UK Plug Simulation — ClassAdapt
What it shows
A 3D interactive BS 1363 UK plug with a semi-transparent body so the internal wiring is always visible. Students can identify the three pins (Earth, Live, Neutral), see the colour-coded wires (brown, blue, green/yellow stripes), locate the fuse on the Live wire, and watch electron flow when power is on. Triggering an Earth Fault shows surge current through the green/yellow Earth wire, the fuse wire heating from cold → yellow → orange → red → white-hot over ~2.5 seconds, then the wire visibly snapping and the circuit breaking. The plug can be orbited freely to inspect the fuse break from any angle.
Suggested Class Activity — “Trace, Predict, Explain” (15–20 min)
Suitable for: AQA GCSE Physics / Combined Science, Year 10–11
Step 1 — Trace (pairs, 3 min) Open the simulation. Without pressing anything, students drag to orbit and sketch the three pins and their wire colours into their books. Label Earth, Live, Neutral.
Step 2 — Predict (individual, 2 min) Ask: “If the Live wire inside an appliance touches the metal casing, what happens? Write your prediction before we run it.”
Step 3 — Run it (whole class, 5 min) Teacher presses Power ON then Earth Fault on the board display. Students watch the fuse bar rise and the wire glow. Pause and ask: “Why is the fuse getting hot? What is happening to the current?” before it blows.
Step 4 — Explain (written, 5 min) Students write a six-mark exam-style answer:
“Explain how the Earth wire and fuse together protect a user from electrocution when a fault occurs.”
Key words to include: earth wire, low resistance path, large current, fuse wire, melts, breaks circuit, 230 V, Live wire.
Extension: Ask why the fuse must be on the Live wire and not the Neutral — the simulation’s internal view makes this concrete (if the fuse were on Neutral, the appliance casing would remain at 230 V even after the fuse blows).