After reading this section you will be able to do the following explain how a circuit is formed. Technologyengineering progression grades 910 the use of electrical circuits and electricity is critical to most technological systems in society. Building and comparing current intensities of series, parallel, and complex circuits stephanie marsh, moose lake high school, moose lake, mn, based upon an original activity by peggy schweiger rice high school and cathy ezrailson oak ridge high school and montgomery county college. Series and parallel circuits high school lab experiments pasco. Learners have already been introduced to series and parallel circuits in grade 8. In todays experiment, we investigated the two types of circuits and took some measurements of them. The different layouts cause the circuits to act in different ways. Compare the differences between kinetic and potential energy. Series and parallel circuits science fair, science.
In a parallel circuit, electricity has more than one path to follow. Circuit activity 2 series and parallel circuits using. By adding resistors in series, the total resistance is lowered. How to solve any series and parallel circuit problem. In this lab, students use voltage and current sensors to explore the properties of both series and parallel circuits. Series and parallel circuits worksheet set series, parallel. Demonstrate and discuss simple circuits and the differences between parallel and serial circuit design and functions. Wallace high school physics resistance in series and. Series and parallel circuits high school lab experiments pasco free webinar series view schedule register today. On this quizworksheet, youll be faced with questions concerning things such as series and parallel circuits as well as their relationship. Ppt slides to draw a table to record what happens in a series and parallel circuit.
In a parallel circuit, if one component breaks, the. Purpose to investigate the current flow and voltages in series and parallel circuits, and also to use ohms law to calculate equivalent resistances of series and parallel circuits. After completing this lab, you will be able to explain the difference between series and parallel circuits, and. Measure potential difference and current at various places in series and parallel circuits. After reading this section you will be able to do the following. A series circuit is one where all the components including the battery are connected in a single, continuous loop.
Evaluate simple series and parallel circuits to predict changes to voltage, current, or resistance when simple changes are made to a circuit. To know the difference between current, voltage potential difference and resistance. Practice problem on the board together for notes worksheet. R1 and r2 are in parallel and r3 is in series with r1.
However, they will now learn more detail about how the circuits function. Current flows from a high voltage to a lower voltage in a circuit. Components are in parallel when they are in alternate branches of a circuit. Students compare a set up of series and parallel bulbs, make predictions about how the circuit will function, record results, and discuss the circuits as a group. Based on the rule for calculating total resistance for resistors arranged both in parallel and in series, what was the total resistance in the circuit. For this lab you will be looking at voltage and current in a series circuit. Complicated circuits cells are in parallel and series. Rules of series and parallel circuits are very important for students to comprehend. High school physics series and parallel circuits in this lab, students use voltage and current sensors to explore the properties of both series and parallel circuits. High school electricity lessonplans, homework, quizzes. Parallel circuits are set up so that the current has. In a parallel circuit, if one component breaks, the rest keep working. The physics classroom, the laboratory, series versus parallel lab students explore series and parallel circuits in a very conceptual manner in order to determine how they are similar and how they are different. Public circuits, schematics, and circuit simulations on circuitlab tagged parallel.
The effect of a single bulb being removed and the effect of bulbs being added are investigated. Parallel circuits are set up so that the current has an independent path to take through each piece. Created to show intro students how to measure current and voltage in a simple seriesparallel circuit. Add resistors, light bulbs, wires and ammeters to build a circuit, explore ohms law. Your students will have to build both series and parallel circuits, remove bulbs to figure out how it impacts the flow of electricity and draw conclusions about reallife situations. To be able explain how current and potential difference. This investigation explores series and parallel circuits by connecting bulbs and observing their brightness series and parallel circuits high school lab experiments pasco free webinar series view schedule register today. Wallace high school physics resistance in series and parallel. Connecting the circuit to any other terminals will certainly result in. In this lab activity you will use only the common and 1. It was developed by a phet goldstar winning high school teacher and can be.
After completing this lab, you will be able to explain the difference between series and parallel circuits, and describe how the voltage and. In a series circuit, the parts of the circuit are in a row, one after the other so current flows through them. Circuit lab resistors in series and parallel circuitsusing. Simple parallel circuit for demonstrating voltage and current behavior to intro students. Here is a lab for middle school on series and parallel circuits. Series and parallel circuits series circuits parallel circuits calculating equivalent resistances in series circuits calculating equivalent resistances in parallel circuits. Stephanie marsh, moose lake high school, moose lake, mn, based upon an. In a series circuit, electricity can follow only one path. Normally, the first step in mathematically analyzing a circuit such as this is to determine the total circuit resistance. Pay close attention to see how similar the diagram and the real circuit looks. You may have noticed the differences in electrical circuits you use. Series and parallel circuits series circuits parallel circuits calculating equivalent resistances in series circuits calculating equivalent resistances in parallel circuits experiment time part 1 experiment time part 2 rules of thumb for series and parallel resistors series and parallel capacitors experiment time part 3. Created to show intro students how to measure current and voltage in a simple series parallel circuit.
Series and parallel circuits high school lab experiments. Circuit lab resistors in series and parallel circuits. Playing educational quizzes is a fabulous way to learn if you are in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade aged 11 to 14. Parallel circuits series and parallel circuits siyavula. Use a voltage sensor and current sensor to explore the properties of both series and parallel circuits. You will also need access to a power supply set at 6 volts, a multimeter, as well as 50, 100, and and 500 ohm resistors. Track the energyunit charge and the current as charge flows through batteries and resistors in series and parallel circuits. Discuss what would happen if a resistor was not included in a circuit. Series and parallel circuit lab christmas tree light bulbs, small christmas trees, series and. Some amount of current will flow through every path it can take to get to the point of lowest voltage usually called ground. Series and parallel circuits science fair, science projects. Advanced higher physics cfe higher physics cfe ac dc. Compare and contrast series, parallel and combination circuits.
If a battery is being used, remove two cells from the battery. Electric circuits provide a means to harness electrical energy and use it in our everyday lives. Resistance is a measure of how difficult it is for current to flow. You therefore need to connect it to two different points which. As can be seen from the diagram above, each type looks very different. In a series circuit, if one component breaks, all stop working. In this seriesparallel circuit, resistors r1 and r2 are in series with each other, but resistor r3 is neither in series nor in parallel with either r1 or r2.
Observe what happens to the other bulb and the ammeter reading and record your observations. Students will explore the difference between series and parallel circuits in a christmasthemed circuitry lab. What this value for resistance equal to, greater than, or less than the resistance calculated based on the emf of the power supply. Due to governor dewines executive order school is closed until may 4, 2020. Do all this without the fear of being electrocuted as long as you dont use your computing device in the bath tub. List examples of sources that the voltage for any electrical circuit can come from. Series and parallel circuit lab christmas tree light.
In previous sections the concept of resistance was discussed. Students perform experiments using two different types of circuit arrangements. Seriesparallel dc circuits worksheet dc electric circuits. Resistors in series and parallel circuits using cck simulation erica chen learning goals. Series circuits force the current through a single path. This is an awesome stem project for middle or high school students. Students construct series, parallel, and complex circuits. And while we can get a very high degree of precision in resistor values, we may not want to wait the x number of days it takes to ship something, or pay the price for. Series or parallel circuit an activity free flash animation for electricity learning interactive flash simulation to associate two dipoles bulbs lamps in series or parallel and see the difference between both. The current flow is expected to be uniform throughout the series circuits, but will be stronger through the smaller resistor in the parallel circuits. In this lab, students are tasked with building a simple circuit, then comparing it to a series circuit, to identify the differences. Sections series and parallel circuits series circuits parallel circuits calculating equivalent resistances in. This is an awesome stem project for middle or high school. There are two types of electrical circuit, parallel circuits and series circuits.
It would be expected that adding resistors even in parallel would cause the total resistance to increase, however this is not the case. This lab uses the simulation and lab equipment both. In my class, we learn about the types of circuits first, then use t. Requirement to do multiple loops and solve simultaneously. Jan 03, 2012 a brief overview of parallel circuit analysis using virp tables for high school physics students. This activity is a indoor lab where students investigate the current differences in. Electricity experiments steve spangler science lab. Technologyengineering progression grades 910 the use of electrical circuits and electricity is. Ohms law is the most fundamental relationship between the quantities of electric potential voltage, electric current, and resistance. Description this online lab was designed in spring 2020 to supplement learning, since all lectures and labs were moved online. In the next subunit you will be creating your own circuits from a circuit diagram as you learn about what series and parallel circuits are. The voltmeter has a very high internal resistance and must be connected in parallel with the component you are measuring. The double lines between r1 and r2 is a symbol for parallel.
Where v is voltage, measured in volts v, i is current, measured in amperes a, and r is electrical resistance, measured in ohms. Parallel circuits complete toolkit the physics classroom. Account for differences in bulb lighting in series and parallel circuits. In this unit we will learn the requirements to establish electric current a nd how circuits obey ohms law. A parallel circuit is where some or all of the components are connected on separate branches. Components in an electrical circuit are in series when they are connected one after the other, so that the same current flows through both of them. Ws spotlight science series and parallel questions should keep them quiet for the rest of the lesson and for prep. It is valid for many circuits and allows us to calculate one quantity if we know the value of the other two. This takes them step by step through the parallel and series circuits for current and voltage. Wallace high school physics circuits in series and parallel. Students will work hard to memorize the rules without really comprehending why the rules are true, and therefore often fail to recall or apply the rules properly. Physics and chemistry by a clear learning in high school, middle school, upper school, secondary school and academy. How do series and parallel circuits work, and which produces the brightest light in a light bulb. They are then asked to build a parallel circuit, again, looking at the differences between the types.
Science reasoning center, electric circuits, series and parallel lab. Seriesparallel circuits if we combined a series circuit with a parallel circuit we produce a seriesparallel circuit. View lab report circuit lab from physics 101 at bellaire high school. Mr habgood shows you how to measure the total resistance of resistors in series and parallel. This science quiz is called electrical circuits 3 and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at middle school. It could be used as a lab or a homework assignment or for remote learning. Use this series and parallel circuits worksheet in your next electricity lesson. For this experiment you will need an assortment of wires with alligator connectors and banana connectors. However, a trend i have noticed in many students is the habit of memorizing rather than understanding these rules. Parallel circuits provide several different paths for the electrical current. A brief overview of parallel circuit analysis using virp tables for high school physics students. This worksheet is a great preassessment, inclass activity, homework assignment, exit ticket or part of a station lab. Jan 09, 2017 mr habgood shows you how to measure the total resistance of resistors in series and parallel.