Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Critical Content
Science 8: Electric Circuit
Activity 2
Circuit
Connections
Activity 2A
Given the ff. materials,
–2 - 2.2 V light bulb with holder
–2 - 1.5 V dry cell
–3 connecting wires w/ alligator clips
Construct a circuit such that if you
unscrew one bulb, the other bulb will
not light. Note the brightness of the bulbs
before you unscrew one bulb.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 5
What do you call Circuit A?
SERIES CIRCUIT
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 6
What do you call Circuit B?
PARALLEL CIRCUIT
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 7
PREDICT, TEST AND EXPLAIN
How will the brightness of the bulbs change as
we add more in series?
+ + +
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 8
SERIES CIRCUIT
When electrons have
to flow through one
part to get to the next
part
More components =
more resistance
Increase resistance =
decrease current (flow)
Less current =
less bright bulbs
As voltage increases,
current increases
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 9
SERIES CIRCUIT PROS & CONS
Problems with Series:
The more devices (resistors) in a series circuit,
the less current passes through (dimmer bulbs).
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 10
SERIES CIRCUIT - RESISTANCE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 12
SERIES CIRCUIT - VOLTAGE
Voltage is the electric equivalent of
water pressure.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 13
TO SUM IT UP…
Series
Resistance
RT = R1+R2+ R3…
(R)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 14
SERIES CIRCUIT - EXAMPLE
• Given
– Vbattery = 12 V
– R1 = 50 W, R2 = 100 W, R3 = 100 W
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 15
PREDICT, TEST AND EXPLAIN
How will the brightness of the bulbs change as
we add more in parallel?
+ + +
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 16
PARALLEL CIRCUIT PROS & CONS
Advantages
The more devices (resistors) in a parallel circuit, does
not decrease the current (does not dim bulbs).
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 17
PARALLEL CIRCUIT - RESISTANCE
• Resistors added side-by-side
• The more paths, the less TOTAL
resistance.
1/ RT=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3
• Ex. 2 resistors in parallel with 4Ω
each.
• Since the circuit offers
two equal pathways for charge flow,
only 1/2 the charge will choose to
pass through a given branch.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 18
THE TOLL GATE ANALOGY
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/Lesson-4/Two-Types-of-Connections
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 20
PARALLEL CIRCUIT - VOLTAGE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 21
TO SUM IT UP…
Parallel
Voltage (V) VT = V1 = V2 = …
Current (I) IT = I1 + I2 + …
Resistance
1/RT=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3
(R)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 22
SERIES VS. PARALLEL CIRCUIT
Series Parallel
Vtot = V1 + V2 +
Voltage (V) Vtot = V1 = V2 = …
V3…
Resistance 1/Req=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3
Req = R1+R2+ R3…
(R)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 23
Which is better? Series or Parallel?
Parallel
• Most things are wired in parallel
• Because of the fact that the more you plug in,
the intensity doesn’t decrease.
• Of course, this also increases the risk of fire
• This is why homes have fuses or circuit
breakers. They turn off everything in the
circuit when current moves too fast.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 24
Activity 3
The Shortcut
Guide Questions
a) What happened to the bulb when the exposed
parts of the wire touch momentarily?
(The light of the bulb went out/becomes dimmer)
b) How does it feel? (It feels hot/warm?)
c) What would happen if we let the exposed
wires touch for a longer period of time?
(It will become very hot.)
d) What do you call this circuit and why?
(Short circuit. Because the current takes the path of
least resistance.)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 26
Which of these bulbs will light?
Build the circuits!
Electricity will always
A. take the easiest path.
x
electricity does not pass
through the bulb.
The cell or battery still
loses energy because ,
C. electricity is still flowing.
x This type of circuit is
known as a SHORT
CIRCUIT.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
What is a short circuit?
Current will always pass along the path of least resistance.
The resistance of the wires in a circuit is low compared to the
resistance of components, such as bulbs.
If current can flow without passing through the components
in a circuit, this is called a short circuit.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 28
Circuit Protector
Fuse
A fuse is a safety device that
protects an electric cable from
overheating so that the
insulation does not catch fire.
Electronic
Symbol
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 29
How does a fuse work?
A fuse is a built-in weak point in a circuit. It contains a thin
wire with a higher resistance than normal wire.
terminals