Name ________________________ Date ___________ Period ___ Circuits Lab - Phet
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc-virtual-lab
***Answer the following questions using full sentences.***
Part 1: Build a circuit with one battery, one bulb, an open switch, and wire.
1) Draw a picture of the circuit.
2) What happens when the switch is closed? (List at least two effects that you observe.)
3) What are the blue balls in the simulation and which end of the battery are they attracted to?
4) In how many places must the battery be connected in order for the blue balls to move?
5) In how many places must the bulb be connected to light?
6) What causes the blue balls to move through the bulb?
7) What happens when a wire is added to the working circuit but does not connect to any device?
8) What happens when the battery connection is reversed?
9) Does current flow when the switch is open or when the switch is closed?
10) What happens when the light bulb is removed and the wires connected? What is this condition
called?
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Name ________________________ Date ___________ Period ___ Circuits Lab - Phet
Types of Circuits:
Have you ever wondered how the lights in your house are wired?
Why does an entire sting of Christmas tree lights go out when one
bulb buns out? Why do the lights in the classroom stay on when one
bulb burns out?
Did you know?
Light bulbs can be wired two different ways, parallel and series.
Parallel:
Series:
Key Questions:
How do light bulbs behave similarly and differently when they are wired in parallel in series? What
are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of wiring?
Part 2: Building series circuits
Build a series circuit with two bulbs.
1) Draw a picture of your circuit.
2) How does the speed of the blue balls compare with the speed of the balls in your first circuit?
3) How does the brightness of the bulbs compare to the bulb in your first circuit?
4) What happens to the brightness of the bulbs when you have three bulbs in series?
5) What happens to the other bulbs when one bulb is removed?
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Eibling &davis2012
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Name ________________________ Date ___________ Period ___ Circuits Lab - Phet
Part 3: Building parallel circuits
Build a parallel circuit with two bulbs.
1) Draw a picture of your circuit.
2) How does the speed of the blue balls compare with the speed of the balls in your circuit
from part 1?
3) How does the brightness of the bulbs compare to the bulb in your circuit from part 1?
4) What happens to the brightness if the bulbs when you have three bulbs in parallel?
5) What happens to the other bulbs when one bulb is removed?
Part 4
6) Is a house wired in parallel or series? How do you know?
7) Are Christmas tree lights wired in parallel or series? How do you know?
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Name ________________________ Date ___________ Period ___ Circuits Lab - Phet
Part 5: Application
Hair dryers and toasters both get hot because electrons flow through the wires. When the number
of electrons moving through the wires increases the wire get hotter.
Ranking
There is an outlet at the location of each appliance (represented by batteries). Circle the circuit in
which the hair dryer get or toaster will get hotter? How do you know?
a) Series
b) Series
In which circuit will the electrons move
faster?
What will happen to the remaining hair drier(s) if one
of the hair driers is unplugged?
c)Series
d) Parallel
In which circuit will the electrons move
faster?
What will happen to the remaining toaster(s) if one of
the toasters is unplugged?
e) Parallel
f) Parallel
What will happen to the remaining toaster(s) if one of
the toasters is unplugged?
In which circuit will the electrons move
faster through the battery?
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