Digital Inquiry - Circuits

Last updated over 1 year ago

9 questions

VIDEO: ELECTRICITY
Click the link to watch a video about the
basics of electricity.

In this video segment from IdahoPTV's Science Trek you follow electricity from its generation at a hydroelectric plant to your home, while learning some of the vocabulary about electricity. Discover some other sources of electricity, and why it is so dangerous.

How does water help communities generate electrical energy for their homes and businesses?

What other forms of energy are produced from electricity?

READ: ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
As you read the text, think about how an electric current flows through series and parallel circuits. Click the link to read and explore the text.

How do series and parallel circuits differ?

Why would you want to use a parallel circuit rather than a series circuit?

TEXT: CIRCUITS
An electric circuit is a pathway for the flow (movement) of electricity. To light an LED, you need several things: a power source, a path for the flow of electricity, and the LED.

The power source can be a 9-volt battery. A copper wire is an excellent conductor of electricity for the pathway. A conductor must allow electricity to flow freely. The LED is called the load in this circuit. A load, like the load of books you might carry, is what uses the energy in the circuit.

The power source provides electricity to flow (move) through the circuit. As the electric flow reaches the LED, the LED lights up. That’s not the end of the circuit. The electricity must continue to flow back to the battery power source.

The complete pathway from the positive side of the battery and back to the negative side is a closed circuit. If there is a break anywhere along the path, electricity will not flow. The incomplete circuit with a break in it, like an open switch, is called an open circuit.

What path does the current follow in a closed circuit?

What materials are necessary for a circuit to work?

VIDEO: DESIGNING CIRCUITS
Click the link to watch the 4-minute video and learn about how we can think like engineers and use circuits in innovative ways.

Electrical circuits are used in a wide variety of technological innovations, from television sets to windshield wipers, escalators to telephones. In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members use electrical circuits to create door alarms out of a variety of materials. This resource is useful for introducing components of Engineering Design (ETS) from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to grade 3-8 students.

What materials do the teams use to build their circuits?

Why do they choose those materials?

________________  is made up of negatively charged particles called electrons. Electricity is found in circuits for things like phones and computers. ______________  is also an example of electricity. Electric circuits allow us to produce light, heat, sound and motion.

There are two types of circuits: ___________  and _____________ . In a series circuit, the electric current only has ________  path to follow. This means if one part of the circuit breaks, the entire circuit goes out. In a parallel circuit, the current has _____________  pathways to follow. This means if one part of the circuit breaks, the rest of the circuit will continue working.

For a circuit to work, there are a few materials that are required. First, you need wires. These
can be made from any metal because metal is a ______________ . Silver, Copper, and Gold are all excellent conductors. Next, you need batteries which act as a _________________ . Lastly, you need a load.  A _________  is the device you want to do the work. A lightbulb, a motor, and a buzzer are all examples of loads. When all these parts are connected, they make a closed circuit for the current to flow in. Opening the circuit breaks the flow of electricity and the circuit stops working.

A _________  is a thin metal wire used in circuits. Fuses protect the more expensive parts of a circuit by taking on more of the heat generated by the electricity. If the circuit is overloaded, the fuse will overheat and break the circuit, stopping the flow of electricity.

Electricity has allowed us to engineer and _____________  in many ways. We are surrounded by technology that depends on circuits to work.