Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Circuit Builder
Vocabulary: circuit, closed circuit, conductor, current, electron, fuse, insulator, open circuit,
parall
...
Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Circuit Builder
Vocabulary: circuit, closed circuit, conductor, current, electron, fuse, insulator, open circuit,
parallel circuit, series circuit, short circuit
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. What do a light bulb, a toaster, a radio, and a computer all have in common?
They all have electrical currents.
2. Suppose you connect a battery to a small light bulb with a single wire. What do you think will
happen? Explain your answer.
Nothing
Gizmo Warm-up: Build a circuit
1. Using the Standard components in the upper left of the Gizmo™,
try to get a light bulb to light up. You can drag as many bulbs, wires,
batteries, switches and fuses as you like onto the circuit board.
A circuit is a path containing easily moveable charges. When the
light bulb lights up, negatively-charged particles called electrons
are flowing through the wire and bulb. This flow is called current.
2. Now try to light the bulb
with the smallest number
of components.
Make a sketch of your
simple circuit in this
space:
3. Based on what you have seen, what must be true for a circuit to light a bulb? You need the
switch a light bulb wire and a battery and a fuse.
https://www.coursehero.com/file/30890986/CircuitBuilderSEdoc/
This study resource was
shared via CourseHero.comActivity A:
Closing a circuit
Get the Gizmo ready:
Click Clear.
Turn on Show current and select
Electron flow.
Set up components as shown to the right.
Introduction: You should have just built an open circuit (shown above). The gap on the left
prevents the flow of charges. There are no gaps in a closed circuit, so charges can flow.
Question: What materials will close a circuit?
1. Predict: Conductors are materials with easily movable charges, allowing current to occur.
Insulators do not have easily movable charges, so current is not produced. Look at the nine
Materials at lower left. Which do you think are conductors? Which are insulators?
A. Predicted conductors: lead plastic yarn
B. Predicted insulators: glass iron silver wood brass copper
C. How could you use your open circuit to test if a material is a conductor or insulator?
Fill in the whole
2. Experiment: Drag each material into the gap of the ope
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