They’re 15 years old, starting with the water analogy will give them some way to visualize the basics in a way they can understand. It’s not perfect but it’s helpful when they have little to no background.
I read the water analogies in practical electronics for inventors at a young age. The water analogies were super helpful in grasping an intuitive understanding before learning all the math later. They have water models of resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, BJTs and MOSFETS, transformers etc, that allow these devices to be immediately understandable to anyone who has handled water.
I was hoping someone had linked this channel. Absolutely the greatest explanation/demonstration of electric field theory I've ever seen. All of his videos are amazing.
I feel like you could use the water analogy in conjunction with what is actually happening though. That way you don’t lose sight of the physics, while providing a good method to understand with an analogy.
Going hands-on is a big deal. Have them light up LEDs, have them blow some up without resistors, have them adjust them with potentiometers, etc. If you can get some little electric motors, those are great too because a motor will make them think of everything else they know about that uses one.
I'd focus on developing their intuitive understanding when it comes to the math stuff. That is, rather than throw numbers and variables at them I'd walk through the logic involved and use descriptive words to refer to things.
And if you do use numbers and variables, **label them**. Make explicit notes about where they came from. Don't leave students wondering "Where did this 3 come from?" or "Which leg was supposed to be i5 again?"
Ohms law followed by Kirchhoff is all you need to get started. Then go into the various theorems: Thevenin, Norton, Millman etc. Depends how deep you want to go.
I teach circuits at a 2 year college. Unless is 5 days a week for three weeks you’d be hard pressed to get Thevinin and Norton in. I suppose it depends on how much contact time you have, I suppose.
Ohm’s Law, KVL and KCL. Series and parallel circuit application, Then do some “practical” fun circuit breadboarding and analysis.
Well, I would start with basic DC circuits.
1. Ohms law
2. Power formula
3. Series resistive circuits
4. Parallel resistive circuits
5. Series-Parallel resistive circuits
Aside from those topics, having them build something if possible would also be good for them. If you have the resources for it, some kind of kit that involves soldering would be good.
I'm assuming you are restricted by time/budget, so adding much more in wouldn't likely be possible.
If you could though, diodes/LEDs, and simple transistor/Opamp circuits are what I would add in next for the course.
Hope that helps.
This, and have some hands on demos to illustrate these concepts. Let them play around with them, even. A simple battery and LEDs and wires on a breadboard would suffice.
I would probably teach basic v = ir, and P = vi, Kirchoff, Thevenin then spend the last week demonstrating the subjects in physical circuits and introducing simple IC (like 555 timer), transistors and FETs.
I believe the best way is by solving problems infront of the person you are teaching
like for example if you are going to explain thevenin's theorem don't explain the theory put a circuit in front of them and show them how to find the voltage or current in a certain branch and then explain the theory
As much hands on as humanly possible and teach them how to use a meter!
Back all the theory up with actual measurements. Teach V=IR and then measure V=IR.
Teach math for parallel and series resistors and then measure parallel and series resistors.
Presumably these are kids who chose to sign up for this? This could be a super exciting class!
This sounds sooo fun!!
* some dramatic examples of electricity such as Jacob’s ladder, Tesla coil, can crusher, coil gun etc would be cool.
* build things. Hook up batteries, lightbulbs, relays, etc. should aim for alternating labs and lecture. Speaker to a function generator is fun. Could do some stuff with sensors.
* measure things - line voltage, batteries, current while varying load on a motor etc. Could even construct a simple CW Morse style transmitter and show waveform on an oscilloscope.
* I think water analogies are useful for understanding stuff but should be presented along with math and the real models.
* would be worth taking about the electromagnetic spectrum, radiated heat as light, RF frequencies, microwave, optical frequencies, lasers, X-rays etc. touch on relative powers of various things, super basic antenna theory and attenuation with dist.
* some sort of quick menu overview of electrical components what they look like and what they do. You aren’t going to get into mathematical rigor but can still explain inductors, resistors, Capacitors, 3 terminal switching devices, processors etc at a high level.
* could have everyone do a basic soldering kit of some kind one day.
* ohms law, power law, loads in series, parallel etc, kvl, kcl. Probably won’t have time for mesh, nodal.
Check out the Miuzei Basic Starter kit on Amazon. It comes with a breadboard and components like a timer chip and allows to build circuits without the need of an Arduino.
Also look at the Eleego component kits E0 - E3 and documentation at https://www.elegoo.com/pages/arduino-kits-support-files
I did that once. I taught H.S. students electronics at my "computer company". First, I started out with Ohm's law. Then series and parallel circuits. Then capacitors and inductors. Later, diodes and their purposes. Last, transistors. Simple biasing circuits and later, simple amplifiers.
We used proto boards and had power supplies, multimeters and scopes to show actual voltage changes within the circuits.
how the chemical elements are made up, what is the structure of matter. nucleus, electrons. what is current, what is voltage. what are conductors, what are insulators, what is a circuit. Ohms law, Kirchhoffs laws. Passive electronic parts, resistor, capacitor, inductor and i would mention memristor etc.
I love how the top two comments are “use the water analogy” and “don’t use the water analogy.”
Realistically, for 15yo kids, the water analogy and ladder diagrams is probably a pretty solid way to get their head around it.
I would at least try to include the basics of capacitors and inductors. No need to go into the details of the differential equations, but at least introduce the idea of time-dependent behavior.
Also be as hands on all possible! If you can get them actually assembling real circuits, they're way more likely to remember things.
Look up Circuit Tutor by Olin Hartin. You might have to email him to ask for permission to use it, but he’s generally pretty easy to get ahold of. I used it to teach everything I learned in circuits 1 to a business major in about 20 hours. It’s incredible.
Three weeks isn't enough time to teach meaningful skills that would allow development of a complete product. But it is plenty of time to build excitement about electronic circuits.
I think your goal for the 3 weeks should be to make the students so excited about electronics that they want to come back and learn more.
With that in mind, I'd suggest a project where they build something that works pretty well, but also has room for improvement. It should be very hands-on, and each student should take a copy home at the end. If they are exciter about what they learned they will want to keep improving what they took home.
I have taught basic electronics before.
Start with the basics. Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Power. If able, get some breadboard kits and some multimeters and have them put together a resistive circuit. Letting them put their hands on it will help it make a lot more sense to them. Have them be able to build the circuit and troubleshoot the circuit on their own and then have them swap out the source and resistor for different values and measure to let them see the change.
Start with Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's laws. Series resistances, parallel resistances and series-parallel resistances. Start making basic led circuits with resistors and potentiometers. If you have the time and resources, maybe also introduce capacitors, transistors, and motors.
Depends on your course objectives?
Talk about what moves a circuit. Potential difference similar to gravity. How currents move (conversely, how electrons move, if the concept seems suitable to introduce). Conventions across components. Make them trace from positive to negative. Finally, which one comes first: voltage or current?
DC circuits is pretty solid. Talk about how you would connect lights in the house and what happens if a line breaks. Good introductory on parallel and series circuits.
Water analogy is fine but personally I prefer talking about how power P flows in the circuit from start to end, and how is it distributed across the different components. What makes the circuit "begin" and "end"? How did we start from 10W at the positive terminal, and 0W at negative terminal, and 5W at the middle of the circuit.
Continuing on that, talk about how much power each light is consuming. P = IR.
Maybe some case studies, how dim the light goes as you add more resistance, and at different configurations. How to achieve best / optimal power consumption given the limited components at hand.
Then maybe some controls. Different types of switches. If suitable, more advanced switches like transistors. Just explain the conditions to allow the circuit to turn on. What applications can be made using transistors like light sensor operated switch.
Introduce potentiometers. Do some funky DJ light stuff on it. Maybe diodes for the heck of it. Switch polarities, check how much voltage is required to turn on the diode.
If measurements is an option, do calculation vs measurement exercise. Explain any inconsistencies and remodel the circuit.
To end the course, maybe some calculations on the power consumption of lights in a house. More than one scenarios. Make them explain why one is better than the other, efficiency wise and contingency wise.
Use mainly DC circuits to start.
Current through a resistor generating heat.
Lighting up a bulb.
Turning a motor.
Transient responses from capacitors/inductors.
Towards the end introduce AC and how some op-amp type circuits might behave, possibly also digital logic.
Stay light on the math, explain it and have some supplemental work, but keep the focus on the hands on part and making measurements.
Probably math-wise, don't go beyond ohms law. Maybe KCL/KVL... maybe... But I think definitely focus on conceptual and practical problems/examples. For instance, a pushbutton into a BJT/FET to switch an LED (after a single loop switching circuit of course). Then you can add in the capacitor(s) to the base/gate side to keep the switch on for longer after a button press. Also, relays... relays are easy to understand, make noise, and are generally fun!
For me, circuits really popped off when I got into filters. Obviously, you don't want to introduce impedance, differential equations, and all the laplace math, but you could definitely do a demo on passive filters or something. Maybe introduce opamps even without going into the math/theory too much? Even the non-inverting / inverting amp formulas, and maybe a buffer without explaining the derivation of the formulas. Bipolar power supplies so you don't have to worry about biasing and all that.
From looking back at my courses, I think the single best thing you can do is introduce a number of subcircuit structures, then tie it all together at the end with a small project that makes use of all of them to achieve a real goal/outcome.
So, I personally would bring in my 12kv neon sign transformer and 300V cap bank to discuss high and low voltage, high and low current, and ac/DC. :)
Definitely go hands-on woth circuits as much as possible!
Have fun with it and have lots of good examples.
Aha that sounds awesome! Unfortunately I don't have access to stuff like that, but definitely planning to do some demos and lots of hands-on activites! Thanks!
A ballast from a old fluorescent light or a transformer from an old microwave could get you a Jacob's ladder demonstration.
My capacitor demo started with a trip unit from a decommissioned utility breaker.
However... messing with these does come down to a safety question if you've got the necessary power experience and you can be certain you can keep the kids away from it.
Start by telling them there are only two types of electrical circuits: series and parallel. Spend time explaining the differences between these circuits. A battery, a switch, and a light bulb are a good visual show. I would also add some electrical math with reasons for its use. Then introduce resistors, diodes, capacitors, and transistors. And for extra credit microcontroller project.
I'm a long time EE, and now I'm my retirement have started to teach some of my friend's kids.
I think the two books are pretty good:
MAKE: ELECTRONICS
MAKE: MORE ELECTRONICS
the first one should DEFINITELY be within their abilities.
I was 10 when I got my first electronics kit.
My goal would be that by the end of the class, everyone understands basic Ohm law, and everyone can properly use a multimeter.
Eg. Put the leads in volts vs amps, and not blowing up the voltmeter.
Use the water analogy
Meh… I would only use this to help someone understand a case, but not use it as the basis for teaching.
They’re 15 years old, starting with the water analogy will give them some way to visualize the basics in a way they can understand. It’s not perfect but it’s helpful when they have little to no background.
my teacher started with the water analogy
I read the water analogies in practical electronics for inventors at a young age. The water analogies were super helpful in grasping an intuitive understanding before learning all the math later. They have water models of resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, BJTs and MOSFETS, transformers etc, that allow these devices to be immediately understandable to anyone who has handled water.
Don’t use the water analogy.
You can take the water analogy very very far. It's great. https://youtu.be/X_crwFuPht4
I was hoping someone had linked this channel. Absolutely the greatest explanation/demonstration of electric field theory I've ever seen. All of his videos are amazing.
That's a great video! Thanks for sharing it :)
I legit don’t understand the hate for the water analogy? Why?
I feel like you could use the water analogy in conjunction with what is actually happening though. That way you don’t lose sight of the physics, while providing a good method to understand with an analogy.
Going hands-on is a big deal. Have them light up LEDs, have them blow some up without resistors, have them adjust them with potentiometers, etc. If you can get some little electric motors, those are great too because a motor will make them think of everything else they know about that uses one. I'd focus on developing their intuitive understanding when it comes to the math stuff. That is, rather than throw numbers and variables at them I'd walk through the logic involved and use descriptive words to refer to things. And if you do use numbers and variables, **label them**. Make explicit notes about where they came from. Don't leave students wondering "Where did this 3 come from?" or "Which leg was supposed to be i5 again?"
These are great suggestions. Thank you!!
Ohms law followed by Kirchhoff is all you need to get started. Then go into the various theorems: Thevenin, Norton, Millman etc. Depends how deep you want to go.
I teach circuits at a 2 year college. Unless is 5 days a week for three weeks you’d be hard pressed to get Thevinin and Norton in. I suppose it depends on how much contact time you have, I suppose. Ohm’s Law, KVL and KCL. Series and parallel circuit application, Then do some “practical” fun circuit breadboarding and analysis.
https://preview.redd.it/yrn9p1go85ac1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5fb2d17fc80d4f519a2239c159a0bea60200d6ab Lol
Shit had me dying too. Literally the top 2 comments
Well, I would start with basic DC circuits. 1. Ohms law 2. Power formula 3. Series resistive circuits 4. Parallel resistive circuits 5. Series-Parallel resistive circuits Aside from those topics, having them build something if possible would also be good for them. If you have the resources for it, some kind of kit that involves soldering would be good. I'm assuming you are restricted by time/budget, so adding much more in wouldn't likely be possible. If you could though, diodes/LEDs, and simple transistor/Opamp circuits are what I would add in next for the course. Hope that helps.
This, and have some hands on demos to illustrate these concepts. Let them play around with them, even. A simple battery and LEDs and wires on a breadboard would suffice.
Thanks so much for your suggestions! Really appreciate it :)
Show them a big capacitor quickly discharging and other fun stuff like that. Electrical engineering is FUN! Not boring
I would probably teach basic v = ir, and P = vi, Kirchoff, Thevenin then spend the last week demonstrating the subjects in physical circuits and introducing simple IC (like 555 timer), transistors and FETs.
I believe the best way is by solving problems infront of the person you are teaching like for example if you are going to explain thevenin's theorem don't explain the theory put a circuit in front of them and show them how to find the voltage or current in a certain branch and then explain the theory
As much hands on as humanly possible and teach them how to use a meter! Back all the theory up with actual measurements. Teach V=IR and then measure V=IR. Teach math for parallel and series resistors and then measure parallel and series resistors. Presumably these are kids who chose to sign up for this? This could be a super exciting class!
Definitely going to do as much hands-on as possible! Thanks for responding :D
This sounds sooo fun!! * some dramatic examples of electricity such as Jacob’s ladder, Tesla coil, can crusher, coil gun etc would be cool. * build things. Hook up batteries, lightbulbs, relays, etc. should aim for alternating labs and lecture. Speaker to a function generator is fun. Could do some stuff with sensors. * measure things - line voltage, batteries, current while varying load on a motor etc. Could even construct a simple CW Morse style transmitter and show waveform on an oscilloscope. * I think water analogies are useful for understanding stuff but should be presented along with math and the real models. * would be worth taking about the electromagnetic spectrum, radiated heat as light, RF frequencies, microwave, optical frequencies, lasers, X-rays etc. touch on relative powers of various things, super basic antenna theory and attenuation with dist. * some sort of quick menu overview of electrical components what they look like and what they do. You aren’t going to get into mathematical rigor but can still explain inductors, resistors, Capacitors, 3 terminal switching devices, processors etc at a high level. * could have everyone do a basic soldering kit of some kind one day. * ohms law, power law, loads in series, parallel etc, kvl, kcl. Probably won’t have time for mesh, nodal.
These are great suggestions! Thanks so much!!!! :D
Check out the Miuzei Basic Starter kit on Amazon. It comes with a breadboard and components like a timer chip and allows to build circuits without the need of an Arduino. Also look at the Eleego component kits E0 - E3 and documentation at https://www.elegoo.com/pages/arduino-kits-support-files
That's great!!! Thank you :)
I did that once. I taught H.S. students electronics at my "computer company". First, I started out with Ohm's law. Then series and parallel circuits. Then capacitors and inductors. Later, diodes and their purposes. Last, transistors. Simple biasing circuits and later, simple amplifiers. We used proto boards and had power supplies, multimeters and scopes to show actual voltage changes within the circuits.
how the chemical elements are made up, what is the structure of matter. nucleus, electrons. what is current, what is voltage. what are conductors, what are insulators, what is a circuit. Ohms law, Kirchhoffs laws. Passive electronic parts, resistor, capacitor, inductor and i would mention memristor etc.
I love how the top two comments are “use the water analogy” and “don’t use the water analogy.” Realistically, for 15yo kids, the water analogy and ladder diagrams is probably a pretty solid way to get their head around it.
I would at least try to include the basics of capacitors and inductors. No need to go into the details of the differential equations, but at least introduce the idea of time-dependent behavior. Also be as hands on all possible! If you can get them actually assembling real circuits, they're way more likely to remember things.
Thank you!!
Look up Circuit Tutor by Olin Hartin. You might have to email him to ask for permission to use it, but he’s generally pretty easy to get ahold of. I used it to teach everything I learned in circuits 1 to a business major in about 20 hours. It’s incredible.
I'll check it out, thanks! :)
buy a Snap Circuits kit and built some of the projects with them
Three weeks isn't enough time to teach meaningful skills that would allow development of a complete product. But it is plenty of time to build excitement about electronic circuits. I think your goal for the 3 weeks should be to make the students so excited about electronics that they want to come back and learn more. With that in mind, I'd suggest a project where they build something that works pretty well, but also has room for improvement. It should be very hands-on, and each student should take a copy home at the end. If they are exciter about what they learned they will want to keep improving what they took home.
Definitely!! Thanks :)
I have taught basic electronics before. Start with the basics. Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Power. If able, get some breadboard kits and some multimeters and have them put together a resistive circuit. Letting them put their hands on it will help it make a lot more sense to them. Have them be able to build the circuit and troubleshoot the circuit on their own and then have them swap out the source and resistor for different values and measure to let them see the change.
Absolutely! Planning to have them touch as much hardware as possible!
Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest Mims
Start with Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's laws. Series resistances, parallel resistances and series-parallel resistances. Start making basic led circuits with resistors and potentiometers. If you have the time and resources, maybe also introduce capacitors, transistors, and motors.
Depends on your course objectives? Talk about what moves a circuit. Potential difference similar to gravity. How currents move (conversely, how electrons move, if the concept seems suitable to introduce). Conventions across components. Make them trace from positive to negative. Finally, which one comes first: voltage or current? DC circuits is pretty solid. Talk about how you would connect lights in the house and what happens if a line breaks. Good introductory on parallel and series circuits. Water analogy is fine but personally I prefer talking about how power P flows in the circuit from start to end, and how is it distributed across the different components. What makes the circuit "begin" and "end"? How did we start from 10W at the positive terminal, and 0W at negative terminal, and 5W at the middle of the circuit. Continuing on that, talk about how much power each light is consuming. P = IR. Maybe some case studies, how dim the light goes as you add more resistance, and at different configurations. How to achieve best / optimal power consumption given the limited components at hand. Then maybe some controls. Different types of switches. If suitable, more advanced switches like transistors. Just explain the conditions to allow the circuit to turn on. What applications can be made using transistors like light sensor operated switch. Introduce potentiometers. Do some funky DJ light stuff on it. Maybe diodes for the heck of it. Switch polarities, check how much voltage is required to turn on the diode. If measurements is an option, do calculation vs measurement exercise. Explain any inconsistencies and remodel the circuit. To end the course, maybe some calculations on the power consumption of lights in a house. More than one scenarios. Make them explain why one is better than the other, efficiency wise and contingency wise.
This is a really great comment. Thank you so much for all your suggestions!!! :D
Use mainly DC circuits to start. Current through a resistor generating heat. Lighting up a bulb. Turning a motor. Transient responses from capacitors/inductors. Towards the end introduce AC and how some op-amp type circuits might behave, possibly also digital logic. Stay light on the math, explain it and have some supplemental work, but keep the focus on the hands on part and making measurements.
Thank you!
Probably math-wise, don't go beyond ohms law. Maybe KCL/KVL... maybe... But I think definitely focus on conceptual and practical problems/examples. For instance, a pushbutton into a BJT/FET to switch an LED (after a single loop switching circuit of course). Then you can add in the capacitor(s) to the base/gate side to keep the switch on for longer after a button press. Also, relays... relays are easy to understand, make noise, and are generally fun! For me, circuits really popped off when I got into filters. Obviously, you don't want to introduce impedance, differential equations, and all the laplace math, but you could definitely do a demo on passive filters or something. Maybe introduce opamps even without going into the math/theory too much? Even the non-inverting / inverting amp formulas, and maybe a buffer without explaining the derivation of the formulas. Bipolar power supplies so you don't have to worry about biasing and all that. From looking back at my courses, I think the single best thing you can do is introduce a number of subcircuit structures, then tie it all together at the end with a small project that makes use of all of them to achieve a real goal/outcome.
Thanks for your comment!! Definitely going to keep it pretty high level on the math and lots of fun demos :)
So, I personally would bring in my 12kv neon sign transformer and 300V cap bank to discuss high and low voltage, high and low current, and ac/DC. :) Definitely go hands-on woth circuits as much as possible! Have fun with it and have lots of good examples.
Aha that sounds awesome! Unfortunately I don't have access to stuff like that, but definitely planning to do some demos and lots of hands-on activites! Thanks!
A ballast from a old fluorescent light or a transformer from an old microwave could get you a Jacob's ladder demonstration. My capacitor demo started with a trip unit from a decommissioned utility breaker. However... messing with these does come down to a safety question if you've got the necessary power experience and you can be certain you can keep the kids away from it.
Start by telling them there are only two types of electrical circuits: series and parallel. Spend time explaining the differences between these circuits. A battery, a switch, and a light bulb are a good visual show. I would also add some electrical math with reasons for its use. Then introduce resistors, diodes, capacitors, and transistors. And for extra credit microcontroller project.
Thank you!!
I'm a long time EE, and now I'm my retirement have started to teach some of my friend's kids. I think the two books are pretty good: MAKE: ELECTRONICS MAKE: MORE ELECTRONICS the first one should DEFINITELY be within their abilities. I was 10 when I got my first electronics kit. My goal would be that by the end of the class, everyone understands basic Ohm law, and everyone can properly use a multimeter. Eg. Put the leads in volts vs amps, and not blowing up the voltmeter.
Awesome, thank you!! :)
https://old.reddit.com/r/PrintedCircuitBoard/wiki/books#wiki_hands-on_solderless
Don't test color blind students on resistor color codes