Boy Scouts of America

Electricity Merit Badge

Electricity
Merit Badge

Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge Hub

Boy Scouts of America
Merit Badge Hub

Electricity

Electricity Merit Badge Overview

Learn why electricity plays a significant role in the economy and how energy consumption impacts our daily lives with the Electricity Merit badge. Scouts will demonstrate how to respond to electrical emergencies, explain how a fuse blows or a circuit breaker trips, and complete an electrical home safety inspection. The Electricity Merit Badge is an excellent opportunity for Scouts to learn how to read an electric meter and determine their household’s energy cost from meter readings.
Electricity_MB-overview

Electricity Merit Badge Requirements

The requirements will be fed dynamically using the scout book integration
1. Demonstrate that you know how to respond to electrical emergencies by doing the following:
  • (a) Show how to rescue a person touching a live wire in the home.
  • (b) Show how to render first aid to a person who is unconscious from electrical shock.
  • (c) Show how to treat an electrical burn.
  • (d) Explain what to do in an electrical storm.
  • (e) Explain what to do in the event of an electrical fire.
2. Complete an electrical home safety inspection of your home, using the checklist found in the Electricity merit badge pamphlet or one approved by your counselor. Discuss what you find with your counselor.
3. Make a simple electromagnet and use it to show magnetic attraction and repulsion.
4. Explain the difference between direct current and alternating current.
5. Make a simple drawing to show how a battery and an electric bell work.
6. Explain why a fuse blows or a circuit breaker trips. Tell how to find a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker in your home. Show how to safely reset the circuit breaker.
7. Explain what overloading an electric circuit means. Tell what you have done to make sure your home circuits are not overloaded.
8. Make a floor plan wiring diagram of the lights, switches, and outlets for a room in your home. Show which fuse or circuit breaker protects each one.
9. Do the following:
  • (a) Read an electric meter and, using your family's electric bill, determine the energy cost from the meter readings.
  • (b) Discuss with your counselor five ways in which your family can conserve energy.
10. Explain the following electrical terms: volt, ampere, watt, ohm, resistance, potential difference, rectifier, rheostat, conductor, ground, GFCI, circuit, and short circuit.
11. Do any TWO of the following:
  • (a) Connect a buzzer, bell, or light with a battery. Have a key or switch in the line.
  • (b) Make and run a simple electric motor (not from a kit).
  • (c) Build a simple rheostat. Show that it works.
  • (d) Build a single-pole, double-throw switch. Show that it works.
  • (e) Hook a model electric train layout to a house circuit. Tell how it works.

Get the Electricity Merit Badge Pamphlet

Electricity is a powerful and fascinating force of nature.

Discover more about "Electricity"

Many teenagers have their own room. Luke Thill has his own house. The 14-year-old Life Scout from Dubuque, Iowa, raised $1,500 performing odd jobs for neighbors and used a mix of reclaimed and purchased materials to build his own 89-square-foot tiny house in his parents’ backyard. The process took nearly two years. Luke says Scouting gave him both the leadership skills and craftsmanship needed to complete the process. “All the merit badges helped — Personal Management, Woodwork, Welding, Public Speaking, Communication,” Luke told me by phone. “All that kind of stuff plays a role.” The project has made Luke something of a celebrity both in the burgeoning tiny house community and beyond. He has nearly 45,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, and his story has been featured by ABC News, Country Living magazine and many local media outlets.
The 12-volt battery in Troop 14’s trailer often drained, forcing adult leaders to jump it if the troop wanted to use the interior and exterior LED lights. For lighting in camp, the Metuchen, N.J., troop relied on propane lanterns. The Scouts also used propane for cooking. For a troop of more than 50 Scouts who love to go camping, that means a lot of propane. Adult leaders estimated the troop used as many as 20 20-pound tanks in a year. How did Troop 14 solve both costly, time-consuming problems? They used solar panels. After installing the panels to the trailer’s roof, the troop cut its propane budget, solved its battery issue and helped Scouts accomplish a few merit badge requirements. So, how did they do it?

View Related Merit Badges

WEB

Eagle Scout insignia Eagle Required

WEB

Eagle Scout insignia Eagle Required

WEB

Eagle Scout insignia Eagle Required

WEB

Eagle Scout insignia Eagle Required

WEB

Eagle Scout insignia Eagle Required

WEB

Eagle Scout insignia Eagle Required

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.