Open & Closed Circuits
What happens when a switch opens an open circuit?
What is: The entire current stops flowing, and all the lights turn off
What happens if one bulb is removed from a simple parallel circuit?
What is: The other bulbs can stay on
What is the main difference between series and parallel circuits?
What is: Series has one path; parallel has multiple paths.
What usually happens if one bulb breaks in a simple series circuit?
What is: All the bulbs go out
1. What do you call materials that allow electricity to flow easily?
2. What do you call materials that resist the flow of electricity?
What is:
1. Conductors
2. Insulators
What happens when a switch closes a closed circuit?
What is: Current can still flow, and the other lights are still turn on.
Are household lights generally connected in series or parallel?
What is: Parallel
What type of circuit has a broken path?
What is: An open circuit
Do series circuits have one path or multiple paths?
What is: One path
Why are copper wires commonly used in electrical circuits?
What is: Because copper allows electricity to flow easily
Why does electricity stop flowing when a wire is disconnected?
What is: The path is no longer complete.
If one bulb is disconnected in a parallel circuit, what happens to the brightness of an identical bulb on another branch?
What is: It stays about the same with an ideal battery
What type of circuit has a complete path for electricity?
What is: A closed circuit
Why do all bulbs go out if one bulb breaks in a series circuit?
What is: The break interrupts the only path for current
Why are electrical wires often covered in plastic?
What is: Plastic helps prevent electric current from reaching people or other objects
A battery, wires, and bulb are connected with no gaps. What type of circuit is it?
What is: A closed circuit
Why are parallel circuits useful for household lights?
What is: Each light can work independently, so one turning off doesn't necessarily turn off the others.
How many paths does a series circuit have?
What is: One
Why might two identical bulbs in series be dimmer than one bulb using the same battery?
What is: The battery's voltage is shared between the bulbs
A circuit has a battery, a bulb, and a metal wire. The bulb lights up when the wire connects both ends of the circuit. Explain the role of the wire.
What is: The wire acts as a conductor, providing a path for electric current to flow through the circuit
A circuit has two batteries, a switch, wires, and a light bulb. The switch is closed, but the bulb still doesn't light up because one wire is broken. Is the circuit open or closed, and why?
What is: The circuit is open because the broken wire creates a gap in the path, preventing electric current from flowing—even though the switch is closed.
A parallel circuit has three identical bulbs connected to a battery. One bulb is disconnected. What happens to the other bulbs' brightness, and why?
What is: The other bulbs stay about the same brightness because each bulb has its own path and still receives the same battery voltage.
How many paths does a parallel circuit have?
What is: Two or more
A series circuit has three light bulbs. One bulb burns out, and all the lights turn off. Why does this happen, and what would happen if the bulbs were connected in parallel instead?
What is: In a series circuit, all bulbs share one path, so when one bulb breaks, the path is interrupted and all lights turn off. In a parallel circuit, each bulb has its own path, so the other bulbs would stay on.
Why can a metal wire conduct electricity while its plastic coating does not?
What is: Metals contain electrons that can move freely and carry electric charge, while plastic holds its electrons more tightly and resists current flow