25 topics · Preschool to Grade 8

How electricity and energy work

How does a battery push electricity around a circuit, and how does a wind turbine make electricity in the first place? These topics start with a simple loop of wire, a bulb and a switch, then follow electricity all the way to the power grid. Children compare solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, geothermal plants and nuclear reactors, and see how generators and electric motors turn motion into electricity and back again. Older children can go further, into LEDs, transistors, diodes, capacitors, computer chips and wireless charging. Every topic has an animated explanation, a look inside, a hands-on simulation and a challenge, with text for preschool, elementary and middle school.

1Watch it
2Look inside
3Try it
4Solve a challenge
5Go deeper

25 topics in Electricity & energy

Electricity & energy

#41 Electricity & energy How does electricity turn on a light? Build virtual circuits using batteries, wires, switches, and bulbs. Find breaks in a circuit and compare simple series and parallel arrangements.

#42 Electricity & energy How do batteries power things? Look inside a simplified battery and explore chemical energy becoming electrical energy. Connect different devices and compare how quickly they use its stored energy.

#43 Electricity & energy How do solar panels make electricity? Explore a solar cell and follow sunlight becoming electrical energy. Adjust shade, panel direction, and time of day while watching output change.

#44 Electricity & energy How do wind turbines make electricity? Follow wind turning the blades and driving a generator. Explore the inside of a turbine and power a model village under different wind conditions.

#45 Electricity & energy How do electric motors make things move? Explore magnets, coils, and a turning shaft in a simplified motor. Use it to drive a fan, toy car, or conveyor belt.

#46 Electricity & energy How do generators make electricity? Move magnets and coils in a simulation to explore electricity generation. Turn a virtual hand crank and compare how connected devices respond.

#47 Electricity & energy How does electricity reach our homes? Follow electricity through generators, substations, power lines, and neighborhood connections. Connect a model town and restore power after a simulated fault.

#48 Electricity & energy How does flowing water generate electricity? Guide water through a hydroelectric turbine and generator. Adjust water flow and height in a simplified model and compare electricity output.

#376 Electricity & energy How do LEDs produce light? Explore a simplified semiconductor junction as electrical energy becomes light.

#377 Electricity & energy How do LCD screens make pictures? Control tiny screen elements and color filters to build a pixel-based picture.

#378 Electricity & energy How do transistors act as electronic switches? Use a small control signal to switch another current path in a model circuit.

#379 Electricity & energy How do diodes guide electricity in one direction? Reverse connections and compare current through a wire and a diode.

#380 Electricity & energy How do capacitors store and release energy? Charge a virtual capacitor and use its stored energy for a brief action.

#381 Electricity & energy How do resistors control current? Change resistance and observe corresponding changes on a virtual current meter.

#382 Electricity & energy How do transformers change voltage? Adjust turns in model coils and compare input and output voltages.

#383 Electricity & energy How do inverters change direct current into alternating current? Follow a switching sequence and watch a steady supply become an alternating waveform.

#384 Electricity & energy How do circuit boards connect electronic parts? Route connections across a transparent board and trace signals between components.

#385 Electricity & energy How are computer chips made? Follow a silicon wafer through simplified patterning, repeated processing, cutting, packaging, and testing.

#386 Electricity & energy How do fuel cells generate electricity? Follow hydrogen and oxygen through a model cell and identify its outputs.

#387 Electricity & energy How do geothermal power plants use Earth's heat? Follow underground heat through a power station and its circulating water system.

#388 Electricity & energy How does a nuclear power reactor work? Trace controlled fission, control rods, coolant, and heat transfer into electricity generation.

#389 Electricity & energy How do pumped-storage stations store energy? Pump water uphill, then release it through turbines when electricity is needed.

#390 Electricity & energy How do electricity meters measure household use? Switch appliances on and off and watch their energy use accumulate.

#398 Electricity & energy How do circuit breakers interrupt excessive current? Add virtual loads and watch protective equipment disconnect a model circuit.

#399 Electricity & energy How does wireless charging recharge a device? Align coils and follow energy transfer between a charging pad and device.

Keep exploring

Games to play

Circuit Workshop 3DWire up batteries, bulbs and switches on a 3D workbench.
SwitchworksFlip switches to light the lamps in the target pattern — in as few presses as you can.
Machine RepairFix levers, pulleys, gears and ramps so every contraption works.

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