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ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
What is an electric current?
• Electric Current - a flow of electrons from the (+) terminal to the (-) terminal of a cell/battery through wires and components
+-
Open and Closed Circuits• Open circuit = switch is open =
no current is flowing = bulb does not light
• Closed circuit = switch is closed = current is flowing = bulb lights up
Circuit Diagram
Cell/Battery
Switch
BulbWires
Resistor in a bulb
Resistor
Circuit Diagram
Types of Circuits
• Series Circuits – current takes only one path and is the same at all the points
Series Circuits• If one bulb blows out, it breaks
the circuit and all the bulbs go out
• If you add more cells/batteries to a series circuit, the bulbs burn brighter
Types of Circuits
• Parallel Circuits – current takes more than one path and is NOT the same at all the points
Parallel Circuits• If one bulb blows out, there is
still another complete circuit for the bulb to stay lit
Conductors and Insulators• Conductors – objects in which
electrical current easily passes through such as metals
• Insulators – objects that resist the flow of electrical current such as plastic, wood, paper, and rubber
Conductor or Insulator?
Conductor
Brighter or Dimmer?
Brighter
Series or Parallel?
Parallel
Series or Parallel?
Series
Series or Parallel?
Parallel
B
A - Resistor
B - Switch
C - Bulb
D – Wire
E - Cell/Battery
A – Parallel
B – Series
