Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Review of Matter 1. All matter is composed of atoms. Our ideas about the nature of atoms have progressed over the last two centuries (and continue to develop today). John Dalton introduced a new form of the ancient Greek idea of atoms at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered the electron and suggested the 'plum pudding' model of the atom. In 1911, Rutherford suggested that electrons orbit the atomic nucleus like planets round the Sun. In 1914, Bohr modified Rutherford's model by introducing the idea of energy levels. http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/camphy/nucleus/nucleus1 http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/21st_century_science/lectures/lec05.html 2. Atoms contain protons, neutrons and electrons. Of these three subatomic particles, only the proton (positively charged) and the electron (negatively charged) are considered charged particles. A neutral object has an equal number of protons. A charged object has an unequal number of electrons and protons. (see hyperlink for more information) http://www.broadeducation.com/htmlDemos/AbsorbChem/HistoryAtom/page.htm Electrostatics Static: still Electrostatics: is the study of the phenomena arising from what seems to be stationary electric charges. Three themes – charge difference, medium, distance run through our study of electrostatics and electricity 1. Charge Difference An object becomes charged if it gains or loses electrons. A neutral object has an equal number of positive and negative charges! Charged objects obey the law of opposites as follows Fundamental Law of Electric Charges A. Like charges repel. B. Opposite charges attract. C. Charged objects can attract some neutral objects, (depending on the level of conductivity) A historical look at charges The choice of which type of electricity is called "positive" and which "negative" was made around 1750 by Ben Franklin, early American scientist and man of many talents (the stamp on the left commemorates his role as first US postmaster--and colonial postmaster SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism before that). Franklin studied static electricity, produced by rubbing glass, amber, sulfur etc. with fur or dry cloth. Among his many discoveries was proof that lightning was a discharge of electricity, by the foolhardy experiment (he claimed) of flying a kite in a thunderstorm. The kite string produced large sparks but luckily no lightning, which could have killed Franklin. Franklin knew of two types of electric charge, depending on the material one rubbed. He thought that one kind signified a little excess of the "electric fluid" over the usual amount, and he called that "positive" electricity (marked by +), while the other kind was "negative" (marked -), signifying a slight deficiency. It is not known whether he tossed a coin before deciding to call the kind produced by rubbing glass "positive" and the other "resinous" type "negative" (rather than the other way around), but he might just as well have. Later, when electric batteries were discovered, scientists naturally assigned the direction of the flow of current to be from (+) to (-). A century after that, electrons were discovered and it was suddenly realized that in metal wires the electrons were the ones that carried the current, moving in exactly the opposite direction. Also, it was an excess of electrons which produced a negative electric charge. However, it was much too late to change Franklin's naming convention In 1896 Joseph John Thomson discovered the electron. However he didn't manage to define its mass neither its charge. He only calculated the proportion of the charge to the mass of the electron (q/m). He believed that the newly discovered particle was a part of an atom. But he didn't give enough evidence for that hypothesis. Defining the charge and the mass could be the final proof. Many scientists tried to solve this problem. The first who managed to measure what was the elementary charge was one of Thomson's students- J.S. Townsend. Unfortunately the final result he got had a big measurement error. The first scientist who quite precisely defined that charge was Robert Andrews Millikana. It must be said that he didn't measure the charge of the electron. He only showed that there is some indivisible amount of charge in nature- the elementary charge. All other charges are exact multiples of that elementary one. Later it emerged that the elementary charge was the charge of the electron. Charging an object 1. Friction Whenever two different objects are rubbed together, electron transfer will occur due to their electron affinity. Electron affinity refers to how much hold a substance has on its electrons. More information can be found at http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/CLASS/estatics/u8l2a.html including the triboelectric series 2. Arcing/Contact If a charged object is brought near another charged object or a conductor, electrons might jump through space due to their attraction. This is called arcing. Lightning is an example of an arc – a large transfer of charge. 3. Induced Charge Separation / Grounding / Charging by grounding As the diagram indicates the following explains another method of charging an object In the first picture, the charges are uniformly distributed. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism When a negative rod is brought near, the charges realign – called INDUCED CHARGE SEPARATION If the neutrally charged ball (same number of positive and negatively charged objects despite the new alignment) is then connected to ground, the charge will flow to even out the local excess of charge. If the ground is removed, the once neutrally charged ball is charged. Q=Ne Robert Millikan hypothesized that all charges were based on some multiple of an elementary charge – the electron. His claim was verified by his famous oil drop experiment in August 1913. For more reading – see http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200608/history.cfm Q stands for the charge - units are Coulombs N stands for a the number of electrons in excess or deficit e stands for the charge of the elementary charge – the electron - 2. Medium Definition - the surrounding environment, substance. Examples include air, metals, etc.. Conductors vs. Insulators More on conductivity.... The bonding nature (structure) of a material affects its ability to be influenced by a charge. A conductor allows a charge (electrons) to move within the material rather easily where an insulator restricts any internal movement of charge (electrons). An insulator restricts the movement of particles including electrons. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/conins.html Humidity Humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapour in the air. Water is a better conductor then air and Lightning is more likely to happen when the humidity is high – or raining. Since protons are fixed in the nucleus of an atom, electrons are the charge which become influenced and move. But, because charges obey the law of opposites, we can analyze charges through the movement of either positive or negative charges, ignoring their connection to the atom. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Summary – The least charge freely occurring in nature is the elementary charge. The elementary charge is equal to about 1,602*10-19 coulombs. An electron is of the negative, elementary charge. The first one to define the quantity of the elementary charge was Robert Andrews Millikan. The mass of an electron is to equal about 9.11x10-31 kilograms. positive charge comes from having more protons than electrons. i.e. +e negative charge comes from having more electrons than protons. i.e. –e charge is quantized, meaning that charge comes in integer multiples of the elementary charge e Q=N∙e Q - the symbol used to represent charge N - a positive or negative integer e - the electronic charge, 1.60 x 10-19 Coulombs (C). Coulomb's Law This law describes the force that one electric charge will exert on another: The magnitude of the electric force between any two charged objects is directly proportional to the product of the charges on the objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. Fe kQ Q 1 2 d 2 k is the Coulomb's law constant, for air the value is approximately 9.0109 N m2 C2 Stephan Gray (1696-1736), an English scientist, made the first recorded explaination of electric conduction in 1729. Gray’s discovery marked the first step of the journey from electrostatics to the control of electric current. The second more crucial step occurred in 1800, Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) invented the electrochemical cell. Discovered that if you place salt water soaked paper between two different metals, such as silver and zinc, an electric charge appeared on each of the metal disks and became known as a voltaic cell. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism When he made a pile of these cells the electric strength increased. This pile became known as a battery or voltaic pile. Question: Suppose that two point charges, each with a charge of +1.00 Coulomb are separated by a distance of 1.00m. Determine the magnitude of the electrical force of repulsion between them in (N), then in units we can better make sense of. Objects do not acquire charges on the order of 1.00 Coulomb. Q values are on the order of 10-9 (nano, nC) or possibly 10-6 (micro, μC). Question: Two balloons are charged with an identical quantity and type of charge: -6.25 nC. They are held apart at a separation distance of 61.7 cm. Determine magnitude of the electrical force of repulsion between them. 9.2x10-7 N Electric Current The number of electrons flowing past a single point per second is referred to as electric current. The SI unit for current is the ampere (A). We measure electric current with an ammeter. quantity of charge current change in time Q I t How fast do electrons flow? When a current of 1A flows through a conductor for 1s, 1C of charge passes any point in the 18 conductor. 1C of charge is equal to 6.2410 electrons. What does this say about electrons? Question: A typical lightning flash lasts a quarter of a second and the peak current is about 15kA. Determine the quantity of charge in coulombs transferred by this lightning strike. Approximately how many electrons is this? WHICH WAY DO ELECTRONS FLOW? DO WE KNOW? 2 THEORIES Conventional Current Today, the term current (I) means the flow of positive charge from the anode to cathode in a circuit. (positive terminal to negative terminal) This was the convention chosen during the discovery of electricity. Electron Flow SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism The flow of negative charge from cathode to anode is called electron flow. (negative to positive terminal) Both Conventional Current and Electron Flow are used by industry. In fact, it makes no difference which way current is flowing as long as it is used consistently. The direction of current flow does not affect what the current does. We will use the conventional current theory since a wealth of theory was based on this convention. Potential Difference Imagine skiers on an electric hill, they represent the charges. The chemical action inside a battery takes negative charges from the cathode (bottom of the electric hill) to the anode (top of the electric hill), giving them electric potential energy. The difference in electric potential energy (∆EQ) per unit of charge (Q) is defined as the potential difference(V). (V) is sometimes called the voltage of the cell, battery or power supply. potential V potential energy quantity of charge E Q Q The SI unit for potential difference is the volt. We measure potential difference with a voltmeter. Question: A battery has a potential difference of 18.0V. How much work is done when a charge of 64.0 C moves from the anode to the cathode? Producing Electric Potential Energy Electrochemical Cells 1. Different metals hold onto their electrons differently. 2. In a solution, the solute disassociates into ions. Thus possible charge carriers. 3. When these 2 conditions are present, electrons will move due to the potential difference caused by the 2 metals. The current depends on the pull of the electrodes and the freedom of electron movement. Voltaic Cell Water Pump Analogy SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism 2 metals in an acidic solution. Dry Cell 2 metals in a paste safer because the acidic cannot leak Piezoelectric Cell by squeezing a crystal, a current can be created. Secondary Cell the electrons, through electrical energy, can be moved back to their origin causing the cell to recharge. Thermocouples 2 metals coupled together can indicate temperature difference. Photoelectric light comes down to free an electron. The Simple Circuit Whatever current leaves the source must also return to the source. Because the charge carriers must lose their energy during their trip & the resistance in the loop is predetermined, the rate at which they travel through the loop adjust accordingly. This law is represented mathematically as V = I R. Kirchoff’s Voltage Law The algebraic sum of the potential differences around any closed pathway or loop must equal zero. VT = V1 + V2 +… Via the conservation of energy, electrons gain as much energy at the source as they lose at each load. (must spend all their energy). As a result the potential difference across the components in a parallel circuit must be equal. VT = V1 = V2 = V3 SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Kirchoff’s Current Law At any junction in an electric circuit the total current flowing into the junction is equal to the total current flowing out of the junction. Electric charge is neither created nor destroyed in any electric circuit. (same current returns) Since charge can only flow through one pathway in a series circuit, the electric current at all points is the same. IT = I1 = I2 = I3 At a parallel connection the total current flowing into the connection must be equal to the sum of the currents flowing out. IT = I1 + I2 + … Ohm’s Law The potential difference across a load is equal to the product of the current flowing though the load and the loads resistance. V=IR Ohm’s Law is limited to metal conductors at stable temperatures. Therefore, does not explain resistance in all circuits. Some loads will not obey Ohm’s Law and are referred to as non-omhic. (i.e. light bulb) As the current increases through the load the resistance increases. Question: Solve the following circuit. Find the unknown values. V= 120V I= R= 90Ω P= V= I= R= 20Ω P= V= I= R= 30Ω P= V= I= R= P= Mixed Circuits V= I= R= 2Ω P= V= V= SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Your house is wired in parallel. One branch goes to your dryer, one to the kitchen, one to the basement, etc. Within each path we can further divide it and setup series sections. The net effect is you end up with a parallel circuit with a series section. To solve the circuit, you must first simplify all subsections to 1 main type of circuit. Resistance The wire’s resistant nature is referred to as resistivity and depends upon: the type of metal (gold is the best conductor) the length of the loop the cross sectional path (thickness) the temperature (higher the temperature of the wire the higher the resistance) If you combine the relationship of the resistance of a conductor to it’s length and cross-sectional area, the result is resistance resistivit y R Length Area L A Temperature affects the resistivity values for different conducting materials. Question: Calculate the resistance of 15m length of copper wire at 20°C that has a diameter of 0.050cm. (copper 1.7 x 10-8 Ωm) Resistance in Circuits Table of The total resistance in the circuit dictates the voltage and current based on the limits of the resistivity values power supply. The greater the resistance, the greater the need for energy to pull one electron around the loop. This results in less electrons completing the loop (I ↓). (and vice versa) We look to the total Resistance in the circuit at the power supply because of this RT V I at the source. adjustment of V and I, The variation in resistance calculation changes with the type of circuit (parallel, series), due to the number of loads each electron must travel through. In Series: RT V I at the power supply or SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism n RT = R1+R2+R3+…( RT Ri i 1 ) In Parallel: RT V I at the source or n 1 1 1 1 1 ... RT RT R1 R2 i 1 Ri ) ( Summary note on Current electricity. Review of Equations Circuits – a complete path for electrons to follow getting energy from a power source and spending this energy at one or several loads. This energy is transferred to the load and is used to do work on the load. Laws Series Circuit Parallel Circuit Mixed Circuit - only one path for the - multiple paths for the - a parallel and a electron electron series combination Ohm’s Law R = V/I R = V/I R = V/I (at each load) Total Resistance RT = R1+ R2+… Rn the circuit must be 1 1 1 ... simplified to RT R1 R2 properly solve – two Kirchoff’s Voltage VT = V1+ V2+… Vn VT = V1= V2=… Vn loads can be Law replaced with an equivalent load Kirchoff’s Current IT = I1= I2=… In IT = I1+ I2+… In Law I = current (Amps, A), R = resistance (Ohms, Ω ), V = voltage or potential difference (Volts, V) Other equations Power P = VI Work = Energy change = VQ (Watts, W = V∙A) (Joules, J = Joules, J = V∙C) Current I = Q/t (Amperes, A = C/s) Resistance Resistivity The wire’s resistant nature is referred to as resistivity and depends upon: the type of metal (gold is the best conductor) the length of the loop the cross sectional path (thickness) the temperature (higher the temperature of the wire the higher the resistance) If you combine the relationship of the resistance of a conductor to it’s length and cross-sectional area, the result is SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism resistance resistivit y R Length Area L A The coefficient “ ρ” depends upon the material. Values can be found in Table 13.1 of your PRACTICE PROBLEMS sheet. Practice problems 16-20Resistance in Circuits The total resistance in the circuit dictates the voltage and current based on the limits of the power supply. The greater the resistance, the greater the need for energy to pull one electron around the loop. This results in less electrons completing the loop (I ↓). (and vice versa) We look to the total Resistance in the circuit at the power supply because of this RT adjustment of V and I, RT V I at the source. V I is called Ohm’s Law. An ohmic resistor obeys this law and is one in which the value of the resistor does not change over a fairly wide range of applied voltages and currents. A non-ohmic resistor has a value that depends upon the applied voltage and current and its resistance value will change. A non-ohmic resistor does not obey Ohm’s Law. Power, Energy and the Home Power is defined as the rate at which work is done. P = W/t (1 W = 1J/s) or P = VI (1 W = 1V∙A) Homes use energy, not power. Power rates how fast energy is used. However, because the loads are often listed by their power requirements – 60 W light bulbs – Electrical companies will measure ones energy use through the KW∙h instead of J. Therefore , using an appliance for 1 hour might require 1 KW∙h or 1 KJ. Practice problems – 51-53 Power A power supply produces an electric potential (V) which when connected in a loop produces a current. P (Power) = I V (Watts, W) P=IV Power SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism A power supply produces an electric potential (V) which when connected in a loop produces a current. P (Power) = I V (Watts, W) P=IV Len’s Discovery (1843) Len’s Law: The magnetic field of an induced current always opposes the change in magnetic field that is causing the induced current. The electrons of an induced current flow in such a direction that the induced field they create opposes the action of the inducing field. Len’s Experiment From Faraday: electron flow can be caused by changing the magnetic field either in magnitude or position. But which way would electrons flow? Only 2 possibilities. #1. Can’t be this! Law of Conservation of Energy. You must apply energy in some way. If this was the case the magnet gets pulled in by itself. Logic: Indirect Reasoning – if it’s not 1 than it has to be the other. #2. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Must be this! You apply the energy by moving magnet. This KE is converted into electrical due to the opposition of magnets motion. If you pull magnet away the induced current sets up a south pole to attract the magnetic N, again opposing its motion. PG 1: 567 #8 Magnetism Lesson Title: Apparatus needed: big magnet, coins (iron filings, bar magnet, overhead) Preliminaries: handout unit outline (on back of outline -- info on magnetic metals from Chem Book) Lesson: (be Socratic) Origin of magnet. POLES: All magnets have two opposite poles. DIPOLES. Electric quantities can have monopoles (electron is just negative) What are the two poles of a magnet called and why? North seeking, seeks the north direction. Law of magnetic poles: Opposite magnetic poles attract. Similar magnetic poles repel. (therefore the N pole is really a S pole!) magnetic declination: difference between true north and magnetic north MAGNETIC FIELD LINES Forces which act over a distance (like gravity) with no physical contact. We think of a force field extending from the magnet, that gets weaker with distance. (actually Fmag We represent this field with lines: (i) the lines form complete loops. (ii) the field lines come out of the N pole and go into the S pole. (iii) the closer the lines are, the stronger the field is. (iv) field lines do not cross Draw field lines around a bar magnet and a horseshoe magnet. Symbols for lines coming out of DEMO: big magnet & coins. How to map field lines: use iron filings, or small compasses. Compasses point along the field lines -illustrate with world -- S is at top. DOMAIN THEORY: Electrons have a property called 'spin'. (not that they are actually spinning). Spin acts like a small loop of electricity and makes a tiny magnetic field with a N and S pole. When there are a number of unpaired electrons in an atom, the tiny magnetic fields can add up. Iron, nickel and cobalt are the most common metals that have this effect. They are called "ferromagnetic materials". In ferromagnetic materials the atomic dipoles of neighboring atoms align themselves. A region SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism where the atomic magnetic fields are aligned is called a domain. (Diagram of unmagnetized iron - random domains that cancel each other out) (Diagram of magnetized iron with N and S). A region of a piece of iron where adjacent atoms are magnetically aligned is called a domain. Unmagnetized iron consists of many tiny, disparate domains; a permanent magnet has more aligned atoms and may have one domain the size of the magnet itself. Rare earth magnets such as samarium, gadolinium, and neodymium owe their magnetism to the orbital motion of electrons. When the magnetism related to this translational motion goes uncanceled, the resulting field can be very strong. Rare earth alloy magnets are typically much stronger than iron-based magnets. SEATWORK: Read p 574-575. Summarize the effects a-g of the domain theory with one sentence of explanation. (a. induction. b. demagnetization-dropping, Curie pt., c. reverse magnetization. d. breaking. e. saturation. f. induced magnetism by earth. g. keepers.) The Curie temperature of iron is 1043 K (m.p. = ), nickel 631 K (m.p. = ) Homework: p579 #2,3,8,9 (or use for review) Explain what causes the aurora borealis. Draw magnetic field lines for two bar magnets: N---S N---S and N---S S---N Magentism in depth Types of Magentism: (can leave this for lesson 3) Ordinary (weak) Magnetism 1. Repulsion from magnetic fields: diamagnetism.(e.g. Bi) All the magnets in the atom (electron spin and orbital motion) exactly balance out: no average magnetic moment. When you turn on an external field, little electric currents are generated inside the atom by induction. According to Lenz’s Law these currents produce magnetic 2. Attraction to magnetic fields: paramagnetism (e.g. Al). The atoms have a permanent magnetic moment (still have the diamagnetic effect - always) When there is an external magnetic field, the moments (‘atoms’) try to line up with the external field - enhancing it, and so the atoms are attracted/pulled to the stronger part of the field. This effect is weak because the lining-up forces are small compared to the forces from thermal motion which tend to randomize the order. Obviously paramagnetism is stronger at lower temperatures. 1. ferroelectric materials: BaTiO3 permanent electrical polarization (one end positive, one negative) - predict that you could never get all of the magnetic moments lining up to make a permanent magnet. 2. ferromagnetism (iron , cobalt, nickel and some alloys) 1000-1million times the magnetic effects of other materials! Based on a quantum mechanical interaction between iron atoms. Each small chunk of iron becomes spontaneously magnetized (below Curie Temp), but all of the domains tend to cancel each other out. Pauli Exclusion principle makes electrons that are close together want to have spins in opposite directions (e.g. in chemical bonds can only have two electrons in each state - one with spin up and one with spin down) -- very little magnetism. Now, there is something similar that makes certain inner electrons want to align themselves from one atom to the next. No one really knows why! It is a bulk property of iron. 3. ferrites: ferromagnetic insulators (Mg Al2O4) -- permanent magnets, but don’t conduct electricity. Used a lot in high frequency systems (microwaves, AM antennas) since they don’t have big eddy currents. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism 4. anti ferromagnets. (chromium & manganese) alternately aligned atoms -- no external field The effect of a material on a magnetic field is described by a quantity called magnetic permeability ( 2 (just to confuse things, you 0 0 = 1 in gaussian units), describes how magnetic fields propagate in a vacuum. Instead of absolute numbers, we commonly speak of relative permeability which is r = 0 . >1 Magnetic Field: B = H = ... (magnetizing field), B the result. Magnetization: M = net magnetic moment per unit volume = N atoms * average atomic magnetic moment (vector) Electromagnetic Induction Faraday Discovery (1821) Principal of Electromagnetic Rotation – The Motor Principal: A current carrying wire that cuts across a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to both the direction of the current and the magnetic field. The strength of this force depends on the strength of the field & the current. Left Hand Rule: force comes out of palm The Electric Motor involves changing the direction of the external magnetic field or the current flowing through the coil every half rotation. Otherwise the coil would only rotate until it is at right angles to the field and stop. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism ex. non coil or loop PG 554 (Oersted 1819: moving electrons create a magnetic field.) Does the reverse hold true? Does a magnetic field cause electrons to move? Faraday’s Discovery (1831) Basic Principal of Electromagnetic Induction: Whenever the conductor moves relative to a magnetic field or the strength of the field is changing, a current will be induced to flow. The strength of the current depends on: 1. # of turns in the coil 2. rate of change or motion 3. strength of the magnetic field This is the basic principal for all generators and transformers. Len’s Discovery (1843) Len’s Law: The magnetic field of an induced current always opposes the change in magnetic field that is causing the induced current. The electrons of an induced current flow in such a direction that the induced field they create opposes the action of the inducing field. Len’s Experiment From Faraday: electron flow can be caused by changing the magnetic field either in magnitude or position. But which way would electrons flow? Only 2 possibilities. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism #1. Can’t be this! Law of Conservation of Energy. You must apply energy in some way. If this was the case the magnet gets pulled in by itself. Logic: Indirect Reasoning – if it’s not 1 than it has to be the other. #2. Must be this! You apply the energy by moving magnet. This KE is converted into electrical due to the opposition of magnets motion. If you pull magnet away the induced current sets up a south pole to attract the magnetic N, again opposing its motion. The Northern Lights The Northern Lights, or 'Aurora Borealis', are a natural light show that can be seen at the North Pole. They also occur at the South Pole, where they are called the 'Southern Lights' or 'Aurora Australis'. They are a spectacular display of different shades and colors of light rapidly moving in the night sky. When? Particles from the sun interact with the Earth's atmosphere. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism These particles are what's know as 'solar wind', and are quickly moving charged particles that are emitted from the Sun. The solar wind is very closely linked to the 11 year solar sunspot cycle and to solar flares. Most of the world is protected from these particles by the magnetic field of the earth, except the Poles. Here the solar wind can interact with the Earth's atmosphere. How? charged particles collide with the Earth's air molecules, their energy is emitted as light. As the solar wind only interacts with the air at the Poles, this is where we see the lights, in a ring around the Poles called the 'auroral ovals'. When there are more particles traveling from the sun, the ring expands and northern lights have been reported in the UK. They are more common in the north of Scotland, as it is further north. Where? very high above the Earth, usually over 40 miles high. This is even higher than jet planes fly, but the lights have been seen as high as 600 miles above Earth, which is even higher than space shuttles fly. What Else? The solar wind can also have an effect on our telecommunications. Many radio signals are 'bounced' around the Earth using the top of the atmosphere. The charged particles of the solar wind disturb parts of the atmosphere, which causes interference. Transformers A transformer is a basic component of the electric power system which convert power from high voltages used in transmission to low voltage that are safe for use in our homes. In all circuits there is internal resistance within the wires and connectors. In the short circuits used in class the resistance is negligible. But in the transmission of power from generating station to our homes there is energy that is lost in the form of heat. The rate at which electrical energy is converted to heat can be found with this equation: P = I2 R This means there are only 2 ways to reduce power loss decrease the current (I) or decrease the resistance (R). Resistance has been minimized over the years by using power lines that are thick as possible and made out of materials with low resistance. SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Current can be reduced but the long distances over which the transmission occurs means the resistance is still considerable. So reducing the current does not effectively reduce the power loss due in the form of heat. Recall the equation P = I V . With this equation we know that you can transfer the same amount of power with high voltage and low current as you could with high current and low voltage. Situation 1: Transmit Resistance Voltage - Current in the Wire 1 000 000 W 10Ω 10 000 V Power dissipated as Heat P I V P I2 R P V 1000000W I 10000V I 100 A P 100 2 10 I Situation 2: Transmit Resistance Voltage - Current in the Wire P 100000W Heat (W ) x100% Power (W ) 100000W x100% 1000000W 10% % loss to heat 1 000 000 W 10Ω 100 000 V Power dissipated as Heat P I V P I2 R P V 1000000W I 100000V I 10 A P 10 2 10 I Percent loss due to Heat P 1000W Percent loss due to Heat Heat (W ) x100% Power (W ) 1000W x100% 1000000W 0.1% % loss to heat Therefore transmitting at a high voltage and low current reduces the power lost due to resistance in the form of heat. Stepping up the voltage and stepping down the voltage occurs many times before the power get to our appliances. Transmissions across the country can reach voltages of 500 000V in our home we use 120V. Np < Ns Vp < V s Ip > Is SPH 3U Electricity and Magnetism Np > Ns Vp > V s Ip < Is Probably one of the main reasons for us using Tesla’s AC electrical system over Edison’s DC system is the ease and efficiency with which transformers can change the voltage of AC electricity.