How Did you Learn?

[gregoryp]

One of the other hats I wear is as a trainer. As part of this I have been asked to deliver a Basic Electrical Principles course for some new starters. It will cover very basic voltage, current power & resistance etc. My question is how did you guys best understand it? I've heard water boards are quite good, but that some people find the analogy difficult to comprehend.

I would appreciate your thoughts!

 

[Octopus]

Water boards????????????????????????

 

[SW1970]

Hi greg, training who? What skills and experience do they have already? In what industry/sector?

 

[SimpleSimon]

Do you mean thinking of current/voltage/resistance as Water being pushed through pipes?

If so I found this a good way of explaining the basics,
Same as Ohms law, find an acronim (can't spell) W/V=I became Volks Wagen Interior
I/V=R eerrrrr I don't have one I just think of IVF treatment and replace the F with R.

 

[gregoryp]

Murdoch: A water board has a pump, pipes and impellers etc so you can restrict the flow for resistance, increase the flow for current and increase the resevoir for potential.

The trainees have limited practical knowledge in the traffic signals sector, this course is a building block for further technical training.

Pat

 

[ezzzekiel]

Wayer anology is used often to explain basic theory as it is easier to visulise

 

[Guest123]

Nothing explains more than 'hands on'

A simple circuit with a battery, lamp & rheostat/potentiometer as a start.

 

[Octopus]

Murdoch: A water board has a pump, pipes and impellers etc so you can restrict the flow for resistance, increase the flow for current and increase the resevoir for potential.

The trainees have limited practical knowledge in the traffic signals sector, this course is a building block for further technical training.

Pat

when I hear people commenting on water boarding I think of the american army and its techniques with difficult detainees!!

 

[Faithmaster]

I did an apprenticeship in electrical installation, 6 weeks block release 6 weeks on site experience for 2 years then 2 further years site work. No gimmicks no acronyms, proper graft and a trade at the end of it. That's the difference between an electrician and a part P monkey. And I can spell...

 

[dcelectrical]

i would have loved to have water boarded my apprentice, maybe we could have made him admit he was from the planet durr, classic example 6 weeks in, "danny can you get me a cold chisel from the van", 10 minutes later he returns with a selection of wood chisels, "well they were all cold"

 

[Richard Burns]

I like the practical approach suggested by Lenny, though a lot of people seem to get the water flow/pressure approach, I like to move this on to replacing water with a gas, which less substantial, and then on to electrical which is not visible.
The only other one I had that stuck in my mind was for electron flow being demonstrated by ping pong balls in large tube as soon as you apply (voltage) pressure at one end, ping pong balls at the other end move out (current), closing a gate valve (resistance) requires a greater pressure for the same flow.

 

[FAA Greenie]

Yeah, I think you will find that water boarding is in contravention of at least one of the Geneva conventions!!!