Electrical safety

About this lab: Electrical safety

Interactive simulation for Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 topic 4.4 Electrical safety: the hazards of damaged insulation, overheating cables, damp conditions and overloaded sockets with what goes wrong and how to avoid it, and a wired three-pin plug feeding a metal-cased appliance where you choose the power and the fuse, then introduce a live-to-case fault or a short circuit and see whether the earth wire and fuse make it safe.

IGCSE Physics 0625, topic 4.4. Electrical hazards, and the mains circuit with its fuse, earth wire, circuit breaker, switch and double insulation.

Electrical safety is a free, browser-based simulation for Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 (topic 4 Electricity and magnetism, section 4.4 Electrical safety). The course is assessed in Papers 1 and 2 (multiple choice), 3 and 4 (theory), 5 (practical test) and 6 (alternative to practical). There are 2 tabs, each a self-contained experiment with its own controls and live readings, and nothing to install: it runs on a laptop, tablet or classroom projector.

Syllabus coverage

• 4.4 State the hazards of: (a) damaged insulation (b) overheating cables (c) damp conditions (d) excess current from overloading of plugs, extension leads, single and multiple sockets when using a mains supply
• 4.4 Know that a mains circuit consists of a live wire (line wire), a neutral wire and an earth wire and explain why a switch must be connected to the live wire for the circuit to be switched off safely
• 4.4 Explain the use and operation of trip switches and fuses and choose appropriate fuse ratings and trip switch settings
• 4.4 Explain why the outer casing of an electrical appliance must be either non-conducting (double-insulated) or earthed
• 4.4 State that a fuse without an earth wire protects the circuit and the cabling for a double- insulated appliance
• Lessons on this topic: Hazards: damaged insulation, overheating, damp conditions, Mains circuit: live, neutral, earth, fuses, trip switches.

Full syllabus map: IGCSE Physics 0625 topic 4.

How to use this simulation

1. 1. Hazards.
2. 2. The mains circuit.
3. The buttons at the end of the tab strip give the scene the whole window (Full screen, Hide controls) and, on a dark stage, a projector-friendly palette (Light scene). Many scenes also have drag handles: drag them to change the set-up directly.

All simulation labs · IGCSE Physics 0625 · TheLucidSTEM home