Family Science Physics

LIGHT BULB CIRCUITS

A complete circuit is needed for electricity to flow through a circuit. This can be accomplished by using a conducting wire to connect either the positive or negative terminal of a power supply to a circuit element, and then connect a wire from the circuit element to the other terminal of the power supply. In this activity you will construct a complete circuit that causes Christmas tree light bulbs to glow and then investigate the brightness of the otherwise identical light bulbs as additional bulbs are connected in various circuit arrangements. Objectives: Create a working light bulb circuit Discover what happens to the brightness of otherwise identical bulbs a. as more and more are connected in series, b. as more and more are connected in parallel, c. as multiple bulbs are connected in combination arrangements Equipment: Size D dry cells, cell holders, connecting wires, Christmas tree lights Procedure: Note: Screen shots of circuits shown in this document were taken from a free electrical circuit simulation found on the World Wide Web at http://www.physicslessons.com/exp22b.htm.

Light Bulbs in Series Arrangements

1. Use your materials to connect a circuit with one glowing light bulb. Notice its brightness. 2. Keeping the same number of dry cells (effectively yielding the same voltage), connect another bulb in series with the first one. 3. How does the brightness of the second bulb compare with the first one?

4. Compare the brightness of these two with the brightness of the original single
bulb. 5. Add a third bulb in series with these two.

6. Compare their brightness with each other and with the circuit containing one bulb
and with the circuit containing two bulbs.

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7. Observe what happens as you continue to add

more bulbs in series.

8. Complete this statement: Whenever light bulbs

are connected in series, each bulb is _______________ bright, but the brightness ________________ as more bulbs are added in series.

9. Complete this statement: Adding more dry cells in series with a light bulb circuit
will make each of the bulbs _______________________.

Light Bulbs in Parallel Arrangements

1. Use your materials to connect a circuit with one glowing light bulb. Notice its brightness. 2. Keeping the same number of dry cells (effectively yielding the same voltage), connect another bulb in parallel with the first one. 3. How does the brightness of the second bulb compare with the first one? 4. Compare the brightness of these two with the brightness of the original single bulb. 5. Add a third bulb in parallel with these two. 6. Compare their brightness with each other and with the circuit containing one bulb and with the circuit containing two bulbs. 7. Observe what happens as you continue to add more bulbs in parallel.

8. Complete this statement: Whenever light bulbs are connected in parallel, each
bulb is ______________ bright, and the brightness __________________ as more bulbs are added in parallel.

9. Complete this statement: Adding more dry cells in series with a light bulb circuit
will make each of the bulbs ____________________.

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Light Bulbs in Combination Arrangements

Combination circuits are circuits which contain some bulbs in series and some in parallel. See if you can build combination circuits identical to the ones shown in these simulation screen shots. Identify each bulb by a letter of the alphabet and then write in a comparison of light bulb brightness in each arrangement. For example, if Bulb A is brighter than Bulbs B and C, which are equally bright, you would write A > B = C.
1.

2.

3.

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4.

5.

6.

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Discussion: We normally associate brightness with the power of a light bulb. For example, a 100-Watt incandescent bulb is generally brighter than a 60-Watt incandescent bulb. When otherwise identical light bulbs are connected in various circuit arrangements, the more current flowing through the bulb, the more power it has and the brighter it is. As more and more bulbs are connected in series, the overall resistance of the circuit increases, which causes the overall current to decrease. This results in dimmer bulbs. Since the same current flows through each bulb in a series arrangement, each bulb will be equally bright. When a parallel circuit has one single identical bulb in each branch, the resistance in each branch is the same so that the same current flows through each bulb. This makes each identical bulb in a parallel circuit have the same brightness. As more and more parallel branches with a single bulb are added in, the brightness of the individual bulbs remain unchanged. The reason for this is that the total resistance of a parallel circuits drops as more branches are added in. This drop in total resistance results in an increase in the total current, which divides evenly among the branches. For example, a parallel circuit with 3 branches will have 1/3 the resistance and 3x the total current as a circuit with one single bulb. When this 3x larger current divides itself evenly among the 3 branches, each branch ends up with the same current it would have had if it was the only bulb present. When considering various circuit arrangements, the old adage that current follows the path of least resistance holds true. When comparing bulbs in combination arrangements, it is useful to trace the current as it flows around the circuit. As the current reaches places where it can split, we can be sure that more current will pass through the paths of least resistance, making bulbs in these sections brighter than the others. The current will split proportionally to its resistance, meaning that in a parallel branch with two series bulbs in one branch and a single bulb in the other (just like combination circuit #3), twice as much current will flow through the branch with the single bulb (66.7% of the total current) since it has one-half as much resistance as the other branch, which receives 33.3% of the current.