Real-Life Math
An electronics technologist needs to have a good knowledge of math.
"You won't be using it on a day-to-day basis," says electronics technologist
Bruce Bonneau. "But you need to have [an] appreciation of how a system works
in order to be able to fix it."
You're installing
an electronic system and are trying to decide what type of wire to use. Some
wires are better at conducting electricity than others.
This is how
electricity works:
Electricity flows through a wire, much the same
as water flows through a pipe. Just as height or pressure drives the flow
of water from one point to another, electrical voltage is the force that drives
the electric current through the wire.
Electrical resistance is the
friction that slows down the flow of the current. The relationship between
the voltage, the current and resistance is called Ohm's law.
Ohm's
Law
V (voltage) = I (current) x R (resistance)
Resistance
is measured in ohms.
Figure out which metal has the least
resistance:
Gold
120 volts
20 amps
of current
Copper
140 volts
21
amps of current
Aluminum
130
volts
16.25 amps of current
What type of wire
offers the least resistance, or is the best conductor?