Use this simulator to design and redesign basic circuits. Fix it, break it, and fix it again.

What is the same about all the circuits that light the bulb?

Exploring Challenge: Upload a picture of a circuit working with 3 lightbulbs.

(You can take and save a screenshot on Macs by holding down . On Windows computers use PrintScreen & Windows button at the same time. On a phone? Push home and power.)

Upload your screenshot file here and we will send you 100 brainpowers!

Master Challenge: Create a poster or write a paragraph that describes what all working circuits share in common. 200 brainpowers!

Make sure you have these words memorized so you can ace your next test. Take the 6-question Electric Vocab quiz.

We started this book learning about simple electrical devices, such as lightning rods and light bulbs. By the end of the book, your learned about technology changing the world today! From learning about A.C. insulation motors that give incredible speed to Tesla cars to the various, complex parts of a smartphone. To say the least, you now know the important ideas about electricity.

And, don’t forget about the important scientists that furthered the fields of electricity. Ben Franklin’s experiment helped us better understand electricity in nature. This observation helped Ben Franklin invent a device that we still use to save lives today. Later, Joseph Swan’s first light bulb and Thomas Edison later perfected it, which allows us to have endless light in our homes. And, then Nikola Tesla and his discovery of Alternating Current that allows the fast and cheap electricity throughout the world. Today, companies like Tesla, Inc., are designing electric cars to create a new type of car that is just as fast as other cars without all the pollution.  So, the next time you power on a cell phone or turn on your electric oven to bake cookies, think about how far we have come from discovering electricity. Many people in the 1800’s would have never imagined that the world you live in would be so full of light and energy! You have learned the same things and performed many of the experiments that other people used to help us design this electrified world. You can continue this work, and may even event Chapter 20 in this book! You now have the knowledge and problem-solving skills to continue this research!

Time: 15-20 Minutes

Materials:

1. Small iron nail
2. Insulating wire- ends must have exposed metal (have a grownup help you!)
3. Double A Battery
4. Paper clips or other metal objects

Instructions Step by Step: 

1. Wrap the wire around the nail in one direction, make sure the wire is tightly coiled. 
   1. If you coil the wire in different directions, the electromagnetic force will cancel out, and there will be little to none force of the magnet. 
2. Attach one end of the insulated wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other to the negative terminal of the battery. 
3. Check your circuit: One end of the insulating wire is on the positive terminal. The insulating wire is wrapped around the nail tightly with some of the exposed metal touching each end of the nail. The other is on the negative terminal. with the excess attached to the battery.
4. Spread paper clips on the table.
5. Touch your nail to the paper clips. While electricity flows through your nail, it will act like a magnet. The battery will attract the paper clips to the nail. 
6. When the electricity stops flowing through the nail, then the nail will stop acting as a magnet.

When electricity is passed through the coiled wire, a magnetic field is present, and you are able to pick up other magnetic objects, such as paper clips! Some important things to keep in mind: the more coils your wire has, the better your magnet will work! Because more current is being generated, the more electricity is being passed, and a stronger force will be present! Be careful holding the battery, as it might get hot, as well as the insulating wire.

Here is a video we shot while doing this experiment.