As a homework assignment, instruct students to locate all the light bulbs in their homes, adding up and recording the total wattage. Have them list all the electronic appliances, including refrigerators and air-conditioning units, examining each item when it is turned off to find and record the wattage rating. Then students should add up the total number of watts required to power all the items in their homes. In class, have students estimate the amount of time each item is in use during a month and determine the total power consumption in kilowatt hours for one month. Have them work together to develop a plan to conserve energy in their homes.
Readers learn to conduct their own experiments in making electricity.
Back to Top Electrified Ben Explore Benjamin Franklin's contribution to our early understanding of electricity. Build This Pop-Bottle High Voltage Motor Make your own electrostatic motor from plastic soda bottles and create electrostatic forces to spin it. While at this Web site explore all of the wonderful ideas for all kinds of science. Photocopiers create images by a logical sequence of transferring electrostatic charges from a copy surface to toner and finally onto paper. Use the images and information at this University of Delaware Web site to create a document.