thomas edison’s: bright idea. finding the electric circuit thomas edison was a young man born in...
TRANSCRIPT
Finding the Electric CircuitThomas Edison was a young manborn in the 1800’s who loved to ask questions, and find out interestingthings about the world he lived in.
You see, when Mr. Edison wasgrowing up, things were verydifferent. Electricity was brand new, so not everyone evenhad it in their homes!
That’s right, no Ipods or TV’s!
Thomas Edison in Fifth Grade!
Thomas Edison and other people in his time did not have the use of light bulbs. It was very hard to do anything at night since
light was only provided by candles. Also during this time, many house fires
happened because the use of gas lamps were unsafe, and caused disgusting soot to
pollute the air!
How Thomas Edison lived
A home in the 1800’s.
This is when Thomas Edison was
born
An actual gas lamp, used in most home in the 1800’s
Thomas Edison, the scientist knew that energy called, electricity, could be used in a way to light the homes of America. Though others had tried, he began work on a useful electriclight bulb, that would use a circuit in order to produce light, and wouldbe easy to use in any home!
After many experiments, Edison found that if an electrical current was present the energy running through the light bulb over a filament to produce light.This would be done by creating a complete circuit.
There are now over 20 million light bulbs sold per year!
Edison found that connecting wires to a one side of a battery, to a bulb, and back to the other side of the
battery would create a path for the electricity to travel.
As the current traveled through the complete circuit ,the energy from electricity would travel through the
filament and create a reaction of light in the light bulb.
Thomas Edison’s First Light Bulb
What we know as a light bulb today
One Hot IdeaEdison also found that these light bulbs would last for a very long time. Though the light would last long, the container of the electricity would
become extremely hot!Make sure to remember not to touch a light bulb after it
has been on for an amount of time.
Edison’s Other InventionsThomas Edison had many bright ideas besides the
light bulb such as….
Phonograph Kinetoscope
Moving Picture Machine Typewriting Machine
Light up the words of Electricity!Place a bright light bulb under the words that are part of
electricity
Football
Battery
Electric CurrentLight Socket
Light Bulb Circuit
Battery Holder Sledding
Swimming Pool Wire
ConductorsElectricity’s Best Friend
Conductors are materials that allow electricity to pass through.Below are things we use everyday that can conduct electricity!
Insulators Electricity’s stealing enemy
Insulators are materials that do not allow Electricity to pass throughInsulators steal the energy from electricity, and keep it for themselves!
Here are some examples…
Fahnestock clip
Conductor
Insulator
Light Socket
Keeps the bulb in place
Helps to hold the wire as we test the circuit
Does not let electricity pass
Allows electricity to pass through
switch
contact points
battery holder
electric current
Where wires must be placed in order to create a circuit
The flow of electricity through a circuit
What stops and starts the electricity through a circuit
Holds the battery in place
Holding it all togetherDo you have to hold a wire to a battery in order to turn on
a light?
Scientists found materials that help to hold the circuit together.
Now these materials do the work!
Fahnestock Clip- Holds the wire to the contact point on the battery.
Light Socket- holds the light bulb in place.
Battery Holder- Keeps the battery in place, so the wires will stay connected.
Light Switch- Starts and stops the flow of electricity through the circuit.
The last two pieces of the puzzle…
Contact Points-points on the battery
that conduct electricity
Circuit Tester-Created to test for a
complete circuit
An object that does not allow electricity through __________
The points on a battery that give the circuit electricity ___________
An object that does allow electricity through _______________
The tool that holds the wire to the battery __________________
Lights up when electricity is inside it _________________
What holds the battery in place for the circuit __________________
Insulator
Contact Points
Fahnestock Clip Battery Holder
Conductor Light Bulb
Holds the Light Bulb in place _________
The complete circle of electricity __________
Used to check if the circuit is complete _________
What fuels a complete circuit ____________
Turns the electricity on and off in our homes ______
Switch
Light Socket
Electric Circuit
Circuit TesterElectricity
1.) Explain why the light bulb only lit up some of the time.
2.) Classify which numbers were hidden circuits.
3.) Construct a list made up of the circuits points that did not work.
4.) How can you explain to a younger student what the light bulb needs in order to light?
5.) Choose which side of the circuit box has more connected circuits and explain why.
Parallel Circuit
Source of Electricity
Wire
Junction
A parallel circuit is set up just as the one on this page.
In a parallel circuit, electricity flows along more than one path around the circuit.
There are junctions in a circuit, where the electric charge must “decide” whether to go along one path or the other.
It cannot go along both paths at a junction, but must split up.
Series CircuitIn a series circuit, electricity has only one path to travel from one point on the circuit.
Electricity travels through the wires, batteries, and bulbs, and back to the starting point.
Discovering Parallel and Series Circuits
Click on the light bulb to play a game about these circuits!
Batteries in a Series
Batteries in a Parallel
Batteries in a parallel circuit, the brightness of the bulb will remain the same as it was with one battery. This is because the electric charge has picked up the energy of only one battery, since
it cannot go through both batteries at the same time.
Batteries in a series, the energy across the bulb is increased causing the bulb to glow more brightly. This is because the electric charge flowing through the circuit has picked up the energy from one
battery then the next, effectively doubling its energy.
Time to Review!
Drag the word to the correct definition
Parallel Circuit
Series Circuit
Junctions
Electric Current
Battery
Batteries in a parallel
Batteries arranged in series
Electricity has one path to travel.
Electricity arrives at junctions as must travel different ways.
Where electricity must “decide” to go different ways
The flow of Electricity through the circuit
The source of Electricity in a circuit
Two batteries in a circuit where more energy is produced
Two batteries in a circuit where less energy is produced.