Making Electrical Theory Memorable for Exam Success
07 November 2017
On the C&G 2365 Level 2 and Level 3 electrotechnical qualifications, it's not just the practical aspects of electrical installation and the rules about 'The Regs' that you learn. You also gain an understanding of the fundamentals: 'Principles of Electrical Science.'
These can be quite daunting for those learners with more practical or vocational experience and knowledge. As one of the tutors that delivers these courses, I'm very aware of this - my role is to deliver the new knowledge in a way that the learners will understand, absorb, and remember.
Above photo: Students learning the Fleming's Right Hand Rule.
Despite appearances, my Sunday Level 2 class are not practicing their cool Friday night dance moves; they are applying Fleming's Right Hand Rule to work out which way the current will flow in a generator. You take your right hand, so that your thumb, first finger and second finger are all roughly at right angles to each other.
- The thuMb represents the direction of Motion of a wire moving through a magnetic field.
- The First finger represents the direction of magnetic Field (north to south)
- The seCond finger represents the direction of Current flowing in the wire.
When invigilating exams, you can always tell when a candidate is answering a question like this!
Unfortunately, there are two Fleming's Rules: his Right Hand Rule, and his Left Hand Rule. One is used for generators, the other is used for motors. But which is which?
It's pretty easy to remember, once you know...:
- The right hand rule is for 'gene-right-ers.'
- The left hand rule is for motors, because we 'motor on the left.'
The whole class of learners here in the photo - through lots of hard work on their part, in and out of the classroom - ALL passed their Level 2 'Principles of Electrical Science' assessment. So, they are all well on their way to achieving their 2365 Level 2 diploma, usually the first step to becoming a fully qualified electrician.
I am immensely proud of them all!
Dr Steve Sharples MIET
Lecturer / Electrical Assessor
Share this article