Electric Current and Circuits Lab: Objective: Materials

Electric Current and Circuits Lab
Objective: Understand the basic parts of a circuit and how an electric current moves through it.
Materials:
 battery
 battery clip
 light bulb
 wire
Procedure:
1. Read the paragraphs covering “Electric Current”. Answer the questions 1-6 on your answer
sheet.
2. Try to light the bulb by creating a circuit using only a battery, one bulb, and one wire. (It may
take a few tries, but it IS possible!)
3. Draw at least two ways that worked and two that didn’t work on the chart on your answer sheet
under the “one wire” column.
4. Now take a second wire and see if you can apply what you have learned to lighting the bulb
using two wires instead of one.
5. Draw at least two ways that worked and two that didn’t work on the chart on your answer sheet
under the “two wires” column.
6. Take another piece of wire and a switch. Add the switch to your circuit and experiment to see
how the switch works to open and close the circuit. Explain on your answer sheet.
7. After you have completed the above experiment by using additional wires, bulbs, and batteries.
Electrical Circuits Lab Answer Sheet
Questions for “Electric Current” reading:
1. What is an electric current?
2. What is the unit of measurement for rate of electric current?
3. What causes an electric current to form?
4. Electric current flows from areas of _____________________ potential energy to areas of

__________________ potential energy.
5. What’s another term for potential difference & what unit is used to measure it?
6. What is an example of a source of voltage?
Creating an Electric Circuit:

 Draw diagrams of the configurations that worked and did not work to light the bulb using the battery
and the wire.
 Make sure it’s clear which end of the battery is which and exactly where you are attaching the
wire.
WORKED
ONE WIRE TWO WIRES
DID NOT WORK
ONE WIRE TWO WIRES
7. Explain why the circuits in your “Did Not Work” table didn’t work.
8. What was the energy source in your circuits?
9. Is a switch necessary to make a circuit work? Explain why or why not.
10. Compare what happens to an electric current when it reaches an open switch and when it reaches a
closed switch.
11. Why would you want to include a switch in an electric circuit?
12. What do you think would happen to the current of electricity if you remove the light bulb?
13. Why can devices that are run by electrical energy be considered resistors?
14. Draw the circuit you created with the switch and label all of the parts. Draw arrows to show the
direction of the current.
Electric Current
When electrons move, they carry electrical energy from one place to another. This is called current electricity or
an electric current. A current of electricity is a steady flow of electrons. When electrons move from one place
to another, round a circuit, they carry electrical energy from place to place like marching ants carrying leaves.
Instead of carrying leaves, electrons carry a tiny amount of electric charge.
A lightning bolt is one example of an electric current, although it does not last very long. Electric currents are
also involved in powering all the electrical appliances that you use, from washing machines to flashlights and
from telephones to MP3 players. These electric currents last much longer.
Electric currents are measured in amperes (A), or amps. The higher the number of amps, the more electrical
energy in the current.
Have you heard of the terms potential energy and kinetic energy? Potential energy means energy that is stored
somehow for use in the future. A car at the top of a hill has potential energy, because it has the potential (or
ability) to roll down the hill in future. When it's rolling down the hill, its potential energy is gradually converted
into kinetic energy (the energy something has because it's moving).
Static electricity and current electricity are like potential energy and kinetic energy. When electricity gathers in
one place, it has the potential to do something in the future. Electricity stored in a battery is an example of
electrical potential energy. You can use the energy in the battery to power a flashlight, for example. When you
switch on a flashlight, the battery inside begins to supply electrical energy to the lamp, making it give off light.
All the time the light is switched on, energy is flowing from the battery to the lamp.
The electrical current that runs from the battery to the bulb is caused by the differences in potential energy of
the two locations. This is called potential difference. In batteries, this difference is caused by the positive and
negative terminals. The current will flow from the positive end of the battery, through the wire and any load
attached, and back into the negative end of the battery. The electric charges will always flow from a region of
higher potential energy (the positive terminal) to a region of lower potential energy (the negative terminal). The
potential difference of an electric current is also called voltage and is measured in units called volts (V). The
higher the voltage, the bigger the difference in potential energy.
Electric Circuits
For an electric current to happen, there must be a circuit. A circuit is a closed path or loop around which an
electric current flows. Most circuits have three parts: an energy source, one or more loads, and conductors
(wires) that connect the two. A circuit may also have a switch that can be open, which stops the flow of current,
or closed, which allows the current to flow. Energy can only flow through a circuit that is closed. Opening a
circuit stops the movement of charged particles that produces the electric current.
For example, in a flashlight, there is a simple circuit with a switch, a lamp, and a battery linked together by a
few short pieces of copper wire. When you turn the switch on, electricity flows through the circuit. If there is a
break anywhere in the circuit, electricity cannot flow. If one of the wires is broken, for example, the lamp will
not light. Similarly, if the switch is turned off, no electricity can flow.
Parts of an Electrical Circuit

 Energy Source – A circuit needs an energy source to push a charge through the circuit. A battery
creates a potential difference between its negative and positive terminals. Electric charges are repelled
by the negative terminal and attracted toward the positive terminal.
 Loads – a load is a device in a circuit that operates using electrical energy. Examples of leads include
light bulbs, bells, radios, and motors.
 Conductors – a conductor is a material that allows electrical energy to flow through it easily. Metals
make good conductors, so wires drawn from metals are most often used in circuits. Wires carry
electrical current from the energy source to the load or loads that are part of the circuit.
 Resistors – a resistor is an object added to a circuit that restricts the flow of electrical energy. Resistors
inhibit the flow of electric current by producing a voltage drop when current passes through them. They
limit current and cause some electric energy to be given off as heat.
 Switch - a switch is a device that is used to control the flow of current through a circuit. A switch works
by separating (open) or bringing together (closed) two conductors attached to a circuit. When the switch
is open, the path that the electric charge can follow is broken, so no electricity flows through the circuit.
When the switch is closed, it creates a continuous path through which a current can flow.
Direction of
current Bulb
(load)
Battery Wire
(energy source) (conductor)

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Electric Current and Circuits Lab

2. What is the unit of measurement for rate of electric current?

3. What causes an electric current to form?

4. Electric current flows from areas of _____________________ potential energy to areas of

6. What is an example of a source of voltage?

Creating an Electric Circuit:

8. What was the energy source in your circuits?

9. Is a switch necessary to make a circuit work? Explain why or why not.

11. Why would you want to include a switch in an electric circuit?

Parts of an Electrical Circuit

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