Solving Real-World Problems with Electrical Engineering
PROBLEM SOLVERS Think of the many ways you use technology every day Do you ever wonder how things work For example if you check a book out of a library it is probably scanned into a computer which records the title of the book and the name of the person checking it out How does the scanner communicate all of this information to the computer The people who design our technology and make sure that it works right are called engineers Engineers use science and math to solve Library books have code stickers The scanner relays the code’s information to the computer 4
problems and to create new products Electrical engineers focus on electric power as well as all of the systems and machines that run on it They research design and create new devices such as smartphones air conditioners and televisions Working with other types of engineers electrical engineers invent things that make our lives easier Electrical engineers use tools like soldering irons to build circuit boards Look around the room you are in Which items do you think were created by electrical engineers Think About It 5
Everything in the universe is made of tiny objects called atoms Each atom has even tinier particles called protons and electrons An electron has what is called a negative charge A proton has a positive charge Positive and negative charges try to pull each other together However two positive charges or two negative charges will push each other away Electricity results when electrons are pushed and pulled from atom to atom WHAT IS ELECTRICITY Electrons move around the center of an atom in oval-shaped patterns called ellipses 6
Many moving electrons are called an electric current Electric circuits are paths for transmitting or passing along electric current An electric circuit has to have a power source wires for the electricity to flow through and a device such as a lamp or a motor that uses the electric current All of these parts must be connected for the current to continue to flow A switch can connect the circuit in the on position and break it in the off position A circuit can pass energy through multiple devices as long as the power source is large enough Why might you want to turn a circuit on and off Think About It 7
