A ‘resistor’ is an electrical component that ‘resists’ or restricts the flow of electrons through it. Electricity or ‘electrons’ always flows in a loop from the negative terminal of a battery, which has an excess of electrons, to the positive terminal of the battery which is lacking electrons.
Depending on how resistors are included in such a circuit or ‘loop’, it would reduce and affect the current flow differently as can be demonstrated in the following science experiment:
Topics covered
Resistance, Electrons, In Series, In Parallel
What will I need?
INSULATED WIRE WITH ALLIGATOR CLIPS
4X 100-OHM RESISTORS
OHMMETER
WIRE CUTTERS
Procedure (Method)
Unfortunately, this section is only available in the e-book version of the project.
How does it work?
Unfortunately, this section is only available in the e-book version of the project.
Electricity ‘flows’ or moves through some materials better than in others. The measurement of how well or how poor a material conducts electricity is called its ‘resistance’. Resistors can be placed either in series or in parallel in an electrical circuit. Resistors placed in series or ‘in line’ with each other will have a total resistance of the circuit equal to the sum of each of the individual resistances, but resistors placed in parallel, or side by side, will share the current flow and hence the total resistance in a circuit will be less than the lowest value resistor.
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