When the lights go out in your home, someone probably flips a breaker switch to bring the power back on. What are they doing exactly?
Circuit breakers protect your home from power surges. If too much electricity is running through, it will break the circuit to prevent hazards such as electrical fires.
We use many circuits each and every day. When you turn a light switch on and off you are manipulating a circuit. The Voltage of a circuit is determined by Ohms law. Ohms Law states that voltage is equal to the current times resistance. The written equation is V = IR.
Two types of circuits are series and parallel. A series circuit connects all electrical components in a row together by one wire. The resistance is found by adding the resistance of each device on the circuit. If a device is missing none of the other devices will work, because the path is broken. A parallel circuit does not have this issue, because it uses more paths to each device.
A parallel circuit uses two wires to make two paths to each electrical component. Adding devices to a parallel circuit reduces the resistance, because it provides an additional path for the electrons to follow.
You will now complete a Lab activity to explore circuits. You will discover the effect that resistance has on voltage.
Log in and choose the Circuits Gizmo. Turn in your completed assignment to today's drop box.