Hello bloggers! Welcome back to another blog!
1. Define current AND voltage. Explain the difference between them.
Voltage is the electrical push and the difference in potential energy between two points, acting like pressure. It is measured in volts (V). While current is the number of electrons flowing past a specific point. It is measured in amps (A).
2.
SERIES CIRCUITS
PHET: DIAGRAM:
REAL:
Open Switch: Closed Switch:
PARALLEL CIRCUITS
PHET: DIAGRAM:
REAL:
Open Switch: Closed Switch:
3. Explain why the bulbs in your parallel circuit are brighter/dimmer than bulbs placed in series. Refer to how both voltage and current behave in your answer!
In a series circuit, lightbulbs receive voltage from the power source in their pathways, except the current doesn’t divide. That is because electrons only have one pathway to flow through.
In parallel circuits, lightbulbs are receiving voltage from the same power source, but they have their own different branches. The more lightbulbs in each loop the dimmer it gets, because they share the same power source, and each individual lightbulb must add up to the exact same voltage of the power source. Unlike current, electrons divide when it goes to a different conducting pathway. The electrons add up, once they meet again.