<h2>How can we visualize electricity when we can’t see it happening in action?</h2>

<h2> </h2>

Think about how we cannot see the wind itself but we’re able to see its effects (leaves rustling, dirt clouds, wind chimes etc…).

A great way to think of electricity is to compare it to how water flows. We’ll use some animations that show how water behaves in situations you have seen in daily life and compare those behaviors to electricity.

 



 

The first question with water is usually, “How much do you have?” We measure the amount of water in units of volume such as:

 

<ul>
<li>Cups</li>
<li>Pints</li>
<li>Liters</li>
<li>Gallons</li>
</ul>

 

Gallons are probably the standard baseline measurement for liquids in America, so let’s use that. And to get a gallon, we use a bucket to pour exactly the right amount of water in to get a measured amount. 

 

<pre>
🌟 Did you know that there are about 120 septillion molecules of water in a gallon?
</pre>

 

We can measure the amount of electricity as well, but instead of gallons, we measure electricity in coulombs.  If you have a one-coulomb “bucket” of electricity, it holds about 6.24 quintillion electrons. Which is a lot! The symbol for coulombs is the capital letter “C.”

That’s a good beginning! We can now measure the most basic aspect of electricity:  "volume".  We have a “bucket” to hold electricity, and if we pour 6.24 quintillion electrons into it, we’ll have one coulomb.

 

But how much is that in real-life terms?

 

<ul>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">The smallest static spark you can see or feel is about 50 billionths of a coulomb.</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">A really bad shock on a dry winter day is about 10 times worse, or about 500 billionths of a coulomb.</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">A taser delivers about 2% of a coulomb every second.</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">So if you built up a full coulomb of static electricity and discharged it in one second, that would be about 50 times worse than getting tasered.</li>
</ul>

 

Final answer:  if you release it quickly enough (that is, if you “dump it out of the bucket” very fast), one coulomb of electricity is a LOT to a human being.

<hr />
<h2>Try It Yourself Activity: Measuring Electricity with Water</h2>

<h2> </h2>

<ol>
<li>Let's Measure Water: First, let's think about how we measure water. We use units like cups, pints, liters, and gallons. For our adventure today, we're going to use gallons.</li>
<li>
Meet Coulombs: Electricity is measured in something called "coulombs" (pronounced like "koo-lombs"). One coulomb is like a big bucket for electricity, and it can hold a LOT of tiny things called electrons. Imagine an "electricity coulomb bucket."
</li>
<li>
Compare Sizes: Electricity can be really tiny, like when we see a small spark. That's like having just a tiny, tiny bit of electricity. But sometimes, it can be super strong, like a taser, which is way more electricity.
</li>
<li>
Time for Fun: Grab a small container (it's going to be our coulomb bucket) and some tiny objects like marbles or beads (these will be our electrons).
</li>
<li>
Pour Electrons: Pour the tiny objects (electrons) into your "coulomb bucket" while imagining that we're measuring electricity, just like we measure water. When your bucket is full with lots and lots of tiny objects, you've got one coulomb of electricity!
</li>
<li>
Imagine a Splash: What do you think would happen if we turned the bucket upside down and emptied all the tiny objects out really fast? That's like a big burst of electricity! It can be super powerful, just like a taser.
</li>
<li>
Real Water: If you want to use water, pour a gallon of water into it while thinking about how it's similar to pouring a coulomb of electricity into the coulomb bucket. Watch the water flow and fill up the bucket.
</li>
</ol>

You did it! You learned about electricity and how it's kind of like measuring water. Different amounts of electricity can do different things, just like different amounts of water can fill big or small buckets.

<hr />
<h3>🌟 KEY CONCEPTS</h3>

 

<ul>
<li>Electric charge is a measure of the accumulation of negatively-charged subatomic particles called electrons.</li>
<li>Coulombs are the units of measurement for electric charge.</li>
<li>C is the abbreviation for coulombs.</li>
</ul>

How Does Electricity Flow?

Standards Alignment

30 Standards Aligned

Lesson Steps

👋 Welcome!

⚡ What Exactly is Electricity?

🔌 What’s an Electric Charge?

Unlock 4 more steps

🌊 What’s an Electric Current?

⚡ What’s Voltage?

⛰️ What’s Resistance?

Ready to bring this lesson to your classroom?

📖 Summary