Therefore students can have difficulty grasping the ideas and principles involved and constructing understanding. Misconceptions may develop, with students believing electricity is a substance which gets used up. Understanding of electricity involves students acquiring a specialised specific set of vocabulary. However, although we cannot see electrical charges moving and transferring energy, the effect of the transfer can be seen.
Drawings for electronic circuits are called "circuit diagrams". Drawings for electrical circuits are called "wiring diagrams". Like other diagrams, these diagrams are usually drawn by draftsmen, and then printed. Diagrams may also be created digitally using specialized software.
We frequently use analogies to teach about electricity and electric circuits and have found them to provide an evocative method to bring this topic to life. The topic of electricity has the added difficulty of having specialised and often unfamiliar vocabulary which students have to learn; use of analogies helps students learn these new words.
The point where those electrons enter an electrical circuit is called the "source" of electrons. The point where the electrons leave an electrical circuit is called the "return" or "earth ground". The exit point is called the "return" because electrons always end up at the source when they complete the path of an electrical circuit.
