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Overview
Page 1
BETC
Basic Electricity
Training Course
Student Manual
Overview
Welcome to the Basic Electricity Training Course, or BETC.
This training course has been custom designed to introduce you to the basic
elements, principles, history, and applications of electricity. Using a combination of
this manual, teacher-guided discussions, videos, worksheets, homework, and a
hands-on laboratory kit you will learn the basics of:
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The history of electricity
Electrical terminology
Proper electrical safety
What types of materials are used
Fundamentals of a circuit and how to design them
Basic Electrical formulas
Proper instruments and tools for measurements
Hands-on experience working with electricity
Basics of Residential electrical systems
How electricity is used by society
The various types of careers that use electricity
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Overview
Page 2
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
Over the next 10 class sessions, you will do some activities on your own, and some
activities with another student. All lab sessions are designed for two students working
together.
ACTIVITY SHEETS:
There are activity sheets for you to complete as you go through this
course. Please complete them in order. When you see this sign, use
the activity sheet corresponding to the letter for this activity. All activity
sheets are located in the back of this manual.
LAB SESSIONS:
There are many hands-on laboratory sessions using the kit provided
with this course. Please complete them in order. The ACTIVITY
SHEETS help prepare you for the laboratory sessions and should be
used when conducting the labs. When you see this sign, do this LAB
SESSION with your assigned partner.
Home
work
HOMEWORK:
There is also homework for you to complete that will help you further
understand the principles discussed in class and to help you work
through the lab sessions. The teacher may collect the homework as
part of your grade. When you see this sign, this assignment should be
done as homework for the next class session. All homework
assignments are located in the back of this manual.
OK, So Lets get Started!!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session I
Page 1
Session I: Introduction
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet



The definition of electricity
The history of electricity
Basic terminology
Activity Sheets:
Activity Sheet A – Basic Electrical Terminology
Lab Sessions:
None
Homework:
Homework A – Read about the Discovery of Electricity
Homework H – Identify someone you know who uses electricity as part
of their job for use later in this course
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session I
Page 2
What is electricity?
The Oxford Dictionary defines electricity as:
“a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (Oxford, 243)."
Electricity is a bit more complex than the definition given above, but to understand the
basic functions of electricity, it is a good place to start. Electricity. It's everywhere. It's
in your house, in the computers that you use, in the air, in your body, blah blah blah.
You get the point. But where does it all start?
Electrons
All matter is composed of Atoms.
An atom is composed of 3 parts: Electrons, Protons, and Neutrons
The Protons and Neutrons cluster in the middle of the atom, and electrons do circles
around them!
Electrons
Neutrons
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Protons
Session I
Page 3
The electrons that are furthest from the center are called free electrons.
These free electrons can get together in gangs and start traveling together…
Protons and
Neutrons get
left behind
Electrons all flow in
the same direction
The flow of the electrons is…
(drum roll please)…ELECTRICITY!
Any material that contains these free electrons can have electricity flow through it.
So, as most of us know, metals can transmit electricity…that’s because they have lots
of these free electrons.
Leather gloves, on the other hand, have almost no free electrons, and therefore
cannot have electricity flow through them.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session I
Page 4
Anyone for Frog’s Legs?
You can’t SEE electrons, so who was the bright person to find out about them
moving?
An Italian scientist named Alessandro Volta knew some thing was weird and
unexplained, and did some experiments 1800’s to try to figure it out; he conducted
some unusual experiments to make dead frogs (yes, dead frogs) "move" by running
some electricity through them. Thus, he is credited with providing us with a lot of
information about the movement of electricity and potential.
Potential: measures the difference in the number of free electrons at one point
compared to another. This potential is measured in…Volts (Pretty cool to name it
after yourself isn’t it!)
So a Volt is the measure of potential of electrons at 2 different points.
The symbol for a volt is:
“V”
So when you see a typical 1.5Volt Battery:
What does that measurement mean?
Where is the potential measured from?
What does it mean when it is “burned out”?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session I
Page 5
Just the facts Jack…
Those electrons move pretty fast…in fact they move so fast that even if they were big
enough to see, they would be moving too fast for us to see them!
Current: the term for the flow of electrons (This was an easy one!)
The symbol for Current is: “I”
But that doesn’t mean we can’t measure how fast they go…we measure them in units
called: Amperes (or Amps for short) is the measurement unit for current, the rate at
which electrons move from one point to another.
The symbol for an Amp is:
“A”
Now, while all of these electrons are cruising along, the ride is not always
smooth…sometimes they have to run through some thick substances…these
substances cause Resistance. That’s the reason you can run faster on land that in
the water…there is more “resistance” in the water.
Resistance:
the opposition to current flow. The resistance builds up electrons
and this build up results in heat. The symbol for resistance is “R”
The unit of measurement for resistance is the Ohm and
The symbol for an Ohm is: “”
You may wonder why we need some resistance…that’s because if we don’t have any,
all the electrons will travel lightening fast from point A to B and we will not have
enough time to make them useful to us. This is called a Short Circuit and is a
dangerous situation because those electrons carry a lot of energy with them.
Resistance allows us to slow them down and convert them into heat or other useful
things.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Activity
Sheet
Session I
Page 6
Complete Activity Sheet A – Basic Electrical Terminology Electrical
Terminology
Home
work
You’ve worked hard to learn those definitions, now ask
you teacher for some popcorn while you watch this video
about how electrical inventions have changed our everyday
lives.
Homework A – Read about Thomas Edison and the Discovery of
Electricity
Homework H – Talk to your parents and friends to identify someone
you can talk to later who works with electricity as part of their regular
job. You will need to interview to this person later in this course.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session II
Page 1
Session II: Basic Circuits
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
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What is a circuit
What are open and closed circuits
What is Conductivity
About basic electricity formulas
How to use a continuity meter
Activity Sheets:
Activity Sheet B – Checklist for Laboratory Kits
Activity Sheet C – Conductivity Test
Activity Sheet D – Identifying Open and Closed Circuits
Lab Session:
Verify Lab components
Conductivity Testing
Learn to use a continuity meter
Homework:
Homework B – Basic Circuits and Electricity Formulas
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session II
Page 2
Getting from here to there
Remember those electrons we talked about in the last session, we need to talk just a
little more about them.
The don’t just go from point A to B, otherwise they would run out pretty quick…they
actually run around in circles…their race track is called a circuit.
Circuit: A complete path over which an electric current can flow
If the path is completed it is a Closed Circuit
If the path is broken along the way it is called an Open Circuit
Train Conductors?…NO, Electrical Conductors!
Remember from the last session that current is the flow of electrons. Well, then any
substance that has lots of these free electrons can have lots of current flowing through
it…these substances are called conductors.
Conductors:
Lab
Session
Verify Lab components using
Activity Sheet B – The Checklist for Laboratory Kits
Lab
Session
Substances with very little resistance that allow current to easily
flow through them.
Use Activity Sheet C and a meter to do the Conductivity test
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session II
Page 3
Cause and effect
Because all of the components we have been talking about are in a circuit, they are all
related to each other and effect each other. There are a couple of very simple
formulas that can explain this relationship:
Ohm’s Law:
Voltage = Current X Resistance
V=IxR
Anyone for Pie:
Power = Current x Voltage
P=IxV
Power is measured in units called Watts
The symbol for Watts is “W”
Sometimes scientist use “E” to mean Voltage instead of “V”
So those same equations can be written as:
E=IxR
and
P=IxE
You will have plenty of time to learn these formulas tonight when you do
your homework!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session II
Page 4
Picture this!
We can draw circuits on paper if we use some simple pictures for the parts of a
circuit…Let’s look at what some of these pictures are:
+
Something that supplies voltage…
like a battery…is shown using
either of these symbols:
+
_
Something that has resistance…
Most devices do, such as a light…
is shown using this symbol:
A switch that opens and closes
a circuit is shown using this symbol:
Home
work
Activity
Sheet
OK, its time to use this new knowledge about circuits:
Activity Sheet D – Identifying Electrical Paths
Homework B – Basic Circuits and Electricity Formulas
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
_
Session III
Page 1
Session III: Safety and Basic Measurements
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
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Basic electrical measurement units
Basic electrical safety
How to use a V-O-M multi-meter
Techniques for measuring basic electrical parameters
A Basic Circuit
Activity Sheets:
Sheet E – Multi-meter measurements
Lab Session:
How to Use a Multi-meter
Homework:
Homework C – Draw a basic receptacle circuit
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session III
Page 2
Today we are going to work with LIVE POWER , but before
we do, we need to learn about one thing first:
SAFETY
We wrote it really big because it is the most important
thing about working around electricity. Your body is a
conductor, and even small amount of current running
through you can be very, very harmful.
So let’s watch this video about electrical safety!
(if your teacher didn’t give you any popcorn the first
time, good luck trying to get some now…)
The single most important rule to remember is:
“If you are not sure, assume there is current flowing!!”
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session III
Page 3
How Big is Small
From the last homework assignment you learned about Volts, and Amps, and Power
and stuff…Before we see how these are measured in real life we need to make sure
you remember the metric system:
micro
“”
one-millionth
.000001
milli
“m”
one-thousandth
.001
kilo
“k”
one thousand
1,000
Mega
“M”
one million
1,000,000
Current is actually pretty small so in addition to measuring it in Amps, we also
measure it in milli-amps, or “mA”…
mA: one-thousandth of an Amp, or
.001 Amps
Resistance is the opposite so it can get very large in real life, so in addition to Ohms,
we measure resistance in Kilo-Ohms and Mega-Ohms
k1,000 Ohms
M1,000,000 Ohms
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session III
Page 4
One for All…
In the olden days, like 30 years ago, people who worked with electricity had all
different kinds of instruments to take measurements with: an Ammeter to measure
current, an Ohmmeter to measure resistance, a Voltmeter to measure volts, a
Dustmeter to tell your parents how dirty your room was…Believe me, it exists…
Lab
Session
Use Activity Sheet E and learn how to use a Multi-meter
Home
work
Then someone got the bright idea to COMBINE all of those different meters, except
for the dustmeter, into a single meter called a “Multi-meter”.
Homework C – Draw a basic receptacle circuit
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 1
Session IV: Building Your First Circuit!
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
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About your laboratory kits
About basic grounding theory and why it is important
About Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt Receptacles
About different types of wires used in house wiring
How to cut, strip and attach wires using wire nuts
How to wire a typical socket circuit
How to measurement electrical parameters in a real circuit
Activity Sheets:
Sheet F – Electric Socket Receptacle Circuit
Lab Session:
Build the receptacle circuit
Measure electrical parameters with the Multi-meter
Homework:
Homework D – Read about the discovery of the light bulb!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 2
Are You Grounded…
(Let’s get serious for a moment)
One of the most important aspects of working with electricity is understanding and
ensuring proper grounding.
As you recall, to have current flow, we need to have a closed circuit. The electrons
don’t care HOW they complete this circuit…they are looking for the shortest path
(remember the definition of a Short Circuit in Session I), proper grounding ensures
that WE are not part of it. According to the National Electrical Code (NEC) a ground
is:
Ground:
“A conducting connection, whether intentional or accidental, between an
electrical circuit or equipment and the earth, or to some conducting body that serves in
place of the earth.”
In other words, a ground provides the electrons a fast way to complete their circuit
using a path to the earth.
The two major situations in which this is important is:
(1) If one of the conductors (a wire perhaps) comes loose and touches something,
like the side of the case…it causes the case to now have free electrons just
iching for a way to complete their circuit…you come along and touch the case,
you just completed the circuit to ground…a very shocking experience indeed!
(2) If additional current is introduced to the circuit through a spike in the power
supply or lightening or static electricity in the air, the ground provides a way to
remove it from the circuit in a safe manner.
Question:
Why don’t birds get a shock when they sit on power lines?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 3
Sample Residential Grounding Techniques:
The drawings above show several ways that the electrical system in your house can
be grounded to the earth. An “Electrode” is a conductor driven deep into the earth to
make sure you have a proper ground.
Houses and apartments can use simple grounding systems such as those shown in
diagrams a or b.
Places that require more electricity, like an office building will have more complex
grounding systems to ensure safety (such as diagram d or d).
Question:
How do you connect your appliances and lamps and things in your house to
the grounding system?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 4
What is a GFCI Receptacle?
A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) is an outlet with a special device in it to
protect against short circuits, open circuits, and electric shocks.
A GFCI senses the difference between the current going out and the current coming
back in from any device plugged into it. If it detects too big of a difference, it opens
the circuit and stops the current flow. If someone touches the power supply line and a
Ground such as a plumbing fixture or they are standing in water, the in and out
currents will not be equal and the GFCI device stops the current flow.
GFCI’s are typically used in kitchens and bathrooms where the threat of water (a very
good conductor) is the greatest.
A typical electrical receptacle
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
A GFCI Receptacle
(Note the tester buttons to check if the
current difference detector device is
working properly)
Session IV
Page 5
Getting to Know Your Best Friend…The
Laboratory Kit
Let’s take a closer look at the laboratory kits that are part of this course
Your kit is a small section of a wall in a typical house:
The picture on the right shows the inside
of a wall. It is basically 2x4 pieces of
wood running vertically called studs.
Studs are spaced 16 inches apart in
keeping with basic building codes.
A closer look shows how wires are run
from the circuit breaker box through
the wood studs to the various
receptacles, lights and switches.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 6
Boxes are attached to the wood frame
studs at the location where various
electrical components will be placed. The
cable wires are run into these boxes and
all of the connections are made inside of
them for protection.
The wires are then connected to the
electrical component (the switch, light,
receptacle, etc…)
The components are then attached
securely to the box frame and cover
plates are put on the front.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 7
Wire You Here?
House wiring is actually called cable.
Cable: a collection of wire conductors (usually Copper) and a ground wire wrapped
inside of insulation.
There are two basic types of cables used in residential wiring systems:
Insulation
Protective
Paper Wrap
WrappInsulati
on
Conductor 1
Ground Wire
wrapped in paper
Conductor 2
2 Conductor wire cable is used for basic wiring
Conductor 3
Ground Wire
left bare
3 Conductor wire cable is used for more complicated circuits with multiple
switches or other components.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IV
Page 8
Bigger is smaller…
In addition to having a different number of conductors, wire can also come in different
sizes. These sizes, or gauges, are designated by numbers, 14 and 12 are the most
typical ones for residential use. But here is the trick:
the SMALLER the number , the BIGGER the cable and wires…
So a 14 Gauge wire is really smaller than a 12 gauge wire. Looking at the description
of the wire gives you the gauge and the number of conductors.
Questions:
What is the difference between 14-2 and 14-3 cable?
What is the difference between 14-2 and 12-2 cable?
Home
work
Lab
Session
What is the difference between 14-2 and 12-3 cable?
Use Activity Sheet F and build a standard receptacle circuit
Measure electrical parameters with the Multi-meter
Homework D – Read about how Thomas Edison discovered the light
bulb and started the electrical power industry.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session V
Page 1
Session V: Light Me Up! (Your Second Circuit)
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
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

About different types of lights and how lights work.
How to draw a light switch circuit
To build a light switch circuit
Activity Sheets:
Activity Sheet G – Questions about Lights and how they work
Activity Sheet H – Light Switch Circuit
Lab Session:
Build a light switch circuit
Verify it is correct by taking measurements with the Multi-meter
Homework:
None – You deserve a break, so no homework from this session!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session V
Page 2
You Brighten My Day!
The light bulb is surely one our greatest inventions.
As you read in the homework assignment from the last session, the invention of the
light bulb was a big deal when it was created, but now we barely even think about this
seemingly simple, yet powerful invention.
Light bulbs now come in thousands of styles, shapes, colors, and even different
technologies. Let’s take a quick look at how three basic types you see all the time
really work:
The Incandescent bulb: This is a common light bulb
Filament: This is really a
resistor that heats up
until it starts glowing
(Usually made of Tungsten)
Wires: Carry the
current to the filament
Base: Provides the
electrical connection to
run the electricity to the
filament, and holds all the
pieces together
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Glass Bulb: Holds the
gases against the filament
and still allows the light
to go out
Gases: The inside of the
bulb is Argon gas to make
the filament last longer
and prevent short circuits
Session V
Page 3
Halogen Lights:
Halogen lights are constructed in the same way as
incandescent lights, but with one major difference: the gas
inside of them is Halogen. This gas causes the Tungsten
filament that is burned off the filament to be redeposited
and that makes the filament last many times longer! Also,
they are much smaller than incandescent lights.
Fluorescent Lights:
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
Fluorescent lights have no filament at all!
Instead, they contain Mercury gas that gets
heated up by the electrons and gives off
ultraviolet energy. A phosphor (chemical)
coating inside of the glass bulb converts the
UV energy into light.
Complete Activity Sheet G about Lights and how they work
Use Activity Sheet H to Build a light switch circuit and
Verify it is correct by taking measurements with the Multi-meter
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VI
Page 1
Session VI: You Take the Left Fork, I’ll take
the Right! (Your Third Circuit)
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet


About Parallel and Series Circuits
The theory of 3-way circuits
Activity Sheets:
Sheet I – Questions about parallel and series circuits
Sheet J – Drawing a parallel socket and switch circuit
Lab Session:
Build a parallel socket and switch circuit
Verify it is correct by taking measurements with the Multi-meter
Homework:
Homework E – Draw a 3-way switch
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VI
Page 2
Mixed Signals…
So far all of the circuits we have worked with had one component
connected to the next , that one connected to the next, etc.…this is called
a Series Circuit.
There are basically three types of circuits:
(1) Series
+
_
Voltage simply adds up
Resistance simply adds up
Current is the same in each element
(2) Parallel
+
voltage is the same in each branch
_
resistance is one over the sum of (1 over
the resistance of each branch)
current is the sum of the currents in each
branch
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VI
Page 3
(3)
Combination series-parallel
+
Use the Series and
Parallel formulas for
each component
Activity
Sheet
_
Complete Sheet I – Questions about parallel and series circuits
Lab
Session
Error! Not a valid link.
Use Activity Sheet J to Build a parallel receptacle and switch circuit
Verify it is correct by taking measurements with the Multi-meter
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VI
Page 4
To Three or Not to Three…
Ever wonder how they wire
your hall light so that you
can turn it on at one end of
the hall (or the bottom of
the stairs) and then turn it
off at the other end (or the
top of the stairs)? Then you
can go back to the first
switch and turn it on again
and then go back to the
second switch and turn it
off again. And depending on
how much time you have, you
can go back and do it again!
Magic, huh?
Not really, just a special circuit and type of switch called a 3-Way Switch.
Let’s take a quick look at the theory behind 3-Way Switches to give you some hints to
help you do your homework for this session.
First, Study the 3-way switches you may have in your house:

Think about what combination of switch positions produce which results

There are several different orders that the components could be connected in,
but for this exercise we will design the circuit as follows:
Power  switch 1  light  switch 2

Where will you need 2-conductor versus 3-conductor cable?

Test your design by studying what happens when your switches are
moved…does it do what your 3-way switch in your house does?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VI
Page 5
Second, you will need to know that the components will include:





One power source
One light
Two switches
2-Conductor Cable
3-Conductor Cable
Home
work
Third, use the homework sheet to draw the circuit as a schematic drawing first, then
as a house wiring diagram with color coded wires.
Homework E – Draw a 3-way switch
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VII
Page 1
Session VII: The Tough One: 3-Way Circuits!
(Your Final Circuit)
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet

How to build a 3-way switch
Activity Sheets:
Sheet K – Designing a 3-way switch as a house wiring diagram
Lab Session:
Build a 3-way switch circuit
Verify it is correct by taking measurements with the Multi-meter
Homework:
Homework F – Read about the Power Plant at Niagara Falls!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VII
Page 2
OK, so you racked your brain on the homework from the last session…
Let’s see how you did:
Your Teacher will review how the circuit schematic SHOULD be wired up.
How did you do??
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
Now, in your groups, convert your schematic into a house wiring diagram.
Activity Sheet K – Designing a 3-way switch as a house wiring diagram
Continue using Activity Sheet K to build a 3-way switch circuit
Verify it is correct by taking measurements with the Multi-meter
Home
work
Congratulations! You have just completed one of the most
complicated circuits in residential wiring!!!
(Give your partner a pat on the back and take a 5 minute
break by cleaning up your workstation of all of those
little pieces of insulation and wire! )
Homework F – Read about the Power Plant at Niagara Falls!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 1
Session VIII: Residential and Commercial
Electricity Systems
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet




How residential electricity systems work
About major types of non-residential electricity systems
How appliances are wired
Electrical Safety Code basics
Activity Sheets:
Sheet L – Questions about electrical systems
Lab Session:
None
Homework:
Homework G – Read about power generation
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 2
Straight from the Source!
Now that you have learned a little bit about how to wire components in your house,
let’s take a step backwards and look at how the power got to your house in the first
place! Below is a typical diagram of how power gets to your house… You probably
see the power and transmission lines everywhere, and didn’t even notice them!
As we studied in Session IV, the power coming to your house goes into your circuit
breaker box, and then through your walls into your electrical components.
Set your Phasers on 3…
Power from the power plant looks wavy, this is called phased
power. If you drew it, it would look something like this:
The power plant generates 3 of these at one time to
make sure your voltage and current in your house stays
steady. The “three-phase” power looks like this:
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 3
Question:
Why do you think there are 4 transmission lines coming out of the
power station?
The 3-phase power leaves the power
plant and is transported using huge
transmission towers that can carry as
much as 765,000 Volts! This network
of towers around the country is called
the Power Distribution Grid.
In addition to the 4 wires for
transporting the power, many towers,
like the ones shown here, have extra
wires running along the tops of the
towers. These are ground wires and
are there primarily in an attempt to
attract lightning.
Question:
Why do you think they have soooooo much voltage?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 4
That’s a lot of Jolts!…er… I mean Volts!
If you look back at the picture on Page 2 of this Session, you will see that from the
transmission towers, the electricity goes to a power substation with voltage
transformers before it is distributed to your house. The transformers reduce the
voltage down below 10,000 volts so it can safely be brought into your neighborhood.
You’ve seen these weird-looking places on
the edge of the highway, or out in a field
somewhere…..
These are typical power substations dropping
the voltage down to about 7,000 volts it can
be brought into your neighborhood.
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 5
From the power substations, the
reduced voltage is now carried along
normal power poles to your house!
To protect against bad weather and
because they are not the nicest things
to look at, many neighborhoods now
have the power lines buried
underground instead of on poles on the
side of the road.
Just before the power can run
into your house, the voltage
needs to be reduced one
more time with smaller
voltage transformers that drop
the voltage to the standard
voltage in your house.
Trick Question:
What voltage is run to
your house?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 6
Once the voltage reaches the outside of your
house, it goes through your electricity meter
mounted on the outside of your house.
The Power Company reads this meter every
month and sees how much power you used,
so it can bill you for the right amount of
electricity!
Finally!, the power comes inside your house and goes
to your circuit breaker panel for you to use inside.
Power coming in to
your circuit breaker
panel
Circuit Breakers
Power going out to the
circuits in your house
Wow! Next time you plug your TV or radio into a wall
outlet, or see power lines as you walk down the street,
think about all of this technology that was needed just
for you!!!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 7
Non-Residential Power Systems…
Commercial and Industrial
Systems:
Commercial electricity distribution
systems for factories and businesses
don’t need to step down the voltage
this much, so they get their power
straight from the transmission towers
for the big factories, or they get it
straight from the power poles.
Some of the larger factories, such as
the automotive factories, even have
their own power substations to
manage the electricity for their facility.
Mobile systems:
Another very unique electrical system
is the type that actually move
around….like the system that is in your
parent’s car, or in a boat. These
systems are not tied to a large power
plant, and they must control everything
in your car, boat, camper, the big
trucks you see on the road…..
Questions?
What are some special considerations for commercial electrical systems?
Here’s a hard one…Why do vehicles and boats have batteries?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 8
You Gotta Play by the Rules…
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) is responsible for a set of standards and
codes that help people working with electricity as safely as possible. This Code is
called the National Electrical Code (NEC).
The NEC standards are to
ensure that any electrical
project is done with safety
as the primary concern.
In addition, following the Code
ensures that the next person who
has to work on that circuit knows
what to expect…
Image doing the last connection on
another group’s laboratory station,
you would be nervous unless you
were sure they followed proper
procedures!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session VIII
Page 9
The NEC provides the codes for all
facets of working with electricity
including:
Wire gauges

Clearance space required to
allow for heat

Access panels

Conductors, component sizing,
insulation, and connectors

Underground rules

What to do in wet areas such
as kitchens and baths

Proper rules for running cables

Outdoor circuits that have to
withstand the weather

You get the idea…
Home
work
Activity
Sheet

Activity Sheet L – Questions about electrical systems
Homework G – Read about power generation
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IX
Page 1
Session IX: Power Generation
In this session you will learn:
Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet



Different ways that power is generated
Electricity Conservation
Safe techniques for disassembling residential electrical
components
Activity Sheets:
Sheet M – Questions about power generation
Lab Session:
Activity Sheet B – Check-in all electrical components
Homework:
Homework H – Complete a one-page report on someone outside of
class related to a job using electricity
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session IX
Page 2
In the beginning…
So far we have learned about how you use electricity in your homes, and then we
learned how the power gets to your house and to commercial places for work. Now
lets take a look at how the electricity is created in the first place.
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet
The homework assignment from the last session was about the way that power is
created. Let’s take a little time and make sure you understand how power is
generated.
Sheet M – Questions about power generation
Check-in all electrical components using Activity Sheet B
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session X
Page 1
Session X: Summary of course and
Careers in Electricity
In this session you will learn:


Home
work
Lab
Session
Activity
Sheet

About different ways electricity is used in society
About typical careers in electricity (including electronics, military,
communications, power, and computers)
Where to get more information to learn more about electricity
Activity Sheets:
None
Lab Session:
None
Homework:
None
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session X
Page 2
That about sums it up!
Over the last 10 sessions, you have learned a great deal about how electricity works,
you have built circuits, learned about how it is created…but most importantly, you
have seen how important it is to our every day lives!
Think of all of the things that you have that run on batteries…
Now you know that there is a circuit attached to that battery!
Many of you are familiar with computers…Every time you
turn one on, you are sending power through some very
sophisticated circuits.
Next time you are outside…notice the power lines… Think
about where the power station for your city is, Think about
where your substation for your neighborhood is… What kind of
power station is it?
When you go home today, think about the electricity in your
home as you turn on the light or plug something into an
electrical socket receptacle.
Many of the things you have learned are used EVERY DAY, ALL AROUND US!
Pretty exciting huh?
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001
Session X
Page 3
So what can you do with all of this new found knowledge?
Well, there are lots of ways to learn more about electricity and how to create it,
transport it, use it, and to create new types of systems that do things we have never
even heard of!?!?!
Please turn in Homework H now (Where you had to interview
someone who works with electricity) and watch this video about
different kinds of careers in electricity.
As you saw in the video there are several different types of careers that use electricity.
In the video we learned about 3 of them. Let’s talk about some more…
Talk with your instructor about all of the types of careers that
include electricity…
If you would like to learn more about electricity try some of
these things:

Getting some books from the library on Thomas Edison or
Nikola Tesla, or some of the other great electrical inventors.

Buying an electrical science kit for building something.

Helping your parents next time they are working on the
electrical system in your house.

Take a fiend trip to a power plant (maybe Niagara Falls!).

Keep a log of all of the times you come into contact with
electricity throughout the day!

Learn about conservation of electricity and try to follow the
practices.
We hope you have enjoyed this short introduction to the
world of electricity, and will want to learn even more!!
BETC V1.4 Monarch Consulting Group, LLC 2001