Datasheet-1

Project 5
Light the Way
What is really happening here?
1. The batteries (B3) convert chemical energy into
electrical energy and “push” it through the circuit,
just like the electricity from your power company. A
battery pushes electricity through a circuit just like a
pump pushes water through a pipe.
2. The snap wires (the blue pieces) carry the electricity
around the circuit, just like wires carry electricity
around your home. Wires carry electricity just like
pipes carry water.
3. The meter (M5) measures how much electricity is
flowing in a circuit, like a water meter shows how
fast water flows in a pipe.
4. The lamp (L4) converts electrical energy into light,
it is the same as a lamp in your home except
smaller. In an incandescent light bulb, electricity
heats up a high-resistance wire until it glows. A lamp
uses the energy carried by electricity, resisting its
flow like a pile of rocks resists the flow of water in a
pipe.
5. The slide switch (S1) controls the electricity by turn-
ing it on or off, just like a light switch on the wall of
your home. A switch controls electricity like a faucet
controls water.
6. The base grid is a platform for mounting the circuit,
just like how wires are mounted in the walls of your
home to control the lights.
Water Meter
Pump
Valve
Comparing Electric Flow to Water
Flow:
Touch the lamp after it has been on for
a while; it should feel it little warm (es-
pecially if you cover the venting holes).
In an incandescent light bulb, only about
5% of the electricity is converted into
light, the rest becomes heat. Don’t
touch incandescent bulbs in your home
because they can be very hot.
Build the circuit shown by placing all the parts with a black 1 next
to them on the board first. Then, assemble parts marked with a
2. Install three (3) “AA” batteries (not included) into the battery
holder (B3). Set the meter (M5) to the 1A setting. Turn on the
slide switch (S1); the lamp (L4) lights and the meter measures
the current.
Placement Level Numbers
1A
-17-
Resistor
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