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Brainlag Learn / GCSE Physics

Mains electricity, the National Grid and static

Direct and alternating current, the three-core cable and plug, electrical power and energy, the cost of electricity, the National Grid and transformers, and static charge and electric fields.

Lessons

  1. Direct and alternating current, and the mains supplyThe difference between d.c. and a.c., what the UK mains supply is, the three wires in a cable and why the live wire is dangerous. 20 min, free
  2. Electrical power, P = VI and P = I²RHow fast an appliance transfers energy, the two power equations, changing kW and mA, and choosing the right fuse. 20 min, with the Ohm's Law and Circuits Calculator, free
  3. Energy transferred, kilowatt-hours and costE = Pt and E = QV, energy in kilowatt-hours, and working out what it costs to run an appliance. 25 min, Plus
  4. The National Grid and transformersHow electricity gets from a power station to your home, why the cables run at hundreds of kilovolts, and the transformer equation. 25 min, with the Ohm's Law and Circuits Calculator, Plus
  5. Static electricityHow rubbing two insulators charges them, why charged objects attract or repel, and where sparks come from. 20 min, Plus, Physics only
  6. Electric fieldsThe field around a charged object, how to draw it, why it gets weaker with distance, and how fields explain sparks and attraction. 20 min, with the Electric fields simulation, Plus, Physics only

Practise and test

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