Download Electrical Circuits pt.1 Station 1: Connect a Light Bulb Materials: One

Station 1: Connect a Light Bulb
Materials: One D Battery, One wire, One bulb
Task: Connect light bulb to battery with only one wire and make the
bulb light up
Notes/Conclusions: Explain here how you found the solution, any difficulty you had, and other
relevant info
Drawing:
Station 2: Open and Closed Circuits/ Switches
Materials: One 9 V Battery, One switch, Xmas lights, One piece of wire
Task: Connect the light to battery and make the bulb light up. Disconnect one end and add a
switch.
Define these terms:
Open circuit
Closed circuit
Switch
Drawing:
Station 3: Series Circuits
Materials: One 9 V Battery, Three Xmas lights
Task: Connect one light to battery and observe brightness, then add each of the others, one at a
time in series and observe what happens to the brightness of the light.
Define this term: series circuit
Notes/Observations:
Drawing:
Station 4: Series Circuits
Materials: One 9 V Battery, Three Xmas lights
Task: Connect all three xmas lights to the battery so that each light has a separate pathway back
to the battery. If all lights come on, disconnect one bulb and see what happens to the other lights.
Define this term: parallel circuit
Notes/Observations:
Drawing:
Station 5: Conductivity Test
Materials: One 9 V Battery, Three Xmas lights, voltmeter, Two wires, random
conductor/insulators
Task: Connect all three xmas lights to the battery in series and add a voltmeter and 2 wires.
Record the voltage of your circuit. Add several random objects to determine if they conduct
electricity and record their results
Results/Observations:
Drawing:
Station 6: Resistors
Materials: One 9 V Battery, Three Xmas lights, Ammeter, Two wires, Resistors
Task: Connect all three xmas lights to the battery in series and add a Ammeter. Record the
current of your circuit. Add three different resistors and record the new current readings.
Define these terms:
Current
Resistance
Results/Observations:
Drawing:
Station 7: Electromagnet
Materials: One 9 V Battery, One Iron Nail, Copper Wire, Paper Clips
Task: Create a simple electromagnet with the wire and nails and try to pick up several paperclips
with it.
Define these terms: Current
Resistance
Results/Observations:
Drawing:
Open the program Circuit Construction Kit (AC + DC) 3.20. If at home go to this site to
run the program http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-ac
Activity 1: Connect a Light Bulb
Materials: One D Battery, One wire, One bulb
Task: Connect light bulb to battery with only one wire and make the bulb light up. Add a second
battery and see what happens to the light.
Notes/Conclusions: Compare this activity to when you did it with real wires and bulbs.
Drawing:
Activity 2: Series Circuits
Task: Connect light bulbs and batteries and build a variety of series circuits. Add a voltmeter
and calculate the voltage used. Try adding a switch as well. Make at least three different circuits.
Results/Observations:
Drawings:
Activity 3: Parallel Circuits
Task: Connect light bulbs and batteries and build a variety of parallel circuits. Add a voltmeter
and calculate the voltage used. Make at least three different circuits.
Results/Observations:
Drawings:
Activity 4: Conductivity Test
Task: Create a series circuit and add various objects from your grab bag to complete the circuit
and determine if they conduct electricity. Add a voltmeter and determine if the voltage changes.
Results/Observations:
Drawings:
Activity 5: Current, Voltage, and Resistance
Task: Connect light bulbs and batteries and build a variety of series or parallel circuits. Add a
voltmeter and calculate the voltage used. Add an ammeter and record the current at several
locations on the circuit. Make at least three different circuits.
Results/Observations: Does the Resistance or Voltage Change at different places along the
circuit? Explain.
Drawings:
Activity 6: Electrical Symbols
Task: Look the chart of Common
Symbols and try to create the circuits in
the following schematic drawings and fill
in the table. (Note: there are different
drawings for bulbs used.)
A. Using voltage in series circuits
Figure 1
Figure 2
# of bulbs
Figure 3
Battery
voltage
(v)
Current
into
battery
(A)
Brightness
of bulbs
1
2
B.
Using voltage in parallel circuits
3
Redo Part III but use figures 4-6 for the circuits. Make a new
table and answer the questions.
Figure 4
# of bulbs
1
2
3
Figure 5
Battery
voltage
(v)
Current
into
battery
(A)
Figure 6
Brightness
of bulbs
Results/Observations: Summarize the
relationships you observed between Voltage and
Current and explain what you think is happening.
Activity 7: Resistance
Task: Connect light bulbs and batteries and resistors that you see in Figure A and B and fill in
the table below
Results:
Resistor
Voltage
(Volts)
Current
(amps)
Resistance in
the circuit
(ohms) R=V/I
1
2
3
Conclusion:
Figure A
DC
Figure B
D
C
DC
DC
R1
R2
R1
R2
R3
R3
Activity 8: Explore
Task: Create as many different circuits as you can and try different items(capacitors, etc.) Draw
a life-like drawing of your favorite circuit and a schematic drawing of the same one.
Results/Observations:
Drawings: