Young scholars discover how a mini-solar panel is constructed by behaving like detectives. Students examine an actual solar panel, measure the solar panel's voltage and use drawings to describe what they observe before completing...

In this electricity and thermodynamics worksheet, students review the major concepts of both series circuits and parallel circuits, they review types of thermal transfer, they match electricity terms with their definitions, they fill in...

In this scientific theory worksheet, the student is asked 46 questions about equivalent circuits designed with differently constructed power sources.  The answers are available if the student is working online.

For this electric current worksheet, students review vocabulary words associated with electricity. Students understand how electricity is used in their lives every day. This worksheet has 12 fill in the blank questions.

Electrons flow from negative to positive, but the general consensus is that current flows from positive to negative. Scholars explore current through construction of circuits in both series and parallel. The focus is on voltage,...

How does electricity travel through power lines? The simulation demonstrates the how changes in voltage and resistance are related to the distance between power polls and the thickness of the cable. Scholars control three variables in...

Most pupils don't know what a telegraph is, much less how one works. A secret simulation has scholars pick the size of the primary and secondary loops, the battery voltage, and which letters in the Morse Code they want to transmit. They...

Investigate the maximum power output of a photovoltaic panel with a lesson that introduces the class to the maximum power point. Individuals learn how to determine the maximum power point of a solar panel by using Ohm's law and the power...

What do physicists and musicians have in common? A lot more than you might think. After first viewing a slide show presentation and completing a series of skills practice worksheets on the physics of light, sound, and...

Students investigate how to optimize the power output of a photovoltaic cell using a home-made gnomon stand. They use data collected to create current-voltage and power-voltage curves and determine the "maximum power point," (MPP) at...

Students investigate energy using a photovoltaic cell. In this electricity instructional activity, students collect data from current-voltage and power-voltage curves to determine if photovoltaic systems have an advantage over...

Students demonstrate simple circuits and find the differences between parallel and serial circuits.  In this electronic lesson plan students work in teams to test different designs using a low voltage light bulb. 

In this magnetic forces and kinetic energy worksheet, students use the formula that relates the speed of an electron in a plasma cloud to its energy to find the speed of 6 different plasma cloud electrons. They answer 5 questions that...

In this battery worksheet, students read about oxidation-reduction reactions and voltaic cells. They are given a diagram of an electrochemical cell and they answer four questions using the cell. They also identify the anode given two...

Students determine that moving charges create a magnetic field. They discover that the speed and direction of motion, the amount of charge, and the deflection angle observed are closely linked. A voltmeter, pendulum, and a constructed...

Students use the CBL and voltage probe to observe electricity. In this algebra lesson, students use the TI calculator with the CBL to explore Ohm's Law. They discuss exponential equations and how it relates to Ohm's Law.

Learners observe how an electrical current passes through a conductor and the relationship between voltage and resistance.  In this investigative lesson students participate in an activity that allows them to see the correlation...

Students explore electrical resistance through various experiments. In this physics lesson, students calculate resistance using a mathematical formula. They explain how colors identify the resistance value of a resistor.

What is a watt? This tongue-twisting, mind-bending question and others are answered through this lesson on the different lighting options available. With the support of a PowerPoint, teach your physical science class about units of...

Groups work together to design a lighthouse, from designing and drawing the wiring diagram, to creating prototypes of the switch and circuit, to envisioning and building a scale model along with a blueprint. By including different...

How temperature affects the efficiency of a solar panel is the focus of the third in a series of eight resources that presents how engineers are able to control the temperatures of photovoltaic panels. Class members find out how the...

Power up the class with a lesson plan on electronics. Scholars use a solar module to create an electric circuit. They connect different devices to the circuit and measure the voltage and current. Based on the measurements, they calculate...

The power to learn about AC and DC power lies within everyone. The fifth of seven installments in the Off the Grid unit continues the investigation of the efficiency of a USB charger. Individuals use an inverter that converts DC power to...

What a bright idea! Working in groups, scholars design a solar phone charger by applying concepts from the unit. They use solar modules and buck and boost converters in their creations, which must be able to charge a phone after...