Electrical Circuit
Electricity and Magnetism
| Energy and Thermal Physics
Particular issues arising and decisions to be made when teaching Electricity and Energy
Teaching Guidance for 14-16
Getting the physics straight
- electrical flow starts simultaneously everywhere in the loop
- adding resistance in series or parallel has different effects
- energy and power used as a limiting model
- remote working - electrical and mechanical
- energy filling stores as a result of the accumulation of power in pathways
- devices switch power from one pathway to other pathways
Representing the topic effectively
- current in electrical loops as a result of choices in assembling the circuit
- energy is found in stores; power in pathways
- using a few coherent models well
- magnetic fields as representations to reason with - to predict forces
- electrical loops
Particular teaching challenges
- correct use of technical terms
- reasoning with students, rather than relying on rules of thumb
- avoiding 'electrical energy' in dynamic situations such as resistive circuits
- a coherent model of power and energy
- reinforcing correct and helpful ways of thinking about electrical circuit
- using a consistent and coherent energy-based description of processes
- using a consistent and coherent power-based description of processes
Dealing with existing ideas
- sequential reasoning about energy in circuits
- sequential reasoning about current and voltage in circuits
- using a consistent and coherent energy-based description of processes
- the meaning of ratings on everyday devices
- energy chains in reasoning
- conflating electrical and magnetic loops in electromagnetic devices
Selected teaching principles
- systematic use of teaching models
- analysing circuits as systems
- circuits are intelligible; you can reason about them from simple principles
- reasoning about dynamic equilibrium
- electromagnetic induction linked to other processes
- respecting the quantitative nature of energy