High voltage

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/high-voltage

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the definition basis?Electrical potential sufficient to cause injury, damage, or overcome insulation
2. What is the historical development?Enabled by advancements in transformers for efficient long-distance power transmission
3. Why is high voltage dangerous?It can hurt because the strong electric field can break through insulation and air, making the electricity jump and create heat and light. Even touching it can be dangerous.
4. How is high voltage used to send electricity over long distances?Transformers raise the voltage so that power can travel far with less loss. Then the voltage is lowered at the destination for safe use.

Dielectric Strength: The maximum electric field a material can withstand before breaking down and conducting.
Electrical Arc: A high-temperature plasma discharge occurring when voltage forces current through a gas.
Transformer: A device that changes the voltage of alternating current electricity.