes.

Name Picture Symbol

Wire
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS -
OUTPUT ELEMENTS -
• Electrical circuits – Output elements
• Output elements receive electrical energy and transform it into
another energy forms, such as heat, noise, movement, light…
Here we can see the output elements we are going to learn
about during this unit, their name, picture, symbol and function.

Name Picture Symbol Function

It transforms electricity
into mechanical
Electric motor
energy (movement).

It transforms electricity
Buzzer into noise.

It transforms electricity
Light Bulb into light.
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS -
CONTROL ELEMENTS -
• Electrical circuits – Control elements
• Control elements allow or prevent the electric current from passing
through either part or all of a circuit. Here, as well as in the next
slide, we can see the control elements we are going to learn
about during this unit, their name, picture, symbol and function.

Name Picture Symbol Function

It closes or opens the circuit. They change

position when they are pushed, and they stay in
Switch the same position until pushed again.

They are similar to switches. However, while

switches only interrupt the flow of the current
passing through one line of the circuit, multi-way
Multi-way switches do not close or open the circuit. Instead,
switch they change the connection between two circuits
when they are operated.
• Electrical circuits – Control elements
• There is one more control element we are going to learn about,
the push button. It can have two configurations: normally open
(NO) or normally closed (NC). Here you can see its name, picture,
symbol and function.

Name Picture Symbol Function

Push buttons work like switches, but they only
perform their function while they are pressed
NO push down. A Normally Open push button closes the
button circuit while it is being pressed down.

Push buttons work like switches, but they only

perform their function while they are pressed
NC push down. A Normally Closed push button opens the
button circuit while it is being pressed down.
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS -
PROTECTION ELEMENTS -
• Electrical circuits – Protection elements
• Protection elements protect both the circuit’s components and
people in case of malfunction. Here we can see the protection
elements we are going to learn about during this unit, as well as
their name, picture, symbol and function.

Name Picture Symbol Function

It is used to reduce
current flow and adjust
Resistor
voltages.
It breaks (opens) the
circuit in case there is
Fuse
an excess of current.
It only lets current flow
through in one
LED Diode direction and gives off
light.
WE ARE DONE WITH
COMPONENTS NOW!

SAVE PROGRESS
HOW DO CIRCUITS WORK –
BUILDING CIRCUITS –
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• As we already know, electricity is caused by the movement of
electrons. Direct Current (DC), the type of electricity we are going
to focus on throughout the unit, consists of a constant flow of
electrons. And so, what is the first thing we are going to need to
build a circuit?

• That’s right, an energy source, one that will give us the moving
electrons we need in order to power the circuit. What kind of
electrical component can give us that?

• That’s right, Generators. So, first of all, we are going to have to

pick a generator from the three options we have seen earlier.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• So, since we are going to focus on circuits working with Direct
Current (DC), we are going to ignore the Alternator as an energy
source, since it provides Alternating Current (AC). We have two
options left, with no real differences between them.

Electric current
Name Picture Symbol
provided

Cell DC

Battery DC

Alternator AC
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• We have picked our energy source for our circuit, as we can see
in this slide. What do we have to do next?

?
• Electricity has polarity. The electrons move from the positive pole
of the generator to its negative pole. And we have learned that
circuits consist of a closed pathway for electricity to flow through.
Shall we connect our energy source’s positive pole and negative
pole to make the simplest possible circuit?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 1. Is this the simplest possible circuit we can build? How does it
work? Electric flow is represented by the red arrows.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: Although a bit exaggerated, this is what would actually
happen if we connected our circuit like shown in the previous
slide.

• We can NEVER, EVER connect directly the positive and negative

poles of a circuit. That’s called a short circuit, it’s very dangerous,
and it will surely destroy a lot of components and even injure people.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 2. What component would you add to the circuit in order to solve
the short circuit problem?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

• How can we avoid it? As we said, electrons go from the positive

pole of the generator to its negative pole. If we connect those
poles or terminals directly, electrons go from one pole to the
other too fast and in too great numbers, which causes a very
powerful electric current, resulting in the short circuit.

• In order to avoid short circuits, we have to connect something

between the positive and negative poles (also called terminals)
that makes it harder for electrons to go through the circuit
(increases the circuit’s resistance). We can use a resistor, or one of
the output elements we have seen earlier. In the next slide we can
see a circuit that won’t short circuit.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: Once we add a resistor or output element to the circuit, the
electrons can’t go too fast from the positive pole to the negative
pole, and the short circuit won’t happen.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 3. Which component would you add to the circuit so you could
control the flow of electricity? Does it matter where you connect it in the
circuit?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: Once we add a switch to the circuit, we can control the
flow of electricity in the circuit. We can open the circuit,
preventing the current from flowing, or close it, allowing the
current to flow. It doesn’t matter where we connect the switch.

✔✔
✔
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 4. Could we substitute the resistor by a motor in the circuit seen in
the previous question (as shown below)? Would there be any problem by
doing so? How would the circuit work?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: Yes we could, the circuit would work totally fine, there
would be no problems at all. By using the switch, we would be
able to turn the motor on and off at will.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 5. What will happen if we take out one of the light bulbs from the
circuit? Will the other light bulb still give off light?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: If we take out of the circuit either one of the light bulbs,
the circuit will be open and the current will not be able to flow
and the remaining light bulb will not be able to give off light.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• We can connect components one after the other, and electricity
will flow the same way. As we can see in this example, the two
lamps would go on when we closed the circuit with the switch.
Connecting one component after another is called Series
Connection. A Series Circuit is one where all of its components are
connected one after the other, forming a single path for the current
to follow, as the one in this slide.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 6. Which motors will turn on if we close the switch?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: Both of them will. The two branches provide a path from
the generator’s positive pole to its negative pole, so the current
will divide between the two branches.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• However, Series Connection is not the only way we can connect electrical
components. We can also connect electrical components using Parallel
Connection. In Parallel Connection, the positive or input terminals of the
components are connected to the same point, just like their negative or
output terminals. Here we can see a simple circuit with two electric motors
connected parallel to each other. A Parallel Circuit is a circuit in which all
its components are connected in parallel, such as the one shown in this
picture.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Just like we have explained, electricity flows from the positive pole to the
negative pole, that fact never changes when we talk about DC current.
Here we can see the flow of electricity in this circuit. When trying to
picture the electric flow through the branches of the circuit, focus only on
the branch you are currently studying, as if the other branches don’t
exist.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• As you can see represented with the arrows, electric current is
divided between the two parallel branches. We will learn how to
calculate this division in the future, so don’t worry about it for now.
The important thing for now is that you understand electric flow
and how Series and Parallel Connections work.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 7. Which motors will turn on if we open the switch?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: If we leave the switch open, only the left motor will turn
on. The branch it is connected to provides a path from the
generator’s positive pole to its positive pole. The right motor’s
branch is open, so that motor will not turn on. The current will not
be divided between the branches, with all of the current going
through the left branch.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 8. Which motors will turn on if we close the switch?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Answer: If we close the switch, electricity will be able to flow through
both branches, as both provide a path between the generator’s
positive pole and its negative pole. Both motors will turn on, and the
electric current will be divided between the two branches.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 9. What will happen if we open the switch?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Answer: If we open the switch, electricity won’t be able to flow
through the right branch, as it is open. However, electricity will be
able to flow through the left branch, as it provides a path to flow
from the generator’s positive pole to its negative pole. Since there
will be no division of current between the branches, all the electric
current will flow through the left branch.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Question 10. What will happen if we close the switch?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
Answer: If we close the switch, electricity will be able to go through
the right branch as well. However, since it provides a direct
connection from the generator’s positive pole to its negative pole, it
will cause a short circuit. We have to be very careful about cases
like this.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

• Now we are going to learn a bit about two important components.

First, we are going to learn about the multi-way switch. It allows us
to change the connection between two circuits. Here you can see a
circuit that integrates a multi-way switch (this one is a two-way
switch to be exact).
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 11. What happens if we select the uppermost position? Which

components do turn on?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: If we select the uppermost position, the current will flow
through the uppermost branch or connection and the lamp will
turn on, as it provides a pathway from the generator’s positive
pole to its negative pole. The current is not divided between the
two branches. The motor will not turn on.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 12. What happens if we select the lowermost position? Which

components do turn on?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: If we select the lowermost position, the current will flow
through the lowermost branch or connection and the motor will
turn on, as it provides a pathway from the generator’s positive
pole to its negative pole. The current is not divided between the
two branches. The lamp will not turn on.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

• Now we are going to learn about the LED diode. It is a component

that only allows current to flow through itself in one direction, and
when it does, the LED gives off light. Here we can see a simple
circuit with a LED diode.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 13. What happens if we close the switch?

• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: A shortcircuit happens. A diode has almost no resistance,
so practically the generator’s positive pole is being connected
directly to its negative pole. We have to add a resistor or an output
element connected in series in order to increase the circuit’s
resistance.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 14. How can we solve the problem of the short circuit in this
circuit? Does it matter where we place the component we use as the solution?
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits
• Answer: Once we add a resistor or an output element connected to
the circuit in series in order to increase the circuit’s resistance, if
we close the switch, electricity will flow through, and the LED will
give off light, as we can see in this slide. It doesn’t matter where we
connect that component, as we can see here.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 15. What happens if we close the switch?

• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

• Answer: Electricity doesn’t flow through the circuit because the LED
diode doesn’t allow the current to pass through itself. That’s
because the LED diode is connected backwards.
• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

Question 16. Correct all the mistakes on this circuit.

• Electrical circuits – Building circuits

• Answer: The generator is connected backwards (that’s why the right

diode and the battery haven’t exploded, because current is not
going through that diode). The left diode is connected backwards,
and it doesn’t let current flow through. Both diodes need to be
connected to a resistor or an output element so they don’t cause a
short circuit.
REAL CIRCUITS AND
SIMULATION
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

Draw an electric scheme representing the physical circuit you have seen.
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

ANSWER
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

Let’s simulate some circuits!

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

• First, write “Tinkercad” in your search engine. You will see a page
that looks like this.
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

• Now, let’s click on “Join your class”.

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

• Once you have done that, you will see a page like this. I will tell you
now the code so you can join the class.
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

• It will ask for your nickname. Please write it so it is

“NameSurname”.
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

• Once you have joined the class, you will see a page like this. You
will have to click on “Circuits”.
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

• After that, you will see a page like this. You will have to click on
“Create a new circuit”.
• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

PRACTICE – FIRST SCHEME

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

PRACTICE – SECOND SCHEME

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

PRACTICE – THIRD SCHEME

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

PRACTICE – FOURTH SCHEME

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

PRACTICE – FIFTH SCHEME

• Electrical circuits – Real circuits and simulation

PRACTICE – FINAL SCHEME