Welcome to Year 4’s science blog!
This half term, we are enjoying learning about electricity. We started by looking at sources of energy and compared things that need electricity to work and things that do not. Then we learnt how to make a simple circuit by investigating it ourselves. We hope this blog will help you learn about this fascinating science topic.
Diagram of a simple circuit
How to make a simple circuit
You will need:
Wires with crocodile clips on, a bulb holder, a light bulb, a battery holder and a battery (cell).
Method
First, select your equipment and arrange it neatly on a flat surface, like a table.
1- Next, get your battery and put it in the battery holder. Don’t forget to place it the right way round; negative to negative and positive to positive, otherwise the battery will not release energy.
2- When you have done that, screw the light bulb into the lightbulb holder.
3- After that, connect the wires (with the crocodile clips) to both ends of the battery and to each end of the lightbulb holder. Make sure you clip them to the metal parts and don’t let them touch the plastic because plastic is an insulator.
4- Finally, your light bulb should light up and show you that the circuit is working.
Tips: If your light bulb does not light up, check the battery because it may be out of energy or you might have put it in the wrong way round. Also, check that the crocodile clips are connected properly and that they are only touching metal. If this still does not work, check your bulb because it might be broken or not screwed in properly.
More facts:
- The electrical current flows through the metal (copper) in the wires. This is because metal is a conductor of electricity.
- If the current is interrupted (if you disconnect the wires, for example, or turn a switch off) the circuit will not be complete and the current won’t flow around, so the bulb will not light up.
- You can add more devices to a circuit, but you might need a more powerful battery for them to work properly.
Here is a diagram of a circuit, with extra devices added. Can you use the key to work out what they all are?
Written by Maxime, Sahithi, Saifan and Eric 4F
Can you share some facts that you know in the comments below?
