This document provides an overview of an electric circuits workshop. It introduces key questions about electricity and the flow of understanding needed to comprehend circuits. It describes the parts of a circuits kit that can be used to build simple series and parallel circuits using batteries, wires, bulbs, and switches. Instructions are provided to construct circuits and observe how adding batteries, bulbs, or changing the wiring configuration affects brightness. The water and resistance analogies help explain circuit behavior. Measurements are also taken using a multimeter to analyze voltage and current in different circuit setups.

1. Foundations of
Physical Science
Workshop: Electric Circuits

2. Electric Circuits
CPO Science

3. Key Questions
What “flow of understanding”
provides the necessary
foundation for an understanding
of electricity?
What kinds of electric circuits
can you build?
How does electricity behave?

4. Light the Bulb!
What needs to
happen to get
the bulb to
light?

5. Parts of our Circuits Kit
 Wooden Board
 Wires of various lengths
 On/Off switches
 Bulbs and holder
 Resistors – fixed and variable

6. Build a simple Circuit
 Place the bulb in a socket
 Use one D cell
 Make the bulb light!
 Add a switch to conserve D cell energy
 Use your finger to trace the path of
electricity from one terminal of the D
cell to the other terminal

7. Parts of a Circuit
 Wire
 Bulb
 Battery
 Switch
Symbols used for
Diagramming

8. Let’s build on this…
 Add a second D cell to your circuit, right
next to the first. Be sure to match up
positive terminal with negative terminal
 Do you notice any difference?
 Add a second light bulb to the circuit,
keeping only one pathway for electricity
to follow
 What do you observe now?

9. Series Circuit

10. Another way to light two
bulbs
Keep two D cells in the circuit
Wire up the 2 light bulbs so that
there are two branches or pathways
for electricity to follow
 What differences do you observe?

11. Parallel Circuit

12. Can you explain why
the bulbs in a
parallel circuit are
brighter?

13. Water Analogy

14. Resistance and Current
Inverse Relationship

15. Voltage
The amount of
potential energy
that each unit of
charge has

16. Review
V = voltage, measured in volts
I = current, measured in
amperes, or amp
R = resistance, measured in
Ohms, symbol W

17. Using the Multimeter to measure
Voltage
 Battery by itself  Battery in a circuit

18. Using the Multimeter to
measure Current
 Multimeter
completes the
circuit
 Current in a
circuit

19. Analyze Circuits
1 bulb 2 bulbs in
series
2 bulbs in
parallel
Total voltage
available
Voltage across
each bulb
Total current at
terminal
Current through
each bulb

20. Why are parallel bulbs brighter?
1 bulb 2 bulbs in
series
2 bulbs in
parallel
Total voltage
available
2.8 V 2.8 V 2.8 V
Voltage across
each bulb
2.8 V 1.4 V 2.8 V
Total current at
terminal
.12 A .10 A 0.24 A
Current through
each bulb
.12 A .10 A 0.12 A