Use the Circuit Simulator to build closed circuits, compare series and parallel paths, and explain how voltage, current, resistance, and switches affect a load.
Lesson Focus
Anchor question: why can one broken bulb turn off an entire string of lights, while other light strings keep glowing? Today you will build circuits and use evidence from bulbs, switches, meters, and electron flow to explain the difference.
Section 1Build a Working Circuit~20 min
Reference
A circuit needs a complete closed path for charge to flow.
A load, such as a bulb or resistor, transforms electrical energy into another form.
Voltage is the energy difference supplied by a source. Current is the rate of charge flow. Resistance opposes current.
A switch controls a circuit by opening or closing the path.
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Open the Circuit Simulator
Build circuits using batteries, bulbs, resistors, switches, fuses, and wires. Watch electron flow and compare brightness as you change the design.
Build a simple circuit with one battery, one bulb, and wires.
2
Open one wire or add an open switch. Record what changes.
3
Add a second bulb in the same path to make a series circuit.
4
Build a parallel circuit with two separate bulb paths.
Test Circuit
What Did You Build?
What Happened to the Bulb(s)?
What Evidence Shows Current Flow?
Simple closed circuit
Open circuit or open switch
Two bulbs in series
Two bulbs in parallel
Section 2Compare Series and Parallel~25 min
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Pattern hunt
Focus on paths. A series circuit has one path. A parallel circuit has more than one path. Use this idea to explain what happens when one path is opened.
Closed Path
Why does a bulb go out when the circuit path is open?
Series Circuit
What happens to the other bulb if one bulb or wire is removed from a series circuit?
Parallel Circuit
What happens to the other branch if one branch of a parallel circuit is opened?
Energy Transfer
What energy change happens in a bulb when the circuit is working?
Voltage, Current, and Resistance
Use the sim to increase voltage or add resistance. What changes in brightness or current do you observe?
Write your answer using the words voltage, current, resistance, and brightness.
Section 3Use the Model~20 min
Situation
Prediction
Reasoning
A switch is opened in the only path of a circuit.
One bulb is removed from a two-bulb series circuit.
One branch is opened in a parallel circuit with two branches.
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Final Task
Karen says, "Electricity gets used up by the first bulb, so the second bulb has no electricity left." Correct her using current, energy transfer, and circuit path.
Karen Prompt
Write a short correction. Include one piece of evidence from the sim.
Exit Ticket
Answer the anchor question: why can one broken bulb turn off an entire light string, while another light string keeps glowing?
Finished?
Save your completed work as a PDF when you are done. Your answers are saved automatically while you type.
If you need to come back later on the same device, your answers should still be here.