What is a Circuit?
Purpose:
Construct simple circuits using a battery, wires, a switch, bulb, and bulb holder.
Draw circuit diagrams using proper symbols.
Measure the voltage of a battery with an electrical meter.
Measure the voltage of batteries in and out of circuits.
SAFETY: If a battery or wire gets hot, disconnect the circuit and inform the teacher immediately. ALWAYS have a bulb somewhere in your circuit. DO NOT connect a wire directly from one terminal of the battery to the other terminal. This is a short circuit, which can start a fire.
Procedure: Part 1
Analysis: Answer the following questions in your lab book, then upload photos of your answers to Edmodo.
Construct simple circuits using a battery, wires, a switch, bulb, and bulb holder.
Draw circuit diagrams using proper symbols.
Measure the voltage of a battery with an electrical meter.
Measure the voltage of batteries in and out of circuits.
SAFETY: If a battery or wire gets hot, disconnect the circuit and inform the teacher immediately. ALWAYS have a bulb somewhere in your circuit. DO NOT connect a wire directly from one terminal of the battery to the other terminal. This is a short circuit, which can start a fire.
Procedure: Part 1
- Build a circuit using a battery, one wire, and a bulb. When you get the light bulb to light, draw the circuit diagram of what you built.
- Add a switch to your circuit. Check that the switch turns the light bulb on and off. When you get the light bulb to light, draw the circuit diagram of what you built.
- Disconnect your circuit.
- Gather the electrical meter and the battery.
- Connect the meter leads to the meter.
- Set the meter to measure DC volts.
- Place the red positive lead on the meter on the positive terminal of the battery.
- Place the black negative lead of the meter on the negative terminal of the battery.
- Record the voltage reading.
- Build a circuit with the battery you tested in Part 2, a bulb, a bulb holder, and wires.
- Measure the voltage across the battery exactly as you did in Part 2. DO NOT DISCONNECT THE CIRCUIT.
Analysis: Answer the following questions in your lab book, then upload photos of your answers to Edmodo.
- How much difference was there between the battery voltage when it was not lighting the bulb and when it was lighting the bulb?
- A battery has chemicals inside that reach with each other and release energy. This energy separates and moves the charges to each terminal of the battery. Draw a picture that shows how the charges separate to the different terminals.
- What do you predict would happen if you measured the voltage across TWO batteries?
- Describe what you would expect to happen to the brightness of a bulb in a one-battery circuit to a bulb in a two-battery circuit.