Starter quiz
- In which circuit will the bulb light?
- A motor is connected to a battery and spins. What would cause the motor to spin faster?
- adding a bulb to the series circuit
- adding a switch to the series circuit
- adding another motor to the series circuit
- adding another battery to the series circuit ✓
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What mistake has been made in this circuit diagram?- The switch is open.
- The motor is before the switch.
- The ammeter should be beside the motor.
- The battery is not connected to the lead. ✓
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Which component is represented by the circuit symbol shown?- a lamp
- a motor
- a buzzer ✓
- a resistor
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- Which statements describe ways to fix a faulty circuit?
- disconnecting all the components and reconnecting them
- changing the direction of the batteries
- testing each component with a test circuit ✓
- replacing each component one by one with a working one ✓
- switching the circuit off and then on again
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- Why are there certain rules for drawing circuit diagrams?
- so that scientists and engineers around the world can understand them ✓
- to make them look nicer
- so they are easy to mark in exams
- to make them more professional looking
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Exit quiz
- Which statement correctly describes the terminals of a battery?
- A battery has one positive terminal and one negative terminal. ✓
- A battery has two positive terminals.
- A battery has two negative terminals.
- A battery has a neutral terminal and either a positive or a negative terminal.
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- What is inside a battery that pushes the electric charges round a circuit?
- small magnets
- mini-pumps
- microscopic motors
- chemicals that react ✓
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- What is the name of the moving charges that carry electric current through a metal wire?
- protons
- electrons ✓
- magnetrons
- neutrons
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- What is the normal speed of electrons flowing through a metal wire?
- a few millimetres per second ✓
- a few metres per second
- a few kilometres per second
- a few million metres per second
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- Which objects can be used to make a simple battery?
- two pieces of the same metal, liquid oil and some wires
- two pieces of the same metal, a weak acid solution and some wires
- two different metals, liquid oil and some wires
- two different metals, a weak acid solution and some wires ✓
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- Which two of these objects have free electrons that can carry an electric current?
- plastic ruler
- copper wires ✓
- air in the room
- steel paperclips ✓
- wooden pencil
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- One end of a battery has a positive charge and one end has a negative charge, because of chemical reactions inside it.
- A battery pushes electric charge (electrons) one way round a complete circuit.
- There are electric charges in all atoms of the wires and components in a circuit, even when it is not turned on.
- When a circuit is turned on, electrons everywhere in the circuit start moving at the same time.
- Individual electrons move round a circuit slowly, at a speed of just a few millimetres each second.
Common misconception
Many pupils imagine electric current to emerge from a battery or a power supply and to move round a circuit in a sequential way. This leads to a consumption model of electricity.
Give pupils opportunities to test different incorrect models (e.g. the unipolar and clashing current models as well as the consumption model).
Keywords
Battery - A battery is a component that uses a chemical reaction to make electric charge flow round a circuit.
Charge - Things can have an electrical charge that is positive or negative. If there is no charge, they are neutral.
Electron - Electrons are the charges in conductors that flow to give an electric current.
Electric current - Electric current is the flow of electric charge in a circuit.
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