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Electrical Appliances

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Air conditioner, lamps, computer, dishwasher, and television set. The list of electrical appliances in your home is probably longer than you’d guess at first glance. Some appliances use more electricity than others. Can you determine the largest energy hog in your home? Plug your mind into this simulation to figure out which electrical devices are costing you and your family the most money.

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Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

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Electrical Appliances Brochure

What is electricity?

Electricity is the flow of electrons. All matter is composed of atoms, which are made up of a nucleus in the center, and electrons that orbit the nucleus. Some types of materials have atoms that can let go of some of their electrons. When these atoms are part of an electrical circuit, the electrons flow through the circuit and provide power for any appliances or items that are a part of that circuit.

How is electricity generated?

An electric generator is a device that converts a form of energy into electricity. There are many different types of electricity generators. Most of world electricity generation is from generators that are based on scientist Michael Faraday’s discovery in 1831 that moving a magnet inside a coil of wire makes (induces) an electric current to flow in the wire. He made the first electricity generator called a Faraday disk, which operates on this relationship between magnetism and electricity and which led to the design of the electromagnetic generators that we use today.

Electromagnetic generators use an electromagnet—a magnet produced by electricity—not a traditional magnet. A basic electromagnetic generator has a series of insulated coils of wire that form a stationary cylinder—called a stator—surrounding an electromagnetic shaft—called a rotor. Turning the rotor makes an electric current flow in each section of the wire coil, which becomes a separate electric conductor. The currents in the individual sections combine to form one large current. This current is the electricity that moves from generators through power lines to consumers. Electromagnetic generators driven by kinetic (mechanical) prime movers account for nearly all of U.S. electricity generation.

What is an appliance?

An appliance is a household machine that uses electricity to function. Examples of appliances are dryers, dishwashers, toasters, and air conditioning units.

How is an electric bill determined?

Electricity usage is tracked by meters that record the amount of electricity that flows in and out of your home. Your utility company reads meters every month to determine monthly usage. Monthly electric usage can be determined by subtracting last month’s reading from this month’s reading.

An electric bill encompasses two primary things: first, paying for generating the actual electricity used (i.e., burning coal at a power plant to produce power) and second, maintaining the grid (i.e., fixing or replacing any aging transmission infrastructure). In other words, a monthly electricity bill is paying directly for purchasing any fuel that the utility burns, for the annualized cost of building the power plant, and maintaining the network of poles and wires that move electricity from region to region as well as within neighborhoods.

What is the Energy Star program?

Energy Star is a government program run by the Environmental Protection Agency to help encourage shoppers to buy energy-efficient appliances in order to save electricity and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. If an appliance meets certain efficiency criteria, the manufacturer can have it labeled as an Energy Star product. Different appliances have different criteria that they must meet to be an Energy Star product. In general, appliances must use 20-30% less energy than federal standards mandate.

Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 1 investigation.

Appliance – a device used to do a specific task
Electricity - a form of energy from charged particles
Power - the amount of energy converted or transferred per unit time
Watts - a unit for measuring power
Energy - the ability to do work
Watts × hours - a unit for measuring the amount of energy used

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