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Summaries · Grade 6 Natural Sciences › Circuit diagrams and the cost of electricity
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Circuit diagrams and the cost of electricity

Circuit symbols and diagrams, and how we lower the cost of electricity. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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Symbols

CellBattery (cells)BulbSwitch openSwitch closed
The basic circuit symbols.
Series: one pathParallel: two paths
Series (one path) and parallel (more than one path) as diagrams.
Rule

Series: one bulb burns out, all go out. Parallel: the others keep shining.

  • A conducting wire is drawn as a straight line. Draw wires with a ruler and with square corners, and leave no gaps.
  • A closed switch makes the circuit closed (the bulb lights); an open switch makes it open (the bulb is off).
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

The cost of electricity

Appliances that make heat, such as a stove, geyser or heater, use the most electricity. The best first step to lower your bill: use less of the biggest consumers.

Why does electricity cost so much? Coal must be mined and transported, power stations must be built and maintained, and thousands of kilometres of cables, substations and wiring bring the power to your home. Illegal connections are deadly dangerous: loose wires give shocks, start fires and make the power go out for everyone.

  • Switch off lights when you leave.
  • Shower shorter and insulate the geyser.
  • Use LED lamps; put solar panels on the roof.
  • Each appliance’s label shows how much power it needs, in watts (W): a kettle more than 2 000 W, a radio only about 15 W. The more watts, the faster it uses electricity.
  • The more electricity we use, the more we pay and the more coal is burnt.
  • A solar water heater heats water directly with the Sun’s heat; solar panels change sunlight into electricity. Both save electricity, but they are not the same.
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Working safely

  • Insulators keep current where it belongs.
  • A cable with bare wires can give a shock.
  • An electrician switches off the power before working.
  • Wet skin lets current into you: do not touch a switch with wet hands.
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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • A circuit diagram uses symbols everyone understands.
  • Cell: one long and one short line. Bulb: a circle with a cross. Battery: two or more cells.
  • Open circuit: no current. Closed circuit: current flows and the bulb lights.
  • Household electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours on a meter.
  • The geyser uses the most; LED lamps the least for the same light.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

Cell: the long line is the plus side. Bulb: a circle with a cross, like a light marking ‘X’.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

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