EM Goals!

Introduction:

For the past few weeks we have been working on twelve of our EM topics. They were mostly about magnetism, since electricity goals have already been covered, but magnetism has a very clear connection with electricity and that is why, it also shows. I had a very hard time understanding some of these topics, due to the fact that I had not learned before any of this before. After reading the textbook and asking my friends and teacher for help, I actually understood the full meaning of most of the topics mentioned in this blog post. I hope this will help other people with difficulties to understand and also that you enjoy it.

EM9. I can describe the properties and interactions of magnets: Opposites poles attract. Magnets attract materials made from Iron, they point into one direction (if are allowed to move freely.

EM10. I can describe how the magnetic domains are arranged in a magnetic/non-magnetic material: The domain in a magnetic material is arranged so that the atoms are all pointing at one same direction. In non-magnetic materials, atoms point in different directions, which is the cause of their non-magnetic properties.

EM11. I can explain the connection between electricity and magnetism (electromagnetism): An electromagnetism is when an electric current produces a magnetic field. Whenever there is electricity there is magnetism.

EM12. I can outline the difference between DC/AC current and its uses: The direct current goes continuously and the alternating current the charges flow back and forth in a circuit. The DC current is used in objects such as batteries and the AC current is mostly used for sending electricity to homes and buildings.

B Goals

EM13. I can explain why the Earth behaves like a magnet and the consequences of it: The Earth has a north and a south pole. They create a magnetic field around the Earth and protect all the living things from particles coming from the sun. (solar wind)

EM14. I can explain the importance of grounding wires and using fuses/circuit breakers: The grounding prong is used as a safety measure to protect people from short circuits or in other words a shock. It provides an alternate path or the current straight to the ground. A fuse is a device connected to a circuit, which contains a thin strip of metal, that will detect when there is a lot of current and melts.

EM15. I can explain how an electromagnet works and cite applications for them: If you make a current flow, it can be turned on and of. They are used to lift up cars in the car junk, they are also found in railways for the metro, since they have to go fast and literally are lifted from the ground.

EM16. I can explain how a simple motor works (parts and function): The battery creates a current that will be led through the brushes to the comutator. After this the current causes the armature to spin, this movement causes the current to inverse. The product of this is mechanical energy. The comutator rotates in the direction of the current, making the armature spin. The armature’s magnetic field interacts with the permanent magnet. The brushes conduct the current to the armature.

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Elec_img136.jpg

EM17. I can describe how a generator and a transformer work: The generator transforms mechanical to electrical energy. A generator uses motion in a magnetic field to produce an electric current.  A transformer is a device that increases or decreases voltage.  When the primary coil has fewer loops than the secondary-coil it is a step-up transformer and the step-down is the other way around.

http://www.energex.com.au/switched_on/images/project_info/electricity_production/45.gif

EM18. I can explain the importance of transformers to power grids:  The boxes in the power grid contain transformers, they are important there because of the following: The energy is send with a higher push, so it will get to the houses and buildings in a short amount of time. In your house the voltage is regulated to be either 110v or 220v, the transformers are there to adapt the voltage to the one in your house.

Transformer:

http://www.electricityforum.com/images/electrical-transformer-design.jpg

EM19. I can explain methods of power production and distribution: Hydroelectric Energy- From mechanical to electrical energy. Nuclear Energy- from nuclear to thermal, to mechanical, to electrical energy. Fossil Fuels- From chemical to electrical energy. Biomass- From chemical to thermal, to mechanical to electrical energy. Solar Energy- From electromagnetic to electrical energy. Wind Energy- From mechanical to electrical energy. Geothermal Energy- From thermal to mechanical to electrical energy.

EM20. I can describe the differences of 110v/220v and main advantages and disadvantages of each: 220V is more powerful than the 110v. Having installed 110v in your house makes it less probable to cause an accident; also most appliances are 110v, so it would be more practical. Having a high probability of an accident is a disadvantage of 220v, but in compensation, it is more cost efficient than 110v.

EM21. I can describe the advantages and disadvantages of electrical energy: Advantages- Practical, used to power up most things and easy to transport. Disadvantages: It is expensive and can be very dangerous.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Conclusion:

After understanding the topics, I found the subject a little bit easier than I did at the start. After reading, asking and writing, the abstract images came clear in my mind and I hope they do stay this way. Apart from the fact of not understanding, the only other problem I had was the vocabulary, for example, I did not know what power grids were, neither grounding wires, fuses and circuit breakers, but with help of my friends and of the internet I understood all of the concepts and was able to answer what the objective asked for.