User:ScottGeoffrey/ElectricalFAQ
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Work in progress, expect frequent changes. Help and feedback is welcome. See the google document where the editing is actually happening. Talk to Scott to get involved. |
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Contents
Resources
- <flash>file=Image:SG_electricFAQ.swf|quality=best</flash>
- File:SG electricalFAQbuzzer.odp
- VEGA.org introduction to electrical generators
Intro
Hello? Hello!
What is this? I'm a student at the UBC and, for a multitude of reasons, I've decided to start an evolving document that aims to explain the physical basics of electricity within the context of increasing societal, environmental, and financial costs of consumption. I'll try to make it accessible to anyone with a general high-school education without assuming any knowledge beyond grade 10 science. The hope is that this will help lay people make more informed decisions and comments regarding energy consumption in their daily lives.
What authority do you have on the subject?
- Highschool Physics, First year Uni Physics, and previous research in the area for previous projects.
Will you tell me how to save the world? The only way any individual can save the world is by doing there part, offering suggestions to others, and asking lots of questions. I hope I'll help you develop in these areas, so yes, I hope to help you save the world.
What's the difference between 'Energy' and 'Electricity'? Energy is a more general term than electricity, refering to ***textbook def here***It is really just an abstract idea that is used to refer to the variety of reasons why things change in the real world. Electricity on the other hand is specifically the movement of charged particles either in sudden surges, such as lightning, or in a continuous current, such as in a lightbulb.
What other terms will you be using? (Quick definitions, and symbols and scale of units)
- Power - Watt
- Potential - Voltage
- Resistance - Ohms
- Current - Amps
Basics of electricity
Electron flow Electricity is fundamentally the movement of charged particles within and across materials.
Inductor vs capacitor
AC vs DC
Scale of units, example of usage drain, example of use in creation
+Differences around the world
- Europe is 240W, NA is 120
+Process of electrical creation
- combustion vs wind
- examples
Sustainable Practices in the home
Q: How much I/V/P does my appliance use?--walk them through finding out.
Q: Benefits of unplugging X?--$or should I focus on theory and avoid examples A: "If you leave your mobile phone charger plugged in, it uses one quarter of one percent of your home’s electricity." tinyurl.com/dz2a65
Example decisions:-buying bulbs-efficient vs inefficient 8Biggest consumer gadgets?
Resources to point to:
- Kill-A-Watt, from UBC library
- Granville group
How to ask questions
Q: where are resources? A: Here... Q: Too much!! A: here is how I approach thing...
