What a learner can do afterwards
- Build a complete series circuit that lights a bulb or sounds a buzzer
- Name each component: cell (battery), wire, bulb, switch, buzzer
- Explain the role of each component in making the circuit work
The lesson
A circuit is a loop that electricity travels around. The loop must be complete, with no gaps, from the cell all the way back to the cell.
Ben connects a cell to a switch with one wire. He connects the switch to a bulb with a second wire. Then he connects the bulb back to the cell with a third wire. When Ben closes the switch, the loop is complete and the bulb lights up.
A switch is a small gap you can open or close. Close it and the loop is complete, so the bulb or buzzer turns on. Open it and the gap breaks the loop, so the power stops.
Every circuit needs a cell to push the electricity, wires to carry it, and something that uses it, like a bulb that lights up or a buzzer that makes sound.
A simple circuit is a complete loop of cell, wires, and a bulb or buzzer, with a switch to turn it on or off.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.