Why Do The Lights Turn On? (science In The Real World)

Why Do the Lights Turn On? by Barbara J. Davis Science and Curriculum Consultant: Debra Voege, M.A., Science Curriculum Resource Teacher lightsFNL.indd 1 8/10/09 1:06:10 PM Science in the Real World: Why Do the Lights Turn On? Copyright © 2010 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea Clubhouse An imprint of Chelsea House Publishers 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Davis, Barbara J., 1952 Why do the lights turn on? / Barbara J. Davis; science and curriculum consultant, Debra Voege. p. cm. — (Science in the real world) Includes index. ISBN 978-1-60413-471-1 1. Electricity—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. QC527.2.D39 2010 537—dc22 2009013432 Chelsea Clubhouse books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea Clubhouse on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Developed for Chelsea House by RJF Publishing LLC (www.RJFpublishing.com) Text and cover design by Tammy West/Westgraphix LLC Illustrations by Spectrum Creative Inc. Photo research by Edward A. Thomas Index by Nila Glikin Photo Credits: 4: Pixmann Limited/Photolibrary; 5, 9, 10, 22, 25: iStockphoto; 7: © Christopher Morris/ Corbis; 15: Andersen Ross/Photolibrary (boy at refrigerator), Guy Cali/Photolibrary (girl at laptop); 16: Tanya Constantine/Photolibrary; 18: Lester Lefkowitz/Photolibrary; 19: Getty Images; 22, 24, 29: © Edward A. Thomas; 28: Chris Ryan/Photolibrary. Printed and bound in the United States of America Bang RJF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. lightsFNL.indd 2 8/10/09 1:06:11 PM Table of Contents An Electrical World.................................................. 4 What Is Electricity?.................................................. 6 Static Electricity....................................................... 8 Electric Current...................................................... 10 Circuits and Switches............................................ 12 Measuring Current................................................. 14 Volts and Watts....................................................... 16 Making Electricity.................................................. 18 Spinning Turbines.................................................. 20 Moving Electricity.................................................. 22 In the Home............................................................ 24 Sharing Electricity.................................................. 26 Looking to the Future............................................ 28 Glossary.................................................................. 30 To Learn More........................................................ 31 Index....................................................................... 32 Words that are defined in the Glossary are in bold type the first time they appear in the text. 5 lightsFNL.indd 3 8/10/09 1:06:11 PM An Electrical World W hat do you know about electricity? It’s a huge part of modern daily life. It’s so common, in fact, that most of us don’t think about it all. Try listing ten things that you use every day that run