Simple Electric Circuit
|
The Simple Electric Circuit will help you
to learn the basic concepts of electricity and electrical circuits. You
will experience and build a light circuit powered by a battery and
controlled by a switch. You will also learn about electrical conductors
and insulators. You may use your
kit in connection with your science project or you may just try it as an
educational activity or technology project.
If you are doing a science project, you
will need additional materials to complete your project.
|
Check the content of your kit. The Simple Electric Circuit Kit includes:
- Wooden base to mount the circuit
- 2 Light Bulbs (1.2 Volt)
- 1 lamp holder
- 1 Battery holder (for D size battery)
- 1 Simple Switch (Known as knife
switch)
- Screws used to mount the
switch and the lamp holder
- Insulated solid copper wire (Gage 22)
-
Adult Supervision is required (but not
included!)
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.
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
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:
- Can electricity create heat? To do
this project you will also need a thermometer to show that the light
bulb is getting hot.
- Identify conductors and insulators
around you. It is important to know what materials are conductive and
what materials are not. The test is simple. Open the switch and place
the object between the poles of the switch. If the light comes on, then
the object is conductive. You may try this with metals (coins, paper
clips, nails, etc.) and non-metals (glass, plastic, stone, wood, etc.)
These two experiments are described bellow:
Experiment 1: Can electricity create
heat?
Introduction: Electricity and heat
are two different types of energy. In physics we learn that energy cannot be
destroyed. It can only be converted to other types of energy. In this
project we intend to show that electrical energy can be converted to heat.
For this experiment you will use your simple electric circuit, a glass
thermometer and a clock that can show seconds.
Procedure:
Make sure the switch is open and the light
is off. Place the bulb of a glass thermometer on the top of your light bulb
and cover both with black electrical tape so that the light cannot leak out.
Let this sit at room for 10 minutes to make sure that everything is at room
temperature. Record the temperature shown on the thermometer, set your clock
and turn on the switch on the top of the hour. Read and record the
temperature every 60 seconds (one minute). Your data table may look like
this:
Minutes |
Temperature |
0 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
Experiment 2: Identify conductors and
insulators around you. or
What Materials are
Conductors of Electricity?
Introduction: By learning about
conductors and insulators we can keep ourselves and our electrical equipment
safe. Every year thousands of children and adults around the world are
electrocuted because they did not use proper insulation while contacting
with electrical wires or equipment. So much loss of life is a clear signal
that every one must learn about electricity and safeguarding it by using
insulators. This experiment is a fundamental step toward such education.
Procedure: Make sure the switch in
your simple electric circuit is open and the light is off. Then place
different objects between the poles of the switch one at a time. If placing
the object between the poles of the switch can close the circuit and the
light bulbs turns on, then the object is conductive. If the light does not
come on, then the object is an insulator. Some of the objects you may try
are: Coins, nails, gold and silver pieces, paper clips, safety pins, Pencil
and the pencil's lead, rubber, wood, plastics, glass and aluminum foil.
Your results table may look like this:
Material |
Conductivity |
Iron nail |
Conductive |
Rubber eraser |
Insulator |
Coin (US Quarter) |
|
Glass |
|
.... |
|
Warning: The voltage (electrical
power) of a battery (also known as dry cell) is usually about 1.5 Volts.
When a material is insulator for 1.5 volt, it may be conductive for higher
voltages. Even air is conductive for high voltages. You must be more careful
as you start experimenting with higher voltages in future.
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. 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; however, the same
person may get electrocuted if he is touching a moist concrete wall or a
water pipe with his other hand. For very high voltages such as 6000 volts,
no insulation can protect us and we must stay at least 5 feet away from such
high voltage cables. (That is why such cables don't have any insulation on
them).
If you do not have this kit or the
materials to complete your project, you can buy them online. Order
early so you can save on shipping charges. |
|
|