Download Electrical Current – The Flow of Charge

Electric Current – The Flow of Charge
We know that the voltage from the cells tells us how much
energy is given to the charges and that this energy causes
the charges to “flow” around the circuit.
We use a meter called an ammeter to measure how many
charges pass a given point in the circuit each second. In
mathematical language we call this the rate of flow of
charge.
The ammeter measures in units called Amps. A larger
reading means more charge is flowing by each second. A
reading of just one Amp actually means many billions of
billions of charges flowing by each second!
We call the flow of charge a current – the same word we use for a flow of water in a river!
Delete the appropriate words to explain how you think voltage and current are related:
The cells provide the energy for the charges/voltage to flow around the circuit. If we add
more cells this increases/decreases the charge/voltage. Because the charges have less/
more energy the rate of flow increases/decreases, so the ammeter reads a smaller/larger
number of Amps. The number of Amps tells us how many charges/volts are flowing
through the meter each second/minute.
If we add another bulb to the circuit the charges/current must work harder/less to get
around the circuit. We should see the reading on the ammeter increase/decrease, telling us
that more/less charge is flowing through the meter each second.