Set up your circuit board with a battery, switch, and a bulb
Record the following data into your notebooks: 1) Voltage of battery: 2) Voltage drop across the closed switch: 3) Voltage drop across bulb: Explain your answers for 2 and 3.
Make a break in your circuit somewhere and use a paperclip to bridge the gap. Measure the voltage drop across the paper clip. Why does it have a small value? Explain why the light does or does not light.
Set up your circuit board with a battery, switch, bulb, and pot meter (variable resistor)
Make the first pot dial setting 0 and take a reading. Make the last pot dial setting the MAX where you can see the bulb light a little and take a reading. Use two intermediate values for the middle two rows and take readings. Explain your results using your knowledge of electricity.
Using a meter stick and some estimation of the circuit length, calculate how long it takes for an electron starting at the - terminal on the battery to make a complete trip and reach the + terminal. Use 0.01 cm/s as the electron drift velocity.
In your notes: Why does the light bulb light virtually instantly when you close the circuit if the electron drift is so slow?