Mains Electricity

Direct current
Cells and batteries supply electric current which always
flows in the same direction.
This is called direct current (d.c.).

Direct current always flows the same way

Alternating current
An alternating current (a.c.) is one which is constantly
changing direction.
a.c. power supply
~

Alternating current constantly changes direction.

The lamp works with a.c. and d.c.
Mains Electricity
The electricity supplied to our homes
is called Mains Electricity.
It is an alternating current supply.

In the UK the current changes

direction every 1/100th of a second.
This means it completes a complete
cycle of changes every 1/50th of a
second. How electricity arrives
into our homes
It therefore has a frequency of 50
cycles per second
or 50 hertz (50 Hz).
The LIVE and NEUTRAL terminals
UK mains supply is rated at about
230 volts.
This means that it has the same effect as a
230V d.c. battery on devices like a lamp.

One side of the a.c. supply changes

constantly between +325V and – 325V.
This terminal is called the LIVE.
Touching this terminal can be fatal!

The other terminal remains at about 0V. NEUTRAL LIVE

This terminal is called the NEUTRAL.
Voltage variation of the LIVE terminal
The voltage of the LIVE terminal varies SINUSOIDALLY
between +325V and – 325V taking 1/50th or 0.02 second to
complete one complete cycle.
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
_______ current (d.c.) is a current that always flows in ____
direction around a circuit. It is supplied by cells and
________.
Alternating current (a.c.) constantly ________ in direction.
The _______ supply to our homes is a.c. In this case the a.c.
is supplied at an effective voltage of ______ and a frequency
of ______.
An _________ can be used to display and __________ a d.c.
or a.c. waveform.
WORD SELECTION:
batteries mains one 50Hz measure
Direct 230V oscilloscope reverses
Electrical cable
Electrical cable consists of:
1. A LIVE wire
with BROWN insulation
2. A NEUTRAL wire
with BLUE insulation
and except with some devices with
plastic cases
3. An EARTH wire
with YELLOW-GREEN striped
insulation.

These are all surrounded by an outer

layer made of rubber or flexible
plastic.
The EARTH wire
This is a safety feature.

The earth wire is connected to the

metal casing of a device.

The other end of this wire is

connected to a metal rod or pipe
that goes into the ground below a
building.

Appliances that have plastic

cases, for example hairdryers, do
not need the earth wire
connection.
EARTH
The three pin plug
Materials used in plugs, sockets and wires
BRASS – Hard rigid metal and electrical conductor
– used for plug pins and socket terminals

COPPER – Flexible electrical conductor

– used for the wires

PLASTIC – Hard rigid electrical insulator

– used to make the plug and socket

RUBBER – Soft flexible electrical insulator

– used for wire insulation
Label this diagram
5.

1.

4.
2.

3.
What is wrong with this plug’s wiring?
Earth wire not connected

Wire untidily connected –

some bare strands of wire
showing
Live and neutral wires
swopped over

Cable grip not gripping the

outer plastic insulator

Note: The appliance connected with this plug would

probably still work but it would be very dangerous to use!
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
Most electrical cables contain _______ separately insulated
wires. ______-core cables are only used with appliances that
have _______ casings.
The live wire has _______ insulation, the neutral has
______and the _______ has striped yellow-green.
In a 3-pin plug the live is connected on the ______ next to the
fuse. The neutral is on the ______and the earth is connected
at the top.
WORD SELECTION:
plastic earth right left two brown three blue
The Dangers of Mains Electricity
The two main dangers of mains
electricity are:

1. FIRE
This can be caused by too high a
current flowing along cables or through
appliances.
A fuse or circuit breaker is used to limit
the current to a safe level.

2. ELECTROCUTION
This can occur when contact is made
with the LIVE wire. Death can occur if a
current above about 100mA (0.1A)
flows through the body.
The EARTH wire in combination with a
fuse or circuit breaker can prevent
electrocution.
Fuses
A fuse is a length of wire designed to melt and so breaking
a circuit when the current passing through it goes above a
certain level.

Fuse wires Cartridge used Internal fuse 3A, 5A and 13A fuses
with fuse wire from an used in 3-pin plugs
appliance
The thicker the fuse wire
the greater is the current
required to cause it to
melt (or fuse).

Fuses are only supplied

with a limited number of
ratings.

Modern circuit
symbol for a fuse
Circuit Breakers
A circuit breaker is an electromagnetic device that breaks a
circuit when the current goes above a certain value.

RCD (Residual Current

Device) circuit breaker Circuit breakers in a
used with an individual consumer unit
appliance
A simple circuit breaker
Current normally flows between
terminals A and B through the
2 contact and the electromagnet.

When the current in a circuit

increases, the strength of the
electromagnet will also
1 increase. This will pull the soft
iron armature towards the
electromagnet.
A
As a result, spring 1 pulls apart
the contact and disconnecting
B the circuit immediately, and
stopping current flow.

The reset button can be pushed to bring the contact back to its
original position to reconnect the circuit
Comparison of fuses and circuit breakers

Both can prevent fire by

limiting the current flowing
through a cable or appliance.

Fuses are simple and are

cheap to replace.

Circuit breakers act more

quickly than fuses and can be
reset.
The action of the EARTH wire
Appliances with metal
metal case of
tumble dryer
cases such as a tumble
fuse dryer are usually earthed
L by having the EARTH
wire connected to their
insulation heater metal case.

N Normally current flows to

and fro between the LIVE
E and NEUTRAL wires
through the heater of the
earth wire connected dryer.
to metal case

The metal case is at zero

volts and is safe to touch.
The action of the EARTH wire
If the LIVE wire became
metal case of
tumble dryer
loose inside the dryer it
fuse might touch the metal
L case.

insulation heater The metal case would

now be dangerous to
N touch and could give a
fatal electric shock.
E

earth wire connected However, the EARTH wire

to metal case provides a low resistance
path to the ground.
The action of the EARTH wire
A large current now flows
metal case of
tumble dryer
through the fuse and
fuse causes it to melt.
L
The dryer’s metal casing
insulation heater is now isolated from the
LIVE connection and is
N safe to touch.
E

earth wire connected

to metal case
Double insulation
Many electrical appliances have casings made from an
insulator such as plastic rather than metal. The electrical
parts of the device cannot therefore be touched by the user.
The appliance is said to have double insulation. Such
appliances will only have two-wire cables as they do not
need the EARTH wire.

Plug wiring for a Plastic cased food Symbol found on

device with double mixer will have devices having
insulation double insulation double insulation
How many dangerous practices can
you spot in the picture below?
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
Two dangers of mains electricity are ____ and electrocution.
Fires are caused when too high a ________ is allowed to flow
along cables. Current can be limited by placing a ______ or
circuit breaker in the _____ wire.
The _______ wire is used to prevent the metal casing of an
appliance from becoming live should a wiring fault occur. A
_______ current flowing down the earth wire will cause the
fuse or circuit breaker to _________ the live connection.

WORD SELECTION:

current earth live fire isolate large fuse

The heating effect of an electric current
House wiring is made of copper
wire and is designed to let electric
current flow through it easily. It is
said to have a low resistance.
However, the parts of some devices
such as the heating elements of
kettles and toasters are designed to
have a high resistance.
Resistance causes heat energy to A kettle’s heating
be produced when an electric element
current flows.
The greater the resistance and
current the hotter the heating
element may become.
Electrical power (P)
The electrical power, P of a device is equal to the rate at
which it transforms energy from electrical to some other
form (such as heat).

electrical power = energy transferred ÷ time

electrical power is measured in watts (W)

energy in joules (J)
time in seconds (s)

also:
1 kilowatt (kW) = 1 000 watts
1 megawatt (MW) = 1 000 000 watts
Electrical power ratings
These are always
shown on an electrical
device along with
voltage and frequency
requirements.
Electrical power examples
Device Power rating
Torch 1W

Energy efficient lamp 11 W

Desktop computer 300 W

Hairdryer 1 000 W or 1 kW

Electric kettle 2 000 W or 2 kW

Electric shower 5 kW
Question 1
Calculate the power of a light bulb that uses
1800 joules of electrical energy in 90 seconds.

electrical power = electrical energy

time

= 1800 J
90 s

electrical power = 20 watts

Question 2
Calculate the energy used in joules by a heater of power
3kW in 1 hour.
Answers
Complete:
Electrical Time Power
energy used
600 J 20 s W
J 15 s 500 W

800 J s 20 W

60 kJ 10 minutes W
Electrical power, P electric current, I
and voltage V

electrical power = current × voltage

P=IxV

electrical power is measured in watts (W)

electric current in amperes (A)
voltage in volts (V)
Question 1
Calculate the power of a 230V television that
draws a current of 2.5A.

electrical power = current × voltage

Question 2

Calculate the current drawn by a kettle of

power 2kW when connected to the mains
230V power supply.
Answers
Complete:
I V P
5A 230 V W
A 230 V 460 W

4A V 48 W

200 mA 6V W
Fuse ratings
The equation:
current = electrical power
voltage
is used to find the fuse rating of a
device.

The correct fuse rating is that next

above the normal current required
by an appliance. A 3-pin plug will
normally contain a
Example: 3A, 5A or 13A fuse.
A 5A fuse should be used with a
device that needs a current of 3.5A.
Question
Fuses of 3A, 5A and 13A are available.
What fuse should be used with a 60W, 230V
lamp?
Complete:
Answers
All of the devices below are 230V mains appliances.
Device and Normal Fuse choice from:
power (W) current (A) 3A, 5A or 13A
Computer; 300W 1.3 A A
Microwave; 900W 3.9 A A
Charger; 10W 0.04A A
Heater; 2kW 8.7A A
Maximum
2990Wpower? 13A A
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
Electric power is the rate of conversion of electrical _______
to some other form and is measured in ______.
Electrical power is equal to electric current __________ by
voltage. The greater the _______ for the same voltage the
_________ is the current drawn.
The correct fuse for a device is the next available value _____
the normal current drawn by a device. The maximum fuse
rating for a 3-pin plug is _______ for an appliance of power
about _______.
WORD SELECTION:
multiplied above 13A watts power greater 3kW energy
Electrical energy E

E=IxVxt

electrical energy (E ) is measured in joules (J)

electric current (I ) in amperes (A)
voltage (V ) in volts (V)
time (t ) in seconds (s)
Question 1
Calculate the energy used in joules by a 12V
car starter motor when drawing a current of
80A for 3 seconds.
E=IxVxt
Question 2
Calculate the energy used in joules by a
hairdryer of power 1kW in 1 hour.
Answers
Complete:
P I V t E
50W 10A 5V 4s 200J

100W 2A 50V 8s 800J

90W 3A 30V 5s 450J

2kW 8A 250V 3 min 360 kJ

Paying for electricity
An electricity meter is used
to measure the usage of
electrical energy.

The meter measures in

kilowatt-hours (kWh)

A kilowatt-hour is the
electrical energy used by
a device of power one
kilowatt in one hour.
Calculating cost
1 . Calculate kilowatt-hours used from:
kilowatt-hours = kilowatts x hours

2 . Calculate cost using:

cost in pence = kilowatt-hours x cost per kWh

Electricity currently costs about 12p per kWh

Question 1
Calculate the cost of using an electric heater of
power 2kW for 5 hours if each kWh costs 12p.

kilowatt-hours = kilowatts x hours

= 2kW x 5 hours
= 10 kWh
cost in pence = kilowatt-hours x cost per kWh
= 10 kWh x 12p
= 120p
cost of using the heater = £1.20
Question 2
Calculate the cost of using a mobile phone charger
power 10W for 6 hours if each kWh costs 12p.
Electricity bill
Calculate the cost of the electricity that
you use over a three month period (90
days).
Typical power values:
energy efficient light bulb – 15 W
desk-top computer – 300 W
hairdryer – 2 kW
television – 100 W
charger – 10 W