Tips for memorizing Power Wheel?

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cs2to4

Member
Does anybody have any tips or tricks to memorize the 12 formula power wheel, other than blatantly pounding it into my memory through repetition?
 

raider1

Senior Member
Staff member
Location
Logan, Utah
When I was preparing for my journeymans and masters exams I would practice generating the Ohm's law and Power wheels by starting with the base formulas E=IxR and P=IxE. Then by using algebraic manipulation you can come up with the rest of the equations.

For example using E=IxR we manipulate the equation so that we get R by itself by dividing both sides by I and you will get R=E/I.

Chris
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
ohms+law.png



Eagles over Indian and Rabbits.

The horizontal line divides two variables, the vertical line multiplies them. Cover up the unknown, and either divide or multiply.
 

cs2to4

Member
What are the principles of equation formulation that apply to formulas that have square roots, and squared in the equation?


Ohms-Law-Formula-Wheel.png
 

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
It looks like there are a dozen formulas there. But in fact there are only two. Starting at the “12 o’clock position,” and reading clockwise, the first formula is V = RxI. Continuing around the circle, the 10th formula is P = VxI. If you start with those two formulas, you can derive all the other versions. For example,
? Start with P = VxI
? In place of the V, substitute RxI (you can do that, because V = RxI).
? You get P = (RxI)xI
? That is the same as saying P = I*2xR. That happens to be the 11th formula in the circle (second one, if you counted from the top, and went counterclockwise).

All the formulas can be derived in a similar fashion. So in essence, you only need to remember two formulas.
 

dkarst

Senior Member
Location
Minnesota
I suppose everyone has their own technique to remember but as Charlie mentions, the world is a whole lot simpler if you can just remember two basic formulas and derive the others quickly with algebra.

As for me... Ohm's law (and using E for voltage) is "E"ven "I" "R"emember or E=IR

And Watt's law is PIE as in a piece of pie for thanksgiving or P=IE

That's all you need to fit in your brain.
 

Barndog

Senior Member
Location
Spring Creek Pa
It looks like there are a dozen formulas there. But in fact there are only two. Starting at the ?12 o?clock position,? and reading clockwise, the first formula is V = RxI. Continuing around the circle, the 10th formula is P = VxI. If you start with those two formulas, you can derive all the other versions. For example,
? Start with P = VxI
? In place of the V, substitute RxI (you can do that, because V = RxI).
? You get P = (RxI)xI
? That is the same as saying P = I*2xR. That happens to be the 11th formula in the circle (second one, if you counted from the top, and went counterclockwise).

All the formulas can be derived in a similar fashion. So in essence, you only need to remember two formulas.
Thats pretty much how i learned them all as well
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
ohms+law.png



The horizontal line divides two variables, the vertical line multiplies them. Cover up the unknown, and either divide or multiply.
Right. Do the same thing with P (or W) over E x I with a second one. As said above, cover the unknown in either circle, and what's left is the math.
 

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Don't forget the inter-changable use of letters/terms that they can use in a question!

Watts ......... Power
Amps........... I
Volts............ E
Ohm ............ R

I'd frankly write that down in vertical just as a quick reference on your scratch sheet as well.

Hint:
Hopefully if go to the beach that you'll see a pier and some Wavo's .... both hopefully vertical! :cool:
 

zog

Senior Member
Location
Charlotte, NC
I don't get the whole "memorizing" thing, You need to understand the basic principles of electricity. Anything you try to "memorize" you will forget eventually and that just means you don't understand anything.You will never be able to understand how more complex systems function without the basics.

Do you know what the 3 types of power are?
Do you understand the differences?
Do you know what resistance means?
Do you know what current really is?
Do you understand what voltage means and how it can be relative?

I have taught basic electrical principles to 30 year JM and have seen the lightbulb above thier heads as they finally understand the basics, I never understood how they made it 30 years without knowing what a Watt is, or did not know Kirchoffs laws, or how to figure out resistance in a paralell circuit.

Do yourself a favor, put the skilled back in skilled trades. There are some excellent free websites that cover the basics in ways easy to understand, all you need to do is put in some time to learn it yourself.
 

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
There is nothing wrong with Rote learning technique’s, it’s how we all learned our letters and numbers. There’s nothing wrong with the use of the technique to introduce terms and principles, it frankly hard not to use in everyday teaching or learning.

If any one is interested in what is going on between, understanding and memorization, then go read at least the first (it’s a long) article and the forth a graph in the listed search engine results! The first four srticles are all great, IMO

I do understand throughly that everyone needs to understand what behind the principle of the item or terms that there being exposed to (period). This one aspect is in the first article.

Zog, I was frankly taken back by the tone of by your response.

As a teacher congradulations on setting your students straight! Maybe your more diverse; maybe less singular of the aspects of the understanding and comprehension level that was presented to your students to retain when they first learned something in the first place. Maybe you stopped being a complete authority of what’s required in your study matter!

Your older students memorized the theory’s where no use was ever implied to understand or use it otherwise (also stated in the first article).
 

zog

Senior Member
Location
Charlotte, NC
Zog, I was frankly taken back by the tone of by your response.

As a teacher congradulations on setting your students straight! Maybe your more diverse; maybe less singular of the aspects of the understanding and comprehension level that was presented to your students to retain when they first learned something in the first place. Maybe you stopped being a complete authority of what?s required in your study matter!

Your older students memorized the theory?s where no use was ever implied to understand or use it otherwise (also stated in the first article).

Didn't mean the "tone" to be offensive at all, but I see this as a lack of teaching of the basic electrical principles in whatever courses were taken to become an electrician. You don't "memorize" that 2+2=4 your 1st grade teachers actually teaches what that means by saying, if you have 2 apples and I give you 2 more apples how many apples do you have? So the student can visualize and understand what is actually the meaning of the problem, not memorize 2+2=4.

Sorry if I came off the wrong way, I just believe understanding of these basic principles is important for anyone to be in any part of the electrical field. Just the way I am. We have all of this fancy test equipment that you hook up to your laptop, push a button, and it spits out a test report. My new guys don't get to use that stuff, first they learn basic electrical theory and the principles of operation of the equipment they will be testing. Then they get all school, very basic insturments to use for testing, which requires them to apply the basic skills they have learned. After they can do it that way, they get the cool toys to play with.
 

dhalleron

Senior Member
Location
Louisville, KY
I used to keep a small chart in my wallet. I used it once on a test I had to take while applying for a job.

Before cell phones I kept a small home made phonebook in my wallet. My chart was drawn on the cover of my phone book.
 

mivey

Senior Member
...I see this as a lack of teaching of the basic electrical principles in whatever courses were taken to become an electrician... I just believe understanding of these basic principles is important for anyone to be in any part of the electrical field. Just the way I am...
Amen. It is so much better to understand than memorize. Even so, I find it is not for everyone. The frustrating part is watching some take the easy path when you know they have the ability to learn more than they need to get by.
 
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