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Hi. I'm Mwaksy.Hi, I'm Greg.Greg, what is it about electricity that makes it so useful?So many reasons. OK, here are three.The first one is that we can get electricity whenever we want.That could be from a battery wherethe chemicals stored inside are converted into electricity,or you can plug it into a power socket at home.How impressive is it that you can plug something into a power socketat home and there's electricity? The second brilliant thing aboutelectricity is that it can travel long distances.You just need a super-long conductor, like these power cables,and you can give people accessto electricity even if they live somewhere pretty remote.But the main reason that electricity is so useful isbecause we can convert it into other forms of energyand use it in so many ways.Tell me more, Greg. Show me the science.OK. So, I have a portable battery here.We're going to plug a few things into it using via a USB cable.The chemical energy that's stored inside the batteryis going to be converted into electrical energy.And our question is this. Mm-hm. How many different formsof energy can that electricity be converted into?OK. Well, I don't know, but let's try it. Yeah. So, let's plug inthis lamp to get light. Mm-hm.
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That's electrical energy going into light energy.Good. That's one. Tick. OK. What about making something move?Your wish is my command.Ooh. That feels good. Tiny fan.I love that! What a breeze!OK. So, that's electrical energy going into movement energy.OK. What about heat energy?How do we do that? Got that. Hang on.
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Oh!So, this is a heat pad… Yeah. …to warm up my cuppa.Genius. Electrical energy going into thermal energy or heat energy.Wow. So that's three.Yeah, we've had light energy… Yup.…movement energy… Mm-hm.…and heat energy. And there are so many more we could use.All from one source of electricity. Mm-hm. Genius.I can see why we use electricity for lots of different things,but a lot of it is still being generated by nonrenewable sources,like coal and natural gas, which is a problem, right?Yeah, it is. So, coal and natural gas are nonrenewable. They takemillions of years to form,so when we use them, you then can't replace them again.Plus, burning coal and natural gas produces a lot of gasesthat are bad for the planet - they contribute to climate change -which is why I'm all about renewable sources of energy.Like the solar energy we get from the Sun,or the movement energy of wind or water,maybe even using plant material, which is called biomass.Scientists and engineers are constantly trying to find new waysto generate electricity without relying on nonrenewable means.
Ooh. Can you show me an example? I sure can.This device is amazing. Pull down on this cord for me. Mm-hm.Now, while you're doing that, you're turning a small motor insideand that's generating electricity,kind of like how a power station or a wind turbine does it.Now hit this button. OK.Wow! Great, right? Movement energy into light.That is so cool. And what I love about this is not only does it helpto protect our impact on the environment,but it can also really help people who might not have accessto electricity for different reasons, say, for example,living in a remote area. Absolutely. Or if they've lost powerfollowing, say, a natural hazard, like an earthquake.This is a great example of how scientistsand engineers are inventing new ways of generating electricity,so we can keep powering all the things around us.
OK. So, now we know why electricity is so useful.So, here's something to think about.Lots of new products like this are being inventedto generate or use electricity to solve problems around the world.For example, an electric car was invented so we could get aroundwithout needing to rely on fossil fuels,on those nonrenewable sources of energy.So, the question is, how do you think we could use electricityin the future to solve problems?Good question? Great question. We'll see you soon. Bye! See ya.
Video summary
This teacher resource for primary science looks at the uses of electricity in the world around us and how it is produced using renewable and non renewable energy sources.
Having discussed how useful electricity is, Mwaksy and Greg convert the chemical energy in a battery into different forms of energy.
After learning about the importance of generating electricity from renewable sources, Mwaksy and Greg use a generator to make electricity.
Show Me the Science is a series of short films and teacher resources for primary schools, following presenters Mwaksy Mudenda and Greg Foot as they use demonstrations, experiments and animations to learn about forces and electricity.
Teacher Notes
Before watching the film:
Prior to this lesson you may wish to introduce students to other relevant topics, for example:
- Fossils and fossil fuels
- Renewable and non-renewable energy
- Circuits
- Energy and how electricity is made
During the film:
Depending on your lesson’s focus, you may wish to pause the video at certain points to check for understanding, asking questions such as:
- Can you share other examples of things in the classroom that are powered by electricity?
- Electricity can travel long distances - but how is it able to travel? (A pylon.) Has anyone seen a pylon near school/home?
- The equipment that Mwaksy and Greg use to generate electricity can be used in different situations such as an earthquake. Can anyone give any other examples of other situations where we might use something like this? [E.g. other natural hazards.]
Final question:
How else could we use electricity to solve problems in the future?
Discussion points for the final question:
- During the Industrial Revolution, we started burning coal to make steam that powered factories. What problems did this solve? What problems did burning coal create? (air pollution, creating greenhouse gasses, dangerous working conditions, etc.)
- Steam trains also relied on burning coal, but modern trains can run partially or solely on electricity.
- Can anyone think of any other examples which were not originally powered by electricity but now can be? (cars, trams, electric cookers/ovens, streetlamps)
- Can anyone think of things that are not currently powered by electricity, but could be in the future? (E.g. aircraft using electricity instead of burning fossil fuels.)
Following on from the film:
Scientists come up with new solutions to problems. Using the information in the video and your knowledge of existing inventions, your students can design an invention which relies on electricity.
They will need to think about:
- Something that doesn’t exist
- How it solves an existing problem that affects a lot of peopleYou can do this activity as a short or long-term project. Your students can also give a presentation about their designs to practise their language skills.
This short film is suitable for teaching science at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2nd Level in Scotland.
What is electricity? video
Mwaksy and Greg learn about what electricity is and how we generate it using movement.
How do circuits work? video
Mwaksy and Greg learn about how circuits and switches work, and why they’re so useful.
What are conductors and insulators? video
Mwaksy and Greg create circuits using spoons and dough, to learn about conductors and insulators, why they’re useful and how they keep us safe.
