Making a circuit
Join a battery, wires and a bulb in a loop.
Circuit parts
A simple circuit has a cell, wires and a bulb. The cell pushes electricity round.
The bulb lights only while the loop is complete.
A complete loop
The wires must go from one end of the cell, through the bulb and back to the other end. It must be a complete loop with no gaps. Then the bulb lights!
Copper is a metal, so electricity can flow through it.
Why won’t it light?
There may be a gap in the circuit. A wire may be loose, or both wires may touch the same end of the cell. Check each joint like a detective!
Inside an old-style bulb, a very thin wire glows when electricity flows through it.
More cells
Two cells push more strongly than one. The bulb glows brighter.
The + sign shows the positive end of the cell.
What I learnt
- I can make a simple circuit with a cell, wires and a bulb.
- I know that a circuit must be a complete loop to work.