Physics (Electrical Applications)

Grade 9 (Applied) Overall Expectations:

1 – Assess the major social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of using electrical energy, distinguishing between renewable and non‑renewable sources, and propose a plan of action to reduce energy costs.

• Assess social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of using a renewable and a non‑renewable source of electrical energy (e.g., solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, coal, oil, natural gas), taking the issue of sustainability into account [AI, C].
  • Wind Energy Pros and Cons (Energy Informative)
  • Solar Energy Pros and Cons (Energy Informative)
  • Toxic Chemicals in Solar Panels (Sciencing)
  • Pros and Cons of Hydropower (Energy Sage)
  • Hydropower and the Environment (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
  • Pros and Cons of Coal Energy (Sciencing)
  • Coal and the Environment (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
  • Pros and Cons of Oil (Clean Energy Ideas)
  • Natural Gas 101 Pros and Cons (Environmental Science)
  • Nuclear Energy Pros and Cons (Energy Informative)
  • Radioactive Waste (Government of Canada)

• Propose a plan of action to decrease household energy costs by applying their knowledge of the energy consumption of different types of appliances (e.g., front-load and top-load washing machines; cathode ray tube [CRT] and liquid crystal display [LCD] computer monitors) [PR, AI, C].
  • Energuide in Canada (Government of Canada)
  • Energy Star (Energystar.gov)
  • Canada’s Standard for Efficient Light Bulbs (Natural Resource Canada)
  • High-Efficiency vs. Conventional Washing Machine (Doc’s Appliance Service)
  • 15 Home Appliances That Use Energy When Turned Off (Homestar)

2 – Investigate, through inquiry, the properties of static and current electricity and the cost of the consumption of electrical energy.

• Use appropriate terminology related to static and current electricity, including, but not limited to: ammeter, ampere, battery, conductivity, current, energy consumption, fuse, kilowatt hours, load, ohm, potential difference, resistance, switch, voltmeter, and volts [C].
  • Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
  • What is Static Electricity? (Live Science)
  • Current Electricity (Science World)
  • Electrical Terms (Southwest Tech)
  • Electricity Glossary (Physics for Kids)

• Use an inquiry process to determine and compare the conductivity of various materials (e.g., metals, plastic, glass, water) [PR, AI].
  • What is Electrical Conductivity? (Thought Co.)
  • How to Make Electrical Conductivity Test (Energizer)
  • Conductivity Tester (Science World)
  • Basic Circuit Kit (YouTube)
  • How to Test the Conductivity of Metal (Sciencing)

• Conduct inquiries involving conduction and induction to investigate the law of electric charges [PR, AI].
  • Electric Charge (Energy Education)
  • 6 Fun Static Electricity Experiments (iSwitch)
  • Friction and Static Electricity (Siyavula)
  • Charging by Conduction (Physics Classroom)
  • Electrostatic Induction (YouTube)

• Design, draw circuit diagrams of, and construct simple series and parallel circuits (e.g., circuits with: one light bulb; two light bulbs of the same brightness; one light bulb on and the other light bulb off) [IP, PR, C].
  • How to Draw Simple Electric Circuits (YouTube)
  • Circuit Diagram (Circuit-diagram.org)
  • What are Series and Parallel Circuits? (All About Circuits)
  • Series and Parallel Circuits (YouTube)
  • Online Circuit Construction Kit (Phet Interactive Simulations)

• Compare, on the basis of observation, the differences between series and parallel circuits [PR, AI].
  • Series vs Parallel Circuits (YouTube)
  • How is a Parallel Circuit Different from a Series Circuit? (Sciencing)

• Use an inquiry process to investigate the effects that changing resistance and changing potential difference have on current in a simple series circuit [PR, AI].
  • Potential Difference and Resistance (BBC Bitesize)
  • The Simple Circuit (Nissan Technician)
  • Ohm’s Law (The Physics Classroom)
  • Ohm’s Law (All About Circuits)

• Calculate the costs of running common household electrical devices, and compare their efficiency (e.g., using EnerGuide information) [AI, C].
  • Electricity Rates (ENWIN)
  • Understanding Your ENWIN Bill (ENWIN)
  • EnerGuide (Government of Canada)
  • Electricity Price in Canada (Energy Hub)

• Graph and interpret electricity consumption data collected over a period of time from electrical meters at home or in the community (e.g., their school, a local community centre) [PR, AI, C].
  • Reading Your Electric Meter (YouTube)
  • Create a Graph (National Centre for Education Statistics)

3 – Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and principles of static and current electricity.

• Compare conductors and insulators, and explain how materials allow static charge to build up or be discharged.
  • Conductors and Insulators (TOPPR)
  • What are Conductors and Insulators? (BBC Bitesize)
  • Conductors and Insulators (Khan Academy)

• Explain the law of electric charges with reference to common electrostatic phenomena (e.g., charging by contact or by induction).
  • Electric Charge Definition (TOPPR)
  • Coulomb’s Law (Physics4Kids)
  • Types of Charging (Physics Tutorials)

• Identify the components of a simple direct current (DC) electrical circuit (e.g., electrical source, electrical load, switch, fuse), and describe their functions.
  • DC Circuit (Khan Academy)
  • The Four (and More) Basic Parts of an Electrical Circuit (Hunker)
  • Fuses (All About Circuits)

• Identify electrical quantities and their symbols (e.g., electric current I, potential difference V, resistance R), and explain how they are measured using an ammeter, a voltmeter, and a multimeter.
  • Electrical Units of Measure (Electronics Tutorials)
  • Voltmeters and Ammeters (Khan Academy)
  • DC Ammeters and Voltmeters Review (Khan Academy)
  • How to Use a Multimeter (Sparkfun)

• Explain the characteristics of electric current, potential difference, and resistance, in simple series and parallel circuits.
  • Series and Parallel Circuits (Sparkfun)
  • Resistors in Parallel (Khan Academy)
  • Resistors in Series (Khan Academy)
  • Simple Series Circuits (All About Circuits)
  • Simple Parallel Circuits (All About Circuits)

• Describe, qualitatively, the interrelationships between resistance, potential difference, and electric current, in a series circuit (e.g., the effect on current when potential difference is changed).
  • What is the Relationship Between Electric Current and Potential Difference? (A Plus Topper)
  • Current and Resistance (Khan Academy)
  • Potential Difference and Resistance (BBC Bitesize)

• Explain the practical use of resistance in a common household product (e.g., a toaster or hair dryer).
  • Resistors (Explainthatstuff!)
  • Factors Affecting Resistance (CK-12)