Electrical Circuits

Electrical Circuits Electrical circuits will always have a minimum of 3 parts Voltage Source - A device that provides the electrical flow Conductor – an object that will allow electricity to flow through it A device to do work- Load Example-Light, Drill, Circular saw

Types of Closed Circuits Series Circuit - a circuit that has only one loop for electrons (current) to follow in Used in simple devices such as flashlights and some Christmas lights.

Types of Closed Circuits (cont) Parallel Circuits - contains 2 or more branches for electrons (current) to flow through Houses make use of parallel circuits

Safety Devices There are two types of safety devices most commonly used when using electrical wiring in buildings and cars These devices keep the wires from getting hot and melting or possibly starting a fire

Safety Devices (cont) Fuse - a fuse is a small device that breaks when the electricity becomes more than the wires may be able to handle When the fuse breaks it opens the electrical circuit so no more electricity can flow through Most commonly used in cars or individual electric devices

Examples of Fuses

Safety Devices (cont) Circuit breaker - when electric flow becomes too large a piece of metal bends and flips a switch that opens the circuit. The advantage to having a circuit breaker is that it can be reset (just reset the switch and it bends the metal back into place) A circuit breaker is generally used in houses and large buildings

Examples of Circuit Breakers