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All Wired Up! Cling!!! Get off ME! Electricity and Magnetism Electricity and Magnetism

5th Grade

Third Nine Weeks All Wired Up!

Activity Description: You’re parents have decided to design their dream home and they need your help! They understand that you are an expert scientist and mathematician and want to utilize your skills in their design. They have the floor plan for the home and they need you to develop a diagram for how the homes electrical wiring will be laid out. You will need to generate the following information for the builder:

-the location of the series and parallel circuits (color coded) -the amount of wire needed for the entire home and -the location of the switches and outlets and the total number of switches needed

You will also need to create a proposal which includes the total cost of the wire and switches based on the provided pricing chart. Remember…make sure that you all of your measurements and costs are correct!

Grade Level: 5th Quarter: 3rd Bloom’s Taxonomy Level: Analysis, Synthesis, Related Academic Strands: Electricity and Magnetism Related Standards and Elements: S5P3 Students will investigate electricity, magnetism, and their relationship. b. Determine the necessary components for completing an electric circuit.

Checklist for Providing Guidance: 1. Review the floor plans for your parents’ new dream home.

2. Develop the diagram for the homes electrical wiring. Make sure that you include a key so that your parents and the builder can identify the series and parallel circuits, wiring, switches and outlets.

3. Generate a list of all of the required materials needed.

4. Compose a proposal for your parents and the builder that includes the costs of the wiring and the switches needed to electrify the home. All Wired Up!

You’re parents have decided to design their dream home and they need your help! They understand that you are an expert scientist and mathematician and want to utilize your skills in their design. They have the floor plan for the home and they need you to develop a diagram for the homes electrical wiring. You will need to generate the following information for the builder:

1. The location of series and parallel circuits (color coded on a diagram) 2. The amount of wire needed for the entire home. 3. The location of the switches and the total number of switches needed (you will need a minimum of 1 switch per room). 4. The location and total number of outlets for the entire home (you need a minimum of two outlets per room).

You will also need to create a proposal which includes the total cost of the wire, switches and outlets based on the provided pricing chart. Remember…make sure that all of your measurements and costs are correct!

Your Task:

1. Review the floor plans for your parents dream home.

2. Develop the electrical wiring diagram for your parents’ home. You must color code the series and parallel circuits in the diagram. Additionally, each room/hallway must include a minimum of one switch and two outlets. You must include a key so that your parents and the builder can identify the various components.

3. Generate a list of all of the required materials. Remember, that you must round your wiring needs to align with how you will purchase your quantities.

4. Compose a pricing proposal for your parents. Make sure that you include 5% tax in your total. All Wired Up! The Dream Home Pricing Sheet

Light switch $12.99 each

Outlet $3.99 each

Electrical wiring $39.99 for 25 feet

CLING!! Get off of ME… Activity Description: It’s the middle of the winter and you are fully charged!! The static electricity in your life is driving you bonkers and you have got to find a way to eliminate it but, there is an issue…you are allergic to the traditional ways to eliminate static electricity in your clothing. Compare and Contrast the different ways that people eliminate static electricity in their lives…fabric softener, dryer sheets, and dryer balls… During your investigation you will need to understand how these items eliminate static electricity and decide what traits that your item will also need.

Next, you will need to invent your own way to eliminate static electricity. You will need to describe how it will work and what you will need to create it. You will also need to be able to explain how your new creation will help those with allergies.

Lastly, develop an advertisement promoting your new invention for eliminating static electricity for those people that have allergies. You can create a commercial or print advertisement…make sure that you are using what you know about persuasion to justify your invention!

Grade Level: 5th Quarter: 3rd Bloom’s Taxonomy Level: Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation Related Academic Strands: Electricity and Magnetism

Related Standards and Elements: S5P3a Electricity, Magnetism, and Their Relationship a. Investigate static electricity.

Checklist for Providing Guidance:

1. Read the various articles on how dryer sheets, fabric softener and dryer balls are used to eliminate static electricity in clothing. 2. Compare and contrast the different ways of eliminating static electricity. 3. Invent your own way of eliminating static electricity and explain how it will work and what will be needed to create it. An explanation of how it will help those with allergies will also need to be provided. 4. Develop and advertisement that will promote the new invention for eliminating static electricity. The advertisement must use persuasion to justify the inventions importance to a possible buyer. Cling! Get off of me…

It’s the middle of the winter and you are fully charged!! The static electricity in your life is driving you bonkers and you have got to find a way to eliminate it but, there is an issue…you are allergic to the traditional ways to eliminate static electricity in your clothing. Compare and Contrast the different ways that people eliminate static electricity in their lives…fabric softener, dryer sheets, and dryer balls… During your investigation you will need to understand how these items eliminate static electricity and decide what traits that your item will also need.

Next, you will need to invent your own way to eliminate static electricity. You will need to describe how it will work and what you will need to create it. You will also need to be able to explain how your new creation will help those with allergies.

Lastly, develop an advertisement promoting your new invention for eliminating static electricity for those people that have allergies. You can create a commercial or print advertisement…make sure that you are using what you know about persuasion to justify your invention!

Your Task: 1. Read the various articles on how dryer sheets, fabric softener and dryer balls are used to eliminate static electricity in clothing.

2. Compare and contrast the different ways of eliminating static electricity.

3. Invent your own way of eliminating static electricity and explain how it will work and what will be needed to create it. An explanation of how it will help those with allergies will also need to be provided.

4. Develop and advertisement that will promote the new invention for eliminating static electricity. The advertisement must use persuasion to justify the inventions importance to a possible buyer. How do dryer balls work?

Dryer balls are a unique product designed to leave your clothes soft and static free as well as make the process of doing laundry more economical. Dryer balls are relatively large rubber balls about 3 inches (7.6 cm)in diameter that have rubber spikes on the surface. When placed in the dryer among the wet laundry the dryer balls help to lift and separate the clothes reducing static and drying time as well as leaving the clothes soft and fluffy. Technically the dryer balls work by improving the circulation of heat and air through the wet items.

Ideally, the dryer balls eliminate the need for dryer sheets by doing the work naturally rather than chemically. Replacing dryer sheets with dryer balls will save money since the dryer balls are reusable. Dryer balls cost anywhere from $9.99 to $15.00 US Dollars (USD) and are intended to last for at least two years before they need to be replaced. With the average price of dryer sheets at around $3.00 USD, dryer balls can save you a lot of money.

Using dryer balls instead of chemically treated dryer sheets is also healthier for you as well as the environment because you are able to avoid the risks of chemical residues left on clothing and released into the air. The dryer balls are non toxic and hypoallergenic, a definite advantage for people and babies with sensitive skin.

Dryer balls are also economical because they reduce drying time by up to 40%. As a result, the cost of your electrical bills and energy consumption will decrease. A reduced drying time is far more convenient for those with busy lifestyles as well.

Dryer balls, though better for the environment and your wallet, do have one negative aspect. Because of their size and weight, when placed in a running dryer they are noisy. This may be a problem for people who have a dryer in their home in close proximity to their living area. For those who dry their clothes at a laundromat or have a separate laundry area in the home, the benefits of the dryer balls will probably far out away the potentially irritating thumping noise made by the dryer balls.

The actual effectiveness of dryer balls is disputed among users. Many people have found that the dryer balls meet all their expectations while others think that static electricity is increased and that drying time stays the same. These discrepancies concerning the effectiveness of dryer balls can probably be explained by the quality and efficiency of the appliance that they are used in. How Dryer Sheets Work? by Chris Morrisson

Have you ever thought you lost a sock in the dryer, only to discover it stubbornly clinging to the arm of your sweater? Or maybe you've picked up a freshly cleaned shirt, only to feel a stiff texture instead of the warm softness you expected? Just running a load of clothes through wash and dry cycles isn't always enough to make them pleasant to wear.

The reason these problems arise isn't necessarily because your clothing is cheap or because something is going wrong in the laundry. Instead, they're usually side effects of wet washing and the automated dry cycle. When clothes are tumbling together in the dryer, they can become stuck together through static electricity. But fabric softeners -- dryer sheets, in particular -- can help prevent this.

Fabric softeners were invented in the mid-20th century to make clean clothes more pleasant to touch; and later, chemicals were added to help prevent static. But using softener wasn't convenient. They had to be added after the first wash cycle in an automatic washer, because softeners were cationic, with a positive electrical charge, and detergents were anionic, or negatively charged [source: Toedt et al]. Putting the two together caused them to counteract, reducing the effectiveness of both.

A scientist named Conrad J. Gaiser is believed to have come up with the second breakthrough in the 1960s, by figuring out how to treat small sheets of material with fabric softener. When the sheets were put in the dryer with laundry, the heat and moisture warmed up the softener and spread it across the clothing. Although washing machine manufacturers later added an automatic fabric softener dispenser, dryer sheets remain popular, and they're used not only for laundry, but for many off-label purposes such as cleaning and keeping insects and rodents away.

There are many brands of dryer sheets, but they all work to solve some of the same problems. In the next section, we explain what exactly happens inside the dryer to cause static cling. What's In a Standard Dryer Sheet

On a visit to the store, you might be overwhelmed by all the types of dryer sheets offered. Is it possible that there could really be so many kinds of dryer sheet technology?

In many ways, the dryer sheets are the same. When buying a box of any standard dryer sheets, what you'll find inside will likely be squares of wispy, nonwoven polyester intended for a single use. There's little difference among most major brands in their ability to eliminate static cling and make your clothes a bit softer [source: Wang]. Also, unless you buy unscented sheets, they'll have a fragrance of some kind -- flowery scents such as lavender are popular.

Although you get the same basic effects from any dryer sheet, there are invisible differences in the chemicals that coat different brands of sheets. If you rub a dryer sheet between your fingers, you might notice a slightly tacky feeling. That's the surfactant, a compound that contains a positive charge and a fatty molecule such as a quaternary ammonium salt or a silicone oil [source: Kozen]. As the surfactant heats up during the drying cycle, the fatty substance coats your clothes, making them more pleasant to the touch, and the positive atoms prevent static.

But if you pick up a box of dryer sheets to find out which specific chemicals are in it, you might not see them. Cleaning product makers have to list only the ingredients that are active disinfectants or known to be hazardous [source: Gavigan].

Some safety advocates warn that this policy is a problem, because certain studies have shown that dryer sheet makers may use chemicals that are dangerous for people to ingest or inhale. One such study conducted by a University of Washington professor in 2007 showed that in a group of six scented laundry products and air fresheners, every one made use of chemicals typically considered toxic or hazardous but didn't include them on the label [source: Hickey]. Only one of those products was a dryer sheet, however, and the only two toxic chemicals it gave off were ethanol (also known as alcohol) and alpha-pinene, a fragrance known to be a moderate irritant [source: Steinemann].

The amounts of these kinds of chemicals used on dryer sheets are small, but many people still prefer not to use them on children's clothes, or at all. If you'd prefer to use an alternative to a standard dryer sheet, read to learn more about potentially healthier or cheaper options. How Does a Fabric Softener Work? By Sueanne Dolentz, eHow Contributor

Made of Surfactants 1. Fabric softeners have long been used to soften fabric and prevent static cling. Available in dryer sheets or liquid form, fabric softeners are made up of surfactants or “surface acting agents.” It is these chemicals that create a softer, fluffier feel to your laundry. Lubricating Properties 2. Surfactants contain chemicals with lubricating properties. These chemicals coat fabrics with a waxy film that “lubricates” them, causing them to feel smoother or fluffier. It’s suggested that these lubricating chemicals also make ironing easier and reduce drying time and wrinkling. Positive Charges 3. The lubricating properties of surfactants are a result of positive charges affecting negative charges. Surfactants are generally acidic and made up of positively charged particles. These positively charged particles attract the negatively charged particles within scratchy fabric. The negative charge is neutralized, creating a lower frictional resistance. Thus, there is less static cling and the fabric feels softer and less scratchy to touch.

How Do Fabric Softeners Work? By Lauren Farrelly, eHow Contributor

Types of Fabric Softeners 1. Fabric softeners come in liquid form, which can be placed inside the washing machine while the clothes are washed with detergent; or they can come in fabric softener dryer sheets, which are placed in the dryer as your clothes are dried. There are many different brands of fabric softeners on the market that come in many different scents. In addition, some fabric softeners are "green" meaning they use no harmful chemicals and are considered to be the safest for the environment.

Purpose of Fabric Softeners 2. Fabric softeners are added to your laundry in order to reduce the negative charge disseminated into your laundry by the detergent. Fabric softeners give the laundry a positive charge to eliminate static on your clothes, and in addition they coat your clothing fibers with a thin film to make them fluffier, softer and better smelling.

There are many different brands of fabric softeners. Most of them have the same chemical components and function the same way. However, many of the "greener" products on the market may cost more because they are using all-natural ingredients. Typically liquid fabric softener will cost between $3 and $7 for a 32 ounce jug, and fabric softener sheets will cost between $1.50 and $5 for about 100 sheets.

Effects of Fabric Softeners 3. There is some evidence to suggest that the overuse of fabric softeners can lead to cancer and environmental damage. The chemicals used in fabric softener dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener cling to the fibers of your clothes and your skin, making them readily available for you to breathe in. These same binding chemicals are believed to have the same effects on the lungs and many recent studies suggest that it may lead to the development of various cancers. In addition, the particles eliminated through the dryer vent carry out into the local environment and can lead to similar issues with your surroundings.

Many detergent and fabric softener companies are now creating products that are made from all-natural materials and have little to no impact on the local environment. BACK