Students build their own two-cell batteries. They also determine which electrolyte solution is best suited for making batteries.

Students learn more about magnetism, and how magnetism and electricity are related in electromagnets. They learn the fundamentals about how simple electric motors and electromagnets work. Students also learn about hybrid gasoline-electric cars and their advantages over conventional gasoline-only-powered cars.

Stanford University’s Understand Energy Learning Hub provides free access to Stanford course content on energy resources from fossil fuels like oil and coal to renewable resources like the wind, the sun, and efficiency; energy currencies like electricity and hydrogen; and energy services such as transportation and buildings. Explore the Hub and build your energy literacy to address climate change and sustainability issues, engage on equity and human development challenges, participate in energy industry markets and technology innovations, and make informed energy decisions.

Sixth grade students at Eckstein Middle School use their understanding of electricity to explore electrical current in a circuit with photovoltaic cells.Using a lamp to model the sun, students work in teams and connect different power sources in series and parallel circuits to determine the effects on light bulbs or small motors. Discussion between students about the differences in voltage and the flow of electrons from negative to positive terminals provide opportunities for students to explain their learning and for the teacher to assess their understanding.Learning is extended beyond the experiment as students use photovoltaic cells to power equipment and offset electrical load in the classroom.

Calculus-Based Physics II: Unified Approach

Long Description:
I’ve taught PHY2049 at UNF since 2014 (on 12 different semesters). I moved from using an expensive textbook to an OER textbook (OpenStax) around 2016-2017. The main focus of this class is on concepts related to electricity and magnetism, which by the end of the 19th century was unified as two aspects of the same phenomenon. All available textbooks for this class (there’s many out there) including the available open source texts, treat these concepts as a set of independent topics – giving very little (if any) insight to the now well-understood unified theory of electromagnetism. During the Pandemic I began to reformulate this class with an emphasis on the unified nature of electromagnetism with the intention to provide the students a strong intuitive grasp of the subject. Without any available textbooks at the appropriate level that supports this “Unified Approach” to electricity and magnetism, I severed ties with all textbooks and started to build a content library of video lectures. These video lectures served as a “video textbook” and I started implementing this in Summer of 2020. These content videos provided the backbone for this “Unified Approach to PHY2049” that was offered in the Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 semesters as well as the current Fall 2021 semester. These offerings have been completely free to the students (without any textbook and other costs). Moreover, the data gathered from the Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 offerings of this “Unified Approach” to PHY2049 (based on a nationally implemented testing tool) shows a distinct normalized gain in the learning outcomes compared to that of the traditional approach commonly used for this course (and followed by all available textbooks).

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Electricity in the United States has seen remarkable growth, with a significant shift from coal to renewable energy sources. Government policies and technological advancements have played a crucial role in shaping the energy landscape. President Biden's goal of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 highlights the need for continued progress in policy, technology, and public perception.

Video clips from federal and regional agencies show scientists at work with tools used to collect data about the climate and weather. This article, from the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, will help students visualize the tools and how they are used in the atmosphere, at sea, and other hard-to-access locations.

Voltage is a cornerstone concept in electricity. We create an intuitive mental image by comparing voltage to gravity. Created by Willy McAllister.

This is an animated, visual illustration of the history of nuclear power plants in the United States.

Students discuss the characteristics of storms, including the relationship of weather fronts and storms. Using everyday materials, they develop models of basic lightning detection systems (similar to a Benjamin Franklin design) and analyze their models to determine their effectiveness as community storm warning systems.

Students are introduced to the concept of electricity by identifying it as an unseen, but pervasive and important presence in their lives. They are also introduced to the idea of engineers making, controlling and distributing electricity. The main concepts presented are the science of electricity and the careers that involve an understanding of electricity. Students first review the structure of atoms and then learn that electrons are the particles behind electrical current and the motivation for electron movement. They compare conductors and insulators based on their capabilities for electron flow. Then water and electrical systems are compared as an analogy to electrical current. They learn the differences between static and dynamic forms of electricity. A PowerPoint(TM) presentation is included, with review question/answer slides, as well as assessment handouts to practice using electricity-related terms through storytelling and to research electricity-related and electrical engineering careers.

As of January 2023, 575 utility-scale biopower plants were operational globally, with a total capacity of over 29,000 MW, less than 0.5% of worldwide power generation. An additional 6,000 MW are under construction. China is believed to significantly underreport its true biopower capacity, perhaps as high as 22,000 MW, primarily from agricultural residues and waste-to-energy facilities. Brazil, another major player, relies largely on sugarcane byproducts.

Prime movers are devices that convert natural sources of energy into mechanical energy to generate electricity. Historically, hydropower from water turbines and steam turbines played major roles. Gas turbines emerged as a more efficient and cost-effective option. In recent years, solar cells and wind turbines have made significant advancements, providing competitive and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional energy sources.

Students use conductivity meters to measure various salt and water solutions, as indicated by the number of LEDs (light emitting diodes) that illuminate on the meter. Students create calibration curves using known amounts of table salt dissolved in water and their corresponding conductivity readings. Using their calibration curves, students estimate the total equivalent amount of salt contained in Gatorade (or other sports drinks and/or unknown salt solutions). This activity reinforces electrical engineering concepts, such as the relationship between electrical potential, current and resistance, as well as the typical circuitry components that represent these phenomena. The concept of conductors is extended to ions that are dissolved in solution to illustrate why electrolytic solutions support the passage of currents.

Boston relies on fossil fuels for over 70% of its energy needs, with natural gas and refined oil being the dominant sources. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Boston is increasingly focusing on low-carbon energy sources such as nuclear power, hydropower, wind, and solar energy.

Geothermal power has a long history, with Native Americans and ancient civilizations like the Greeks and Romans utilizing its benefits. Today, countries such as the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, and New Zealand are leading the way in building new geothermal power projects to harness clean and sustainable energy from the Earth's heat.

ountries worldwide, including Germany, Spain, China, the United States, and others, are rapidly expanding their solar power infrastructure. China has been a particularly prominent player, contributing nearly one-third of new capacity additions.

The wind energy industry started in the 1980s in Southern California and several European countries. Today, the United States, Europe, and countries like India, Australia, Japan, Canada, China, and Brazil lead in new wind power capacity. Currently, wind power generates around 7% of global electricity, with onshore systems dominating but offshore capacity expected to grow in the future.

Students teams each use a bar magnet, sheet of paper and iron shavings to reveal the field lines as they travel around a magnet. They repeat the activity with an electromagnet made by wrapping thin wire around a nail and connecting either wire end to a battery. They see that the current flowing through a wire produces a magnetic field around the wire and that this magnetic field induced by electricity is no different than that produced by a bar magnet. The experience helps to solidify the idea that electricity and magnetism are deeply interrelated.

Students build their own simple conductivity tester and explore whether given solid materials and solutions of liquids are good conductors of electricity.