Adabot
Billy
Connie
Ruby
Flo
Gus
Cappy
Circuit Playground
(music)
(toaster oven door closing)
(electronic music)
(hair dryer blowing)
(silence)
Uh-oh...
Did I break something?
Looks like you tripped the circuit breaker, Adabot.
Wait. Who did I trip?
No, no. The circuit breaker isn't a person.
It's a device in that box over there.
The circuit breaker turns off all the electricity
when we draw too much electrical current.
Ohhh!
And it's also something only a grown-up should touch.
Added to memory, Wow! Powering all my stuff
must use a lot of current.
That's right. And we measure electrical current in amperes.
Huh! Why do we call it that?
The ampere is named after the scientist
Mr. André-Marie Ampère.
Accessing database.
(electrical beeping)
André-Marie Ampère, a French scientist from the 1800's.
That's right. And Mr. Ampère was very curious
about how electricity works.
Curious, like me?
This is true.
And he conducted many experiments
to learn about electricity.
(music)
The result of these experiments showed Mr. Ampère that
electricity is created by the movement of many teeny objects
which are so small we can't even see them.
Electrodynamic molecules?
Nowadays we call these teeny objects "electrons".
And when electrons move, we call that electrical current.
Makes sense to me.
Oh. Now I get it, Ladyada.
But, how do we measure amperes?
That's easy. We use a multimeter.
Oh! I wish I had one of those!
In this circuit, electrons flow from one end of the
battery through the LED and then back to the other
end of the battery.
By setting the current through a multimeter,
we're able to measure the amount of electrons
flowing through.
So this LED is using...?
0.05 amperes.
Correct.
I wish I could see electrons move.
Well, you may not be able to see every single electron,
but you can see the effects of electrical current.
Really? How do we do that?
Well, you can see it when your boom box makes sound.
Or when your toaster heats up.
And you can feel it when your blow drier
blows hot air at you.
I get it. Electrical current makes electricity go!
Those electrons are amazing!
That's right, Adabot.
Hey, you know you don't have any hair, right?
What?
Zut alors!
(music)