USING ELECTRICITY ON THE JOB!Career Featured: Formula One Drivers

WHAT IS ELECTRICITY?

Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge.

It is form of energy that results from the existence of charged particles such as electrons or protons, either statically as a build up of charge or dynamically as a current.

When electrons move among the atoms of matter, electricity is created. The electrons are passed from atom to atom, creating an electrical current from one end to other.

WHY IS ELECTRICITY IMPORTANT? Electricity has been a vital part of our lives. It has brought significant contributions to make our work, lifestyle and careers more efficient and easier.

Electricity powers our light, heating, electronic appliances such as computers and television, and a host of essential services such as medical operations, communication advancement and technology innovation.

WHERE DOES ELECTRICITY COME FROM? Power plants make electricity out of other forms of energy like hydroelectric power, wind power, solar power, geothermal power, nuclear power and fossil fuels.

Figure 1: Hydroelectric Power Plant Figure 2: Wind Power Plant

Figure 3: Solar Power Plant Figure 4: Geothermal Power Plant

Figure 5: Nuclear Power Plant Figure 6: Fossil Fuels Power Plant

WHAT IS AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT? An electric circuit takes place when electrons travel from the power source through the wires, to the closed switch then to the load such as a light bulb.

Figure 7: Electric Circuit Model

SWITCH

SOURCE

WIRES

LOAD

Electricity is related to charges, and both electrons and protons carry a charge.

The amount of the charge is the same for each particle, but opposite in sign. Electrons carry a negative charge while protons carry a positive charge.

The objects around us contain billions and billions of atoms, and each atom contains many protons and electrons.

The protons are located in the centre of the atom, concentrated in a small area called the nucleus. The electrons are in motion outside of the nucleus in orbitals.

Moving Electrons and Charges

The protons are basically trapped inside the nucleus and can't escape the nucleus. As a result, it is moving electrons that are primarily responsible for electricity.

Figure 8: Attraction of Oppositely Charged Particles

The relationship between current, voltage, and resistance is presented in Ohm’s law.

This law states that the amount of current passing through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage across the conductor and inversely proportional to the resistance of the conductor.

OHM’S LAW

Ohm’s law can be expressed as an equation:

Voltage(V) = Current(I)*Resistance(R)

Resistance(R) = Voltage(V) / Current(I)

Current(I) = Voltage(V) / Resistance(R)

WHO USES ELECTRICITY IN THEIR JOBS?

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS – They design complex power systemsand apply the different principles of electricity.

TECHNICIANS – They use electricity whenever they do repairs with the use of different devices that are also powered by electricity.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT OPERATORS – They are responsible for all the monitoring and maintenance of a power plant. They use sophisticated instruments to monitor all the transmissions that happen in a power plant.

F1 DRIVER

FORMULA ONE DRIVERS (PROFESSIONAL RACE CAR DRIVERS) – Formula one drivers use electricity to start the engines of their car. Formula One drivers use the technology called KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and DRS (Drag Reduction System), which also involves electricity, to boost the acceleration of their cars.

CHOSEN CAREER:

Figure 9: F1 Drivers on the Race

mmUSING ELECTRICITY TO START AN F1 CAR

Electricity plays an important role in starting a Formula One car.

At the beginning of a race, a complex system of steps is needed to breathe life into a Formula One engine.

An electrical starter motor is used to get an F1 car rolling. It is an external unit which has a long wand that is plugged at the gearbox. When the mechanic pushes the starter motor, electricity runs through the gearbox to start the engine.

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT DIAGRAM IN STARTING AN F1 CAR

Push Button

Electrical Starter Motor V8 Engine

Wires

Power Source – The electrical starter motor provides the power needed to start the engine of an F1 car.

Switch – The push button, which is also on the electrical starter motor, acts as a switch. When the button is pushed, 24 volts are put through the gearbox to turn the engine.

Wire – The wires and the long wand that are on the starter motor acts as a pathway for electrical energy to flow.

Load – The engine of an F1 car serves as the load of this electric circuit since it uses electrical power to get itself going.

PARTS THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT

KERS stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. This technology recovers the kinetic energy whenever the car brakes. It stores the energy into a battery and converts it into power that can be used to boost acceleration.

The KERS system could deliver a maximum of 60kw of energy and its storage capacity could store up 400 kilojoules of energy.

There are two types of system in which KERS works, the mechanical system and the electrical system.

USING ELECTRICITY TO BOOST ACCELERATIONKINETIC ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM (KERS)

In a mechanical system, the energy produced when the car brakes is captured and is used to turn a small flywheel.

In an electrical system, the mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy with the use of a motor – generator that is incorporated in the car’s transmission.

TYPES OF KERS SYSTEM:

Figure 10: KERS Layout

Figure 11: Kinetic Energy Recovery System

DRAG REDUCTION SYSTEM (DRS)The Drag Reduction System is essentially an adjustable rear wing which can be used to facilitate overtaking.

It allows the car to slide through the air quicker by opening a gap in the rear wing to reduce the car’s drag.

Based on simulation stats’ it appears that the difference between a car using the DRS and one not using it is likely to be around 10-12 kph at the end of the straight line where the DRS can be used.

USING ELECTRICITY TO REDUCE AIR RESISTANCE

Figure 12: Rear Wing when DRS is not activated

Figure 13: Rear Wing when DRS is activated

Figure 14: Air flow when DRS is activated

WHY THE JOB IS IMPORTANT?

The job is important because of these several reasons:

It is a source of entertainment and leisure.

It offers opportunities for foreign investors to invest in many businesses in the host country of the event.

F1 drivers push the limits of automotive engineering to greater heights.

They test some of the coolest and newest technologies in the world.

SKILLS REQUIRED TO BE A F1 DRIVER

excellent reflexes

communication skills

keen vision

quick decision-making skills

be self-motivated

In addition to excellent driving skills, F1 drivers should also have the following skills:

INTERESTS A PERSON SHOULD HAVE TO BE A F1 DRIVER

Interest in cars

Interest in driving

Interest in new and cool technologies

Interest in Go Karting

POSITIVES OF THE JOB

F1 drivers are one of the highest paid athletes in the world.

A top F1 driver has a very strong and healthy heart.

An F1 driver has muscles as fit as that of body builder.

They get to ride the fastest and most advanced car in the world.

A rich man’s sport.

Too much carbon emission and fuel consumption.

Stress.

NEGATIVES OF THE JOB

A Week in the Life of a Formula One Driver

Thursday: The Formula One driver flies into the racetrack and spends some time with the team, checking that his car is OK and working out strategy for the weekend.

Friday: Practice starts very early on Friday morning, especially if the driver's team has signed up for the extra two-hour test session. The driver usually gets to the track at about 8 a.m.

Saturday: Saturday is a very important day, because what happens today decides the grid for Sunday's race. The driver attends two practice sessions in the morning and then a warm-up before he actually qualifies his car.

An article by Jonathan Noble and Mark Hughes

Sunday: Race day is by far the most important, and busiest, day of the week.

The day often involves everything from warming up and meeting sponsors to race day parades and post-race functions.

Monday: After the race day, a driver has to go to the gym for a few hours to make sure he stays in shape and then fly to tracks to get ready for that week's testing schedule.

Tuesday: Less than 48 hours after the Grand Prix, the Formula One driver is back in the cockpit, working hard on developments and improvements for the next race

Wednesday: Another day of testing, although a driver may be able to fly home this evening to get ready for the following week's Grand Prix.

“ Finishing races is important, but racing is

more important. ”

“ And that just shows you how important the car is in

Formula One Racing.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT FORMULA ONE DRIVERS AND THE SPORT

Check out these links:

http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/http://www.planetf1.com/teamshttp://www.grandprix.com/gpe/encyclopedia.htmlhttp://www.f1planet.co.uk/5-steps-to-becoming-an-f1-driver/

http://www.energyeducation.tx.gov/energy/section_3/topics/what_is_electricity/index.htmhttp://www.ehow.com/how-does_4898218_car-engine-start.html#ixzz26cLy0pdThttp://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/8763.htmlhttp://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/a-week-in-the-life-of-a-formula-one-driver.htmlhttp://aaenvironment.com/Electricity.htmhttp://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/04/21/how-fit-is-an-f1-driver/http://www.globalmotorsport.net/f1/understanding-f1/http://kidsresearchexpress-2.blogspot.com/2008/09/ohms-law.html

Sources:

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