3.1 Play with battery energy

TECHNOLOGY

Grade 6

Discovering energy

Module 13

‘play’ with battery energy

Assignment 1

[lo 1.3]

Making an electrical circuit using a wet cell battery.

Equipment:

• A lemon to serve as an electrolyte.
• Small strips of copper and zinc / or a brass drawing pin and a steel paper clip that can serve as electrodes.
• Two lengths of copper wire for conductors.
• A light bulb and bulb stand to provide the light.
• Two paper clips for connecting the metal plates and the conductors.

Method:

• Cut the lemon in half and use one half.
• Attach the strip of copper / brass drawing pin to one side of the lemon and the zinc strip / paper clip to the other side.
• Connect a paper clip to each of the wires and slide the paper clips on to the plates.
• Attach the other ends of the wires to the light bulb.

Observation:

Does the light bulb glow?

Connect an ordinary battery (a dry cell) and experiment with the circuit until the light bulb lights up with this battery.

Draw a circuit diagram of the electrical circuit to illustrate the flow of the current when the light bulb glows.

How could you increase the chemical energy to improve the brightness of the light from the light bulb?

Assignment 2a

[lo 1.3]

Experiment with each of the following suggestions and mark the suggestion that provides the best result:

Background information

Cells can be connected in two different ways for making a battery.

• Cells are in series when a positive pole of one cell is linked to the negative pole of another cell. With increasing the number of cells connected in series, the current that is supplied becomes more powerful. This means that the light bulb will glow more brightly.

• Cells are linked in parallel when all the positive poles of the cells are connected with one another to create a positive connection with the battery.

• The negative poles are also connected like this. When the number of cells that are connected in PARALLEL increases, the cells can produce the same current for longer.

Assignment 2b

[lo 1.3, 1.6]

Create different switches for an electrical circuit. See how may different types of switches used in electrical appliances you can identify.

1. What is a switch?

It is a device for opening or closing a circuit so that electricity can flow along the circuit or be prevented from flowing.

1. Make each of the following switches and connect each to a battery and a light bulb to see if they work. Strip the isolation (plastic) from the ends of the wires before attaching them to the paper clips and use an elastic band to hold them in position against the paper clip.

If you want to use two or more batteries alongside one another, you could place them inside a cardboard or plastic tube.

A sliding switch

A push-button switch

A click switch

A dimmer switch

What happens when you slide one paper clip towards the other? Design your own switch. Add labels and colour to explain what the components are.

• Make a prototype of your switch and connect it to a circuit. Is your design successful?
• What type of switch did you make?

Assessment

Learning Outcomes(LOs)

LO 1

TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND SKILLS

The learner will be able to apply technological processes and skills ethically and responsibly using appropriate information and communication technologies

Assessment Standards(ASs)

We know this when the learner:

1.3 performs, where appropriate, scientific investigations about concepts relevant to a problem, need or opportunity using science process skills;