p5 electricity in the home

• Direct current travels in one direction
• Direct current is used in batteries and cells
• Direct current provides a low voltage (1.5v)
• Alternating current changes direction reversing the charge
• Hz is how many time an alternating current changes direction per second
• Alternating current is used in electricity supply
• The mains supple used alternating current at 50Hz and 230v
• Alternating current provides higher voltage than direct
• The earth wire is a safety wire connected to the case of an appliance to prevent electrocution
• The earth wire doesn’t carry a current and stays at 0v
• The live wire carries an alternating current
• The live wire has a voltage of 325
• The neutral wire carries current and is part of the main circuit but it’s voltage is nearly 0
• a fuse is a thin wire in a glass container which melts breaking the circuit if the current is too high
• A cable grip is a safety feature to make sure the wires don’t become loose
• A cable is the protection from wires insulation them to prevent electrocution
• Fuses always need to be the size bigger than the current the appliance uses
• Circuit breakers are electromagnets which switches the electricity off when there is a difference between the live and neutral wire
• Circuit breakers are automatic do not need to be replaced and can be easily reset
• Earthing is when an electrical safety device provides an easy path to the ground for the current to take if there is a fault to prevent electrocution
• if a device is made from plastic it doesn’t need an earth wire since it doesn’t conduct electricity
• A double insulate device has a plastic case
• If the wrong fuse size is in a plug it will allow too much current to flow causing the appliance to catch fire
• The national grid supplies energy from distant power stations to homes