4.2 Voltage sources

• Natuurkunde / Scheikunde
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

4.2 Voltage sources

Voltage sources

A small battery supplies about 1.5 volts

An electrical outlet supplies about 230 volts

An (electric) train runs on 1500 volts

Voltage source

                               A battery always states what voltages it supplies.

A battery supplies electrical energy. 

The current tells you how many charged particles flow past every second.

The voltage tells you how much electrical energy each particle is carrying.

Fig. 14

You can compare the transport of electrical energy to the transport of petrol.

Current = trucks

Voltage = petrol

Connecting batteries

If you connect batteries in series (behind each other), you can add their voltages together.

phet.colorado.edu

Voltages

mains voltage = 230 V

Safe voltages = voltages untill 24 V

You can convert the mains voltage with a transformer.

Study Skills 

Read off
the
voltage

1. 3 V
2. 27 V
3. 2,7 V
4. 13,5 V

Read off
the
voltage

1. 18 V
2. 90 V
3. 9 V
4. 1.8 V

a. What's
the voltage? (Each battery 1,5 V)

1. 6 V
2. 4.5 V
3. 3 V
4. 1.5 V

next lesson : small experiments

Homework: CH4S2: 1 till 7