Suitable For
Grade 6
Difficulty
2
Time Required
<2 Days
Supervision
Advised
What’s it about?
For people to advance in the field of electricity it is very important to learn the difference between two very important concepts in electricity: ‘electrical potential’ and ‘current flow’. This science experiment will help you gain a better understanding of these two terms:
Topics covered
Milliammeter, Voltmeter, In Parallel, In Series
What will I need?
- INSULATED WIRE WITH ALLIGATOR CLIPS
- 1,5-VOLT BATTERY
- LIGHT BULB IN HOLDER
- MILLIAMMETER
- VOLTMETER
- WIRE CUTTERS
- SWITCH
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.
In this science experiment, the path of the current is ‘opened’ by throwing the switch which allows the current to flow in a loop (from the switch through the battery and the bulb and back to the switch) in series. This current flow is measured by the milliammeter and hence it needs to be connected directly within the flow or ‘in series’.
The voltmeter measures the difference in potential across two terminals of a battery and needs to be connected ‘in parallel’. Throw the switch again to ‘close’ the path and the voltmeter will still show a ‘potential’, but the milliammeter will drop to zero.
Like the sound of it?
Why not check out the full worksheet in one of our popular e-books?
This particular science project can be found in any of the following Experiland e-books:
Experiland e-books contain detailed steps, including illustrations, to complete the science projects from start to finish.
