Make a Simple Electric Circuit

A simple electric circuit is a circuit made of a battery, a resistor and a switch connected to each other by wire in series. A resistor is any device (such as light-bulb or an electric motor) that consumes electricity. A Simple Electric Circuit is a complete loop in which the flow of electrons (or electricity) from the battery travel trough the wire and pass trough the switch, the resistor and return back to the battery from its other end.

In this project you will make and demonstrate a simple electric circuit. You will learn about electrical conductors (such as wires and metals), insulators (such as plastic coating on the wire) and the concept of electrical circuits.

Combine the joy and excitement of making educational toys with your science project by constructing a simple electric circuit you may use as a night light. This is a good way of learning about  simple electric circuits.

Information Gathering:

Find out about Simple Electric Circuits. Read books, magazines or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the role or function of each element in your circuit. Keep track of where you got your information from.Following are samples of information you may gather:

VOCABULARY

• circuit a closed loop of conductors through which charges (flow of electrons) can flow
• conductor a substance through which electrical charges can easily flow
• current a flow of electrical charges
• generator a device for producing electrical current by moving a coil of wire in a magnetic field
• insulator a material through which electric charges cannot move
• ion an atom that has gained or lost one or more electrons and is thus a charged particle
• switch a device that closes or opens a circuit, thereby allowing or preventing current flow
• voltage the pressure behind the flow of electrons in a circuit
• electron one negative electrical charge. Electrons exist in all materials, but can only flow freely in metals.

WHAT IS ELECTRIC CURRENT?

          An electric current is a flow of microscopic particles called ELECTRONS flowing through wires and electronic components.
It can be likened to the flow of water through pipes and radiators, etc.
As water is pushed through pipes by a pump, electric current is pushed through wires by a battery.
Hot water does work by heating radiators.
Electric current does work by heating fires, lighting lamps, ringing bells, electroplating, etc.
A basic law of the universe is that like charges repel and unlike attract. Two negatives will repel each other. A negative and a positive will attract each other.
An electron has a negative charge.
The negative (-) terminal of a battery will push negative electrons along a wire.
The positive (+) terminal of a battery will attract negative electrons along a wire.
Electric current will therefore flow from the – terminal of a battery, through the lamp, to the positive terminal.

Make a Simple Electric Circuit

Introduction:

A Simple Electric Circuit is a circuit including a power source (battery), a resistor (light bulb) and a switch connected to each other in series (meaning that wires connect the battery to the switch, the switch to the light bulb and the light bulb back to the other end of the battery).

Connection of wires to the battery holder, switch and the lamp base are usually done using the screws or clips. You can use household tools such as a pair of scissors to cut the wire and remove the insulation from the contact points. You will also need a D size battery to power your circuit.

Instructions:

Use the picture bellow to see how you must mount the components on the board. Use small mounting screws to mount the battery holder, the switch and the lamp holder to the appropriate places on the board. A screw driver and assistance of an expert adult may be required.

Loosen the contact screws (not mounting screws) on the lamp holder and on the switch to make them ready for connecting the wires.Cut 3 pieces of wire (any color) to 7″, 5″ and 4″. Remove the insulation from 1/2 inch of each end of the wires. To do that first make a cut on the plastic insulation all around the wire. Then pull the insulation out. Try Use the 7″ ling wire to connect the battery holder to the one of the contact screws on the lamp holder. Use the 5″ long wire to connect the remaining contact screw of the lamp holder to one of the screws on the switch Now use the 4″ long wire to connect the remaining screw on the switch to the remaining clip of the battery holder.

These pictures on the right show how you connect and secure the wire to the battery holder clips. Simply push the spring, insert the wire and then release the spring. (Handle the clips with care because they may come off with excess force)To connect the wires to the screws on the lamp holder or the switch, first bend the end of the wire like U shape and then hook them under the screw, and then tighten the screw. Warning: 1. No electrical contact will be made if you have not removed the insulation from the ends of the wire. 2. Do not use flame to remove the insulation. Doing this is dangerous and will blacken the ends of the wire.

Test your circuit:

Insert the battery, screw a light bulb into the lamp holder and close the switch. The light bulb must light up. If it does not check all the contacts and try again. You may also need to check the battery and the light bulb.

The circuit or switch is open, The light is off.	The circuit or switch is closed, The light is on.

Opportunities for Science Projects
You may use your kit in relation to many different science projects. Construction of a simple electric circuit by itself may be used as a science project for many different grades. You may also use some color paper to make a nice lamp shade for it and use it as your night light. Some other students may need to use their completed circuit to do further research for their science project. Two common project ideas that use this kit are described in the two experiments bellow:

Decorate your lamp:

You may optionally make a lamp shade or a model house using thin color paper and place it on the lamp.

Materials and Equipment:

The materials you need for making a simple electric circuit are shown bellow.

The above materials are available in the form of a kit at robotiik.com. The product code is KITSEC and you can order it online.

Results of Experiment (Observation):

Experiments are often done in series. A series of experiments can be done by changing one variable a different amount each time. A series of experiments is made up of separate experimental “runs.” During each run you make a measurement of how much the variable affected the system under study. For each run, a different amount of change in the variable is used. This produces a different amount of response in the system. You measure this response, or record data, in a table for this purpose. This is considered “raw data” since it has not been processed or interpreted yet. When raw data gets processed mathematically, for example, it becomes results.

Summary of Results:
Summarize what happened.

Studying tables and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations. Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. As a result, science becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Why don’t the birds get killed when they sit on high voltage electrical cables?

This is a common question for those who know “most high voltage electrical cables have no insulation.”. The answer is simple. Because High voltage electricity can kill if it passes trough your body. When birds sit on the power cable, the electrical current cannot pass trough their body because no part of their body is touching the ground or any other wire. With the same token, someone wearing thick rubber shoes may touch a 110 volt electrical cable with one hand and stay safe. For very high voltages such as 6000 volts, no insulation can protect us and also we must stay at least 5 feet away from such high voltage cables. (As a result why most of all cables don’t have any insulation on them).