The Best DIY STEM Tutorials and Projects
OVERVIEW
We’ve been talking about something called “voltage” which is like the boss of electricity. It tells the electricity where to go and how fast to move. But we haven’t really talked about the tiny things that actually move around in an electric circuit. Don’t worry! In this topic, we’ll be learning about those tiny things called “electric charges” and how they move around in a circuit. It’s going to be really cool!
Current
Current is the flow of electrical charge through a circuit. It’s like the flow of water through a pipe. The greater the current, the more electrical charge is flowing through the circuit.
In the Image above you can see that on the left, there is more water flowing through the pipe, hence we can say that it has a higher current.
Did you know that everything around us, even the tiniest sand grains and the biggest stars and planets, are made of teeny, tiny things called “atoms”? And guess what, those atoms are made up of even smaller things called “charges”!
When these charges move around in a special path called a “circuit”, we call it “current”. It’s like a stream of tiny particles flowing through a wire and it’s what powers many of the things we use every day, like our phones, lights, and TVs. So, next time you turn on a light switch or charge your phone, you’ll know that it’s because of the flow of these tiny charges!
to learn more about current you can watch this video
Current is measured in amperes (A) and is represented by the symbol I. Higher currents can also be dangerous, so it’s important to be careful when working with electrical circuits
Another important thing to keep in mind while talking about current is the direction of its flow; conventionally, it is from the positive terminal of the power supply to its negative terminal.
Have you ever noticed the labels on your phone charger or laptop charger? They tell you how much electricity (or “electric current”) the device needs to work properly. For example, a laptop charger might need 1.5 “amps” of electricity at 19 volts, while a phone charger might need 1 “amp” of electricity at 5 volts.
Bigger devices like irons, hair dryers, and vacuum cleaners need even more electricity to work because they have bigger motors or heaters inside. But remember, it’s important to use the right amount of electricity for each device, otherwise it might get too hot or break. Always check the labels on your devices and make sure you’re using them safely!
Now Find different electronic things in your house, like mobile phone chargers, Iron, and laptop chargers, and find how much electric current they require, it is usually mentioned in on equipment, as shown in the pic below
find at least 3 things at your home and share their name, pic, and current value in the comments below!
Great Work, now to test your understanding, make a small video of yourself in which you try to explain what is current and share the video with us!
