Can you get the bulb to work?• Each of you will get one bulb, one wire, and one

battery.• Your goal is to get the bulb to light. Easy right?• When you find a way to light the bulb, draw the

configuration in your notes.• HINT: Don’t keep trying the same thing over and

over and expecting something different to happen.

• Good Luck on finding all 4 configurations!

What is a Circuit?

• What is the definition of a Circuit?• A closed loop through which electrical charges

can move continuously. • This is different from static because instead of

one single spark of electrons, there is a steady flow of electrons running through the circuit.

All circuits (no matter how simple) must have 3 parts.

1. Power Source – an object that provides electrical energy to one or more loads.

2. Connecting Wire – carries the electric current through the circuit

3. Load – power drained by any machine or electrical circuit.

In order to draw circuits simply and easily, we use the following symbols

Not all circuits are the same

• Series Circuits- only ONE path for the electrons to travel

• If the circuit is broken in a series circuit, electricity does NOT reach any part of the circuit when one bulb goes out.

Not all circuits are the same• Parallel Circuits - several paths for the electrons to

travel• Each bulb has its own path to the energy• What happens when one bulb goes out?

If you were wiring a house would you want to use a series or parallel circuit? Explain your answer

.

What are some things that you use electrical circuits for?

.

Create a circuit

• Create a series circuit using a wires, a battery, and at least 2 bulbs.

• Create a parallel circuit using the lamp board provided to you.

• Create a parallel circuit without using the lamp board.

Electric current is measured in amps (A) using an

ammeter connected in series in the circuit.

A

The ‘electrical push’ which the cell gives to the current is

called the voltage. It is measured in volts (V) on a voltmeter

V