How Circuits Work

Lab Brief #1

🎯 Your mission

Master the concept. Use it tomorrow.

⚡ The twist

The opposite of what you expect is often what happens.

What you'll learn

Electricity flows through circuits. A simple circuit needs a power source, a conductor (wire), and a load (like a light bulb). Breaking the circuit stops the flow of electricity.

Key words

work
Using force to move an object over a distance.
power
How fast energy is used or work is done.
circuit
A closed loop that lets electricity flow around it.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what happens if you double the force?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Build a simple circuit using a battery, wire, and light bulb. Then add a switch and test what happens when you open and close it.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Question 1 of 3

What is needed for a simple electric circuit?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

Which is NOT a simple machine?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

Which simple machine is a ramp?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔥 A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: Kinetic Energy: Energy of Motion All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

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