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A Circuit That Lights a Bulb

Electricity can only flow when it has a complete path to travel all the way around. This loop of parts makes that path, so the bulb lights up.

In the picture

  1. The battery, which pushes the electricity out and around the loop.
  2. The red wire, the path the electricity travels along.
  3. The bulb, which glows when electricity passes through its thin filament.
  4. The switch, with its lever pressed down so the loop is joined.

Examples

  • A torch lights up when you slide its switch, joining the battery to the tiny bulb inside.
  • A doorbell rings only while your finger holds the button down and closes the circuit.

Quiz: A Circuit That Lights a Bulb (Age 9)

  1. A bulb only lights up when the parts are joined in a certain way. What has to be true?

    • The electricity has a complete path that goes all the way around and comes back.
    • The electricity travels to the bulb and stops there inside it.
    • Each part is joined to the battery by its own separate wire.
  2. Someone lifts the lever on the switch so the two sides no longer touch. What happens to the bulb?

    • It glows brighter, because the electricity slows down.
    • It goes out, because the loop is no longer complete.
    • It stays lit, because the battery still has energy in it.
  3. Which part gives the electricity the push that sends it all the way around the circuit?

    • The bulb
    • The wire
    • The battery

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.

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Science, Age 9