Electricity Online

Directions for Online Textbook:

  1. Enter user name and password
  2. Click “Go to Interactive Online Edition”
  3. Ch. 17: Introduction to Electricity
  4. Click on the “eactivities” orange tab at top of page
  5. Click on “Introduction to electricity” under Virtual Investigation

Stage 1

  1. In the circuit you created, the bulbs were connected in a series. What happened as you added more bulbs to the circuit?

______

______

______

  1. What happens when a light bulb is removed from a series circuit? Why?

______

______

Stage 2

  1. Why did removing a bulb from the parallel circuit cause the other bulbs to NOT go out?

______

______

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  1. Based on what you have observed, which type of circuit do you recommend we use for party lights? Why?

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Directions:

  1. Close out of the Virtual Investigation
  2. Section 4: Electrical Circuits
  3. Click on “Electric Circuits”

Electric Currents

  1. A circuit is a ______path of an electric current.
  2. When a ______, ______loop if formed, current can pass through the circuit.
  3. When the electrons flow through the ______, the light bulb lights.
  4. What are the three parts to the circuit?
  5. ______
  6. ______
  7. ______

Resistors in Series

  1. A ______circuit is a circuit in which ______the components are connected to each other ______,
  2. There is only ______path through which current can flow.
  3. If one of these ______blows out, the circuit is ______.

Resistors in Parallel

  1. A ______circuit is a circuit in which all the components are connected to each other ______.
  2. In a parallel circuit, there are ______paths along which current can flow.
  3. Because the circuit path can go ______or ______any individual resistor, these circuits are ______when one resistor blows out.

Phet Website

Circuit Construction Kit (DC only) - Download

Find a way to make a single light bulb light up with as FEW parts hooked up as possible. When electricity flows through wires and makes something work, like a light bulb, it is called a circuit.

  1. Sketch your circuit below:
  1. What seems to be making the light bulb turn on in your circuit? (What do you think electricity is based on the simulator?)

Make a gap in your circuit.

Go to the grab bag and play with the different objects. Find out which objects allow electricity to flow and fill in the data table:

Objects that allow electricity to flow (conductors) / Objects that do NOT allow electricity to flow (insulators)
  1. What do the conductors have in common?
  1. What do the insulators have in common?

For the next few activities, you need to light up more than 1 bulb at the same time, using just one battery.

First circuit: find a way to hook up your bulbs in a way that if you break the connection at one bulb, ALL bulbs go out.

  1. Sketch your new circuit:
  1. Why did the rest of the bulbs go out if you break the connection at one bulb?
  1. This circuit is called a series circuit because the bulbs are hooked up in one long “series” or line. Name somewhere you have seen a string of lights that are also a series circuit.

Second circuit: find a way to hook up your bulbs in a way that if you break the connection at one bulb, ONLY that bulb goes out.

  1. Sketch this circuit:
  1. Why do the rest of the bulbs stay lit if you break the connection at one bulb?

Experiment with the simulator; see what you can make it do!!!

  1. What did you do to make light bulbs glow brighter?
  1. What did you do to make light bulbs glow dimmer?
  1. How can you cause a fire? (In the simulator… NOT in the real world!)
  1. Can you catch the puppy on fire?