Class Two have been making simple series circuits using combinations of batteries, bulbs, wires and buzzers. We found that:
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2 bulbs with 2 batteries are as bright as 1 bulb with 1 battery
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2 bulbs with 1 battery is very dim
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1 bulb with 2 batteries is very bright
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1 battery with a buzzer makes a normal sound
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2 batteries plus a buzzer makes a loud sound
We have made a battery using lemons, copper strips and zinc-plated screws, then used them to power a digital clock. It's still running! We also made our own 'Operation' games from tin-foil covered cereal boxes & mince pie cases!
Two Kinds of Circuit
Series Circuit
2 batteries with a bulb and a buzzer all in a line - the buzzer buzzes but there isn't enough voltage left for the bulb to light. This is called a 'series' circuit (like a TV series - one episode after another).
Parallel Circuit
If we create two paths, one for the bulb and one for the buzzer, the bulb lights and the buzzer buzzes. This is a called a 'parallel' circuit - it's really two circuits combined into one ('in parallel' means doing two things at the same time). A parallel circuit can have any number of branches, not just two.
Definitions
- circuit
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an unbroken path for the electricity to go from one end of the battery to the other, usually made of metal
- battery
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chemicals inside a battery provide an electrical 'push' around the circuit
- bulb
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a piece of wire inside a glass ball which glows when electricity passes through it
- series circuit
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one path through the circuit, with all the components in a line
- parallel circuit
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two paths through the circuit, with electricity passing through both
Quizzes
Web Links
Related pages: Electricity, Class Two, Changing Circuits
Category: Science
Author: Mr Kershaw
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