1. ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
All you need to be an inventor is a good imagination and a pile of junk.
-Thomas Edison

2. What is a circuit?
If you want electricity–you need a circuit. And, if you want a circuit you ALWAYS need two things: a power supply and a conductor.
Most circuits also have an electrical device and a switch.

3. What is a circuit?
Power Supply: (Battery) “Pump”- adds energy to electrons in the atoms of the wire
Conductor: (Wire)- The material where all the atoms and electrons are located.
Electrical Device: (Light Bulb)- Uses electricity to perform a function

4. In a closed circuit, current
Circuit Diagram
battery _ +
bulb
In a closed circuit, current
flows around the loop

5. Open Circuit (“Off”)
If the switch is open, there is no force directing electrons down the path, so they just keep orbiting the nucleus, or they drift around randomly. Electricity can't flow at times like this.

6. Closed Circuit (“On”)
If the switch is closed and all parts of the circuit are connected, the circuit is complete and electrons are "pushed" through the circuit by the power supply adding energy to the electrons.
We call that "push" voltage–that's why electrical power is measured in volts!

7. Closed Circuit (“On”)

8. Would This Work?

9. Would This Work?

10. Would This Work?

11. The Central Concept: Closed Circuit

12. Simple Circuits Series circuit All in a row 1 path for electricity
1 light goes out and the circuit is broken

13. Simple Circuits Parallel circuit Many paths for electricity
1 light goes out and the others stay on

14. Series and Parallel Circuits
Series Circuits
only one end of each component is connected
e.g. Christmas tree lights
Parallel Circuits
both ends of a component are connected
e.g. household lighting

15. What is electricity How does it work?
A battery or outlet provides energy to push electrons that exist in the atoms of the conducting wire. The electrons then travel to the bulb or said destination.
Electrons travel from the negative anode to the positive cathode.