Chapter1 Principlesofelectricalscience
LEVEL 2
UNITChapter
204 1
Principles of electrical science
11
Level 2 Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures)
This chapter covers:
Chapter
1
the principles of electricity the principles of basic electrical circuits the principles of magnetism and electromagnetism the operating principles of a range of electrical equipment the principles of basic mechanics the principles of a.c. theory electrical quantities in Star Delta configurations. LO1
Matter – something that has weight and takes up space.
Electron
Neutron
Nucleus
Figure 1.1: Atom showing nucleus with electrons, neutrons and protons
2
Electricity and the science behind it can be tricky, especially because you can’t see it – all you can do is see the effects of it or feel it. In this chapter you will investigate some of the basic scientific principles of electricity, and the applications and uses that are fundamental to a technician’s role in the building services engineering industry. This chapter is broken down into logical sections to enable you to grasp the science and progress on to the Level 3 science syllabus. You will be introduced to the basic concepts followed by worked examples, backed up by a range of practice questions at different levels. The order of the learning outcomes has been changed slightly from the C&G specification in some instances: this is to allow a logical build-up of knowledge before you progress to the next subject.
THE PRINCIPLES OF ELECTRICITY
Electricity is simply the movement of electrons carrying energy. As electrons move along a conductor they have the ability to transfer some of their energy into other forms such as heat, light or movement. Your job as a building services engineer is to install and maintain systems that make use of this transferred electron energy. Electricians need to understand what electricity is in order to predict how it will react under different conditions.
The structure of matter
In order to understand electricity, we need
UNITChapter
204 1
Principles of electrical science
11
Level 2 Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures)
This chapter covers:
Chapter
1
the principles of electricity the principles of basic electrical circuits the principles of magnetism and electromagnetism the operating principles of a range of electrical equipment the principles of basic mechanics the principles of a.c. theory electrical quantities in Star Delta configurations. LO1
Matter – something that has weight and takes up space.
Electron
Neutron
Nucleus
Figure 1.1: Atom showing nucleus with electrons, neutrons and protons
2
Electricity and the science behind it can be tricky, especially because you can’t see it – all you can do is see the effects of it or feel it. In this chapter you will investigate some of the basic scientific principles of electricity, and the applications and uses that are fundamental to a technician’s role in the building services engineering industry. This chapter is broken down into logical sections to enable you to grasp the science and progress on to the Level 3 science syllabus. You will be introduced to the basic concepts followed by worked examples, backed up by a range of practice questions at different levels. The order of the learning outcomes has been changed slightly from the C&G specification in some instances: this is to allow a logical build-up of knowledge before you progress to the next subject.
THE PRINCIPLES OF ELECTRICITY
Electricity is simply the movement of electrons carrying energy. As electrons move along a conductor they have the ability to transfer some of their energy into other forms such as heat, light or movement. Your job as a building services engineer is to install and maintain systems that make use of this transferred electron energy. Electricians need to understand what electricity is in order to predict how it will react under different conditions.
The structure of matter
In order to understand electricity, we need