Energy: Electricity and Circuits
Explore static electricity and electric circuits in this hair raising show!
In this curriculum-aligned Lightning Theatre show students will find out about static electricity, conductors, insulators and electric circuits
Highlights include a hair-raising encounter with a Van de Graaff generator, making light with a pickled onion and a race to produce energy!
The show finishes with a spectacular demonstration of lightning strikes and tips for safety strategies in lightning storms.
This 30-minute presentation is set in our purpose-built high voltage laboratory theatre, which features equipment unique to Scienceworks. It demonstrates energy transfers and transformations involving electricity.
Students will experience
- Hair-raising encounters with static electricity.
- Electric circuits that can be completed in unexpected ways.
- Turning a pickled onion into a lightbulb.
- An awe-inspiring demonstration of live lightning strikes, with safety strategies to use in lightning storms.
- An energy race in which students compete to produce the most energy using hand crank generators.
Students will learn
- That there are two types of electricity: static and current.
- That static electricity comes from a buildup of charge and can be caused by rubbing, and that lightning is an example of static electricity.
- Current electricity flows through circuits and powers most of our electrical devices.
- Conductors are materials that electricity can flow through easily, and insulators are materials that are harder for electricity to flow through.
- That different appliances have varying levels of energy efficiency.
- When electricity travels through different things, it can produce light.
- Which places are safe and unsafe to be in during a lightning storm, and why.
Other key information
- Students with pacemakers or cochlear implants can attend this show safely, however they may be asked not to volunteer for certain demonstrations.
Availability
Terms 1–4, Monday to Friday
Duration: 30 minutes
Student information
Years 5 to 8
Minimum 15 students
Maximum 118 students
Bookings
Lightning Theatre
Presented by a museum educator
Victorian Curriculum Links
Science: Levels 5 and 6
Physical sciences
- light can be produced from many sources; light travels in a straight path, can form shadows, and can be absorbed, transmitted, reflected or refracted by objects (VC2S6U08)
- materials may be electrical insulators or conductors; energy can be transferred and transformed in electrical circuits where the components of a circuit play particular roles in the function of the circuit (VC2S6U09)
Science: Levels 7 and 8
Physical sciences
- energy exists in different forms, including thermal, chemical, gravitational and elastic, and may be classified as kinetic or potential; energy transfers (conduction, convection and radiation) and transformations occur in simple systems and can be analysed in terms of energy efficiency (VC2S8U15)
- electrical circuits transfer energy when current flows and can be designed for diverse purposes using different components; the operation of circuits can be explained using the concepts of voltage and current (VC2S8U17)
Accessibility
Please view our accessibility page for general information. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.
Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund
The Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund aims to enhance access to our museums (Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and Immigration Museum), programs and events by offering free or subsidised education programs for eligible schools. Find out more about the fund.
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