What are electrical circuits?

To make something work using electricity there needs to be an electrical circuit; a circuit is a complete loop that electricity can move around.

Electricity moves from the power source (the battery or the mains electricity), around the circuit and back to the power source in a loop.

This is called a series circuit.

There will usually be other things joined in the circuit which electricity will turn on when it flows through it. These are called components.

The circuit needs to be complete for the electricity to flow.

If there is a gap or a break in the circuit then it will not work.

Fascinating facts about electrical circuits!

• The amount of electricity created by the power source in a circuit is shared between all the components in the circuit.

• The more components that you add into a series circuit the less power they will get each. A bulb in a circuit along with a buzzer and motor will be dimmer compared to if it was in a circuit on its own.

• The unit of measurement for electrical current is the ampere, commonly shortened to amp.

• An electrical circuit is a closed loop allowing electrical energy to flow through.

• The amount of electrical energy flowing is called the current.

• Plugs in the UK have a fuse installed as a circuit breaker in order to keep electrical appliances safe.

• Alessandro Volta created the first-ever battery, the voltaic pile, in 1800.

• The world's biggest electrical energy storage site is located in California in the United States, at The Edwards & Sanborn Solar Plus Storage Project. It stores electrical energy from solar panels in over 120,000 batteries.

To build a series circuit there are some components that we must have:

• a power source
• wires

There are other components that we can choose to have in our circuit, depending on what we want the circuit to do.

Did you know?

If you add more cells to a series circuit, there will be more electrical energy to go around the circuit.

This means that a bulb in the circuit will create a brighter light if it is attached to two batteries than if there is only one.

Circuit – An electrical circuit contains a power source and devices, which are connected together in a loop using wires.

Component – Any part of an electrical circuit.

Electricity – Is the flow of tiny particles called electrons and protons. It is created by generators which can be powered by gas, coal, oil, wind or solar.

Energy – When something has energy it is able to do work or move. Humans get their energy from food so that they can walk, run and climb.

Series circuit – Electricity that moves from a power source around a circuit and back to a power source in a loop.

Power source – A source of power for an electrical device, like a battery or a generator.

This type of doorbell has been replaced in some homes by an electric bell that uses a buzzer or a speaker.

Draw the circuit for a doorbell in a home. Remember that we need to open and close the circuit with a switch.

Challenge: What does the switch look like for a doorbell on most modern homes?