Make a Light Switch Circuit
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Make a Light Switch Circuit - Learn how to make a circuit that powers a light with a on-off switch

Posted by Admin / in Energy & Electricity Experiments

A simple, but interactive circuit to teach kids about electricity is a light with switch. In this experiment kids can make a flashlight circuit. Instead of the flashlight circuit being placed inside of a plastic flashlight case, it will be set up on a table where each piece is is easy to see.

Materials Needed

  • Insulated copper wire(about 2 feet)
  • Wire stripper
  • single-pole switch
  • incandescent light bulb
  • battery

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: Cut the insulated wire in 3 equal size pieces.

Step 2: Strip 1/2" of insulation off the end of each wire.

Step 3: Attach both ends of the loose wire to the battery holder. Connect one side to the positive (+) side and the other side to the negative (-) side. Do not insert the battery yet.

Step 4: Connect the other side of the positive wire to one side of the switch.

Step 5: Connect one side of the 3rd wire that was prepared in Step 1 to the other side of the switch.

Step 6: Connect the other side of the wire just connected in Step 5 to one side of the light bulb base. Selecting the right light bulb is the key to keeping this experiment simple. Light bulbs are rated for a small range of voltage. Select a light bulb that can be powered from the amount of battery power that you plan to provide.

Step 7: Using the loose side of the wire connected to the negative side of the battery, connect the other side of the light bulb base.


Science Learned

A flashlight is an example of a simple DC light circuit with a switch. In this experiment, we set up a simple light switch circuit to show how a switch can complete an electronic circuit and make the light bulb light-up or turn off.

Resources:

Bakersfield College Light Bulb Circuit Experiments: Explanation and demonstration of using light bulbs in a circuit..

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posted by Admin

SIMILAR EXPERIMENTS