| ELECTRONICS
COURSE MATRIX |
 |
SYNOPSIS |
SCIENCE
CONCEPTS |
PROCESSES |
|
|
6. |
Diodes
(4 sessions)
|
|
Students
explore diodes to find that they conduct in one direction only.
They discover that LEDs behave in a similar manner, but also
emit light. Students compare LEDs to lamps and find different
voltages to emit light. |
•
Diodes and light-emitting diodes are solid-state semiconductors.
• Diodes conduct in one direction only.
• LEDs conduct electric current in one direction only
and produce light in the process. |
•
Conduct open-ended investigations to discover what diodes and
LEDs do in circuits.
• Investigate voltage drops and record data.
• Use tools to gather data and mathematics to organize
data.
• Analyze mystery circuits based on the resistance of
the components.
• Use evidence to develop models. |
|
7. |
Capacitors
(4 sessions) |
|
Students
explore capacitors to discover that they can hold an electric
charge and later use the charge to do work. Students construct
charge/discharge devices, and investigate ways to prolong the
discharge of the capacitor using resistance. |
•
A capacitor is two metal plates, separated by an insulator,
that can store electric potential.
• Threshold voltage is the minimum voltage needed to allow
a component to conduct current.
• Capacitors can be charged with potential (voltage) equal
to the potential in the source charging it. |
•
Conduct open-ended investigations by building and testing circuits.
• Use tools to collect voltage data.
• Organize evidence.
• Design a charge/discharge device and communicate the
design.
• Build a conceptual model to explain how a device functions. |
|
8. |
Current
(5 sessions) |
|
Students
use an ammeter to explore another quality of electricity—current.
They investigate the relationship between current and voltage,
and current and resistance. Students are introduced to Ohm’s
law and use it to calculate unknown values in circuits. |
•
Current is the amount of charge (number of electrons) moving
past a point in a conductor in a unit of time.
• Current is measured in amperes.
• Resistance reduces current.
• Increased voltage results in increased current.
• There is a relationship between resistance, current,
and voltage—Ohm’s law. |
•
Conduct investigations using tools to measure resistances, voltage
drops, and current in circuits.
• Organize data mathematically.
• Use logic to develop a proportional relationship.
• Use mathematics to solve problems involving unknown
quantities in electric circuits.
|
|
9. |
Transistors
(3–5 sessions) |
|
Students
explore transistors to find out how they can work like a switch.
They apply all their knowledge and all their components to make
a sunrise/sunset device. |
•
A transistor is a semiconductor that can be turned on and off
like a switch.
• Transistors have three leads: the drain, source, and
gate.
• The gate in a transistor can be opened with a tiny amount
of electric potential; the current flowing from the source to
the drain is large.
|
•
Conduct investigations to find out how a transistor can be used
as a switch.
• Conduct investigations to find out how to use a transistor
and the electric potential in the human body to make a touch
switch.
• Explain how resistance affects the performance of a
system involving a transistor. |
|
page 6
of 8 |
