Fixing faulty circuits | Science | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Which of these series circuits are correctly connected?
- A
- B
- C ✓
Which of these electrical components is designed to spin when electricity flows through it?
- a battery
- a fuse
- a motor ✓
- an ammeter
What are used to represent electrical leads in a circuit diagram?
- horizontal lines ✓
- vertical lines ✓
- straight lines ✓
- curved lines for corners
- dotted lines
Which of these electrical components has two metal contacts that open to stop electricity from flowing and close to allow it to pass through?
- a switch ✓
- a lamp
- a battery
- a voltmeter
- an ammeter
Sofia has drawn a circuit incorrectly. What mistake has she made?
- the batteries are too far apart
- the switch should be closed
- the ammeter should be beside the motor
- the right side of battery is not connected ✓
Match each component to its function.
- A battery ...
  
  ⇔
  
  provides the 'push' to send electricity around a circuit. ✓
- A lead ...
  
  ⇔
  
  allows electricity to flow from one component to another. ✓
- A switch ...
  
  ⇔
  
  controls the flow of electricity. ✓
- A motor ...
  
  ⇔
  
  spins when electricity flows through it. ✓
- A bulb ...
  
  ⇔
  
  emits light when electricity flows through it. ✓
- A buzzer ...
  
  ⇔
  
  makes a sound when electricity flows through it. ✓

Exit quiz

Which device can be used to check if a component is working correctly?
- multimeter ✓
- ammeter
- voltmeter
- battery
Which of these is needed to allow electricity to flow around a circuit?
- only one component
- lots of batteries
- no gaps between the components ✓
- multiple loops
What is the name of the fine wire found in some types of bulb that glows when electricity passes through it?
- an element
- a component
- a fuse
- a filament ✓
In this circuit, every component works as it should until one of the bulbs blows. Which statement correctly predicts what will happen to the other components?
- The motor will spin faster but the other bulb will get dimmer.
- The motor will spin faster but the other bulb will get brighter.
- The other bulb and motor will stop working. ✓
- The other bulb and motor will continue working as before.
Which of these could cause an electrical cable not to work?
- The cable could be too long.
- The metal wire inside the cable can break or get disconnected. ✓
- The cable is not the correct colour.
- The cable is not correctly connected to a component. ✓
Which of these will cause a series circuit to stop working if the filament inside a bulb breaks?
- The bulb is rated too high.
- The bulb is not fully screwed into the holder. ✓
- The filament has melted. ✓
- The filament gets very hot.

Worksheet

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Video

Lesson Details

Key learning points

The path current flows through a filament bulb can be traced, from one connection and through the filament to another.
In a faulty filament bulb, the filament is broken and current cannot flow through it.
A circuit is not complete if there are any breaks in the circuit or hidden in faulty wires or components .
A wire or component can be tested by putting it into a simple circuit with a battery and bulb.
A circuit with one faulty component will work if a wire is used to bypass the faulty component.

Common misconception

Pupils need to understand that there has to be a closed loop of conducting material, from one end of the battery or power supply, through the device and back to the battery.

Pupils should test a faulty circuit in a systematic way, e.g. starting at one point in the circuit and moving from component to component in order, going clockwise or anti-clockwise from that point.

Keywords

Filament - The thin metal wire inside some light bulbs is called a filament. When it gets hot it glows and emits light.
Faulty component - A faulty component is one that is damaged or isn't conducting electricity properly.
Series circuit - A series circuit is an electric circuit with one complete loop from one end of a battery round to the other end.
Complete circuit - A complete circuit is one where there are no gaps so electricity is able to flow round the circuit.
Test circuit - A test circuit is used to check if a component (or other circuit) is allowing electricity to flow through.