Download circuit - UA STEM

SIMPLE/LOW COST
ELECTRICITY FOR
ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
Building Simple Circuits
Where do we use Electricity?
• Where do we use electricity in our
homes and at school?
What is electricity?
• A type of energy
• Electricity can travel through wires in
currents
What is current electricity?
• Power to move from one point to
another
Where does electricity come from?
• Power Source
• Power Plant
• Electrical lines
• Battery
• Electricity has to have energy
(power) to work
Power of a battery
We use batteries to get electricity
into objects that are not connected
to a wall outlet
What are some
things that use
batteries?
The Circuit
• In order for electricity to travel to where we
need it, there must be a complete circuit of
electricity. A complete circuit is like a circle.
• A circuit is a closed path so electricity
can follow.
• Electricity starts at a particular place, travels
around the circuit, and returns to the same
place.
• No circuit will work if it has a break in it.
Closed Circuit or Open Circuit?
Closed Circuit or Open Circuit?
Positive and Negative
• In order to make a circuit complete
we also need positive and
negative terminals
What do you think? Will the light bulb illuminate?
NO
NO
YES
A Complete or Closed Circuit
No breaks
in Circuit
Negative Flow
Positive Flow
How Does a Circuit Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnpLaKsqGU
&feature=youtu.be
Could you “teach”
the Following Simple Circuit?
Can a Pencil be used as a Conductor?
• “Drawing” a circuit
• Materials:
• Soft drawing pencil (6B is best)
• Paper
• 5mm LED bulb
• 9 volt battery
• 9 volt snap connectors
• 330 ohm resistor
• Two insulated wire leads
Notes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Graphite is a conductor—although a poor conductor
Paper is an insulator
Long stretches of graphite can be used as a
resistor (because graphite is a poor conductor)
LED’s are like lightbulbs, but they’re more forgiving
LED’s have a positive and negative lead (one
direction)
Electrical tape can be used to connect copper
conductors to graphite
Switches can be drawn with graphite
Need to use higher voltages (i.e., 9V) to overcome
resistance.
Lets Design a Circuit
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Using graphite, design a circuit with one LED, one
switch, one battery, one resistor, and two conductors.
Add the resistor to the negative side of the circuit
Add the LED to the circuit (shorter prong is negative)
Add two poles (negative and positive) where the
battery can be connected
Attach the red wire from the battery to the positive
pole of the circuit (longer prong)
Attach the black wire from the battery to the negative
pole of the circuit (shorter prong)
Close the circuit by “coloring” in the switch with
graphite
Resources
• What STEM concepts can you deliver with
this activity?
Resources
• http://www.uastem.com/
• http://www.isea-stem.org/
• http://www.iteea.org/
• Circuitscribe: http://www.circuitscribe.com/
• Snap Circuits: http://www.snapcircuits.net/