E XP ERIM E NT MANUAL A Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizerstr. 5-7, 70184 Stuttgart, Germany | +49 (0) 711 2191-0 | www.kosmos.de Thames & Kosmos, 89 Ship St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA | 1-800-587-2872 | www.thamesandkosmos.
KIT CONTENTS Good to know! If you are missing any parts, please contact Thames & Kosmos technical support. What’s inside your experiment kit: 10 9 13 7 1 4 2 5 21 16 11 17 3 19 6 23 27 24 18 15 28 8 25 20 29 12 26 22 14 Checklist: No. Description Part No. No. Description Quantity Part No.
Easy Electric Circuits TABLE OF CONTENTS Ti p Kit Contents ............................... Inside front cover Table of Contents...................................................... 1 Safety Information .................................................... 2 A Word to Parents and Adults................................... 3 Tips and Tricks .........................................................
SAFETY INFORMATION !! WARNING! — small er 3 years. Choking hazard Not suitable for children und — long ard haz on inhaled. Strangulati parts may be swallowed or around the neck. cords may become wrapped r the age nded for use by children ove Warning: This toy is only inte s. ent pon com ic electron of 6 years, due to accessible shall be care givers are included and Instructions for parents or followed. nt tions as they contain importa Keep packaging and instruc information.
Easy Electric Circuits IMPORTANT INFORMATION Dear Parents and Adults, Children want to explore, understand, and create. They want to try new things and do them independently. They want to gain knowledge! They can do all of this with Thames & Kosmos experiment kits. With every single experiment, they grow smarter and develop new, real-world skills firsthand. With this kit, your children can learn about electricity and electric circuits in a fun, handson way.
Whoa!... Science is electrifying! ty Electrici ITS and U C R elec t r i c cI People have been fascinated by the mysterious and invisible phenomenon of electricity for centuries. It is powerful and all around us, but only its effects can be observed by humans without tools. Today, we know that electricity is a “flow of electrons.” Electrons are found in atoms, which make up all matter. They are smaller and more mobile than atoms, and they have lots of unusual properties.
Electricity— and Electric Circuits Rubriktitel Blindtext Going with the Flow Often, electrons are firmly attached to the atom they belong to. But sometimes, especially in metals, electrons can get free and zoom around among the atoms. You can picture electrons in a metal wire like water in a pipe. Pump Electrons Water wheel Direction of flow When water is set in motion by a pump, it starts to flow through the pipe. This flow can be used to drive a small water wheel, for example.
ASSEMBLING THE MOTOR BOX 20 21 2x 2x 1x 23 2x 2 1 22 Make sure the metal contact tabs on the motor are facing down. !!! Snap the metal clips in place. 24 18 1x 1x 3 4 The metal tabs must make contact with the metal clips. W h at ’ s h a ppening? Snap the two sides of the motor housing together.
Electricity— and Electric Circuits Rubriktitel Blindtext SETUP FOR EXPERIMENTS 1-4 1 5 4x 2x 21 12 13 1x 1x 23 1x 2x 2x 26 1x 1x 24 1x 1 20 25 2x 17 22 2 16 1x 2x 15 18 1x 1x 3 4 W h at ’ s h a ppening? CIRCUIT SYMBOL INSTALLING THE BATTERIES + M Battery You will need 2 AA batteries. 1 2 – 3 X2 Remove the cover with the tool. Insert the battery. Follow the polarity markings on the battery holder. Replace the cover. Install a battery in each holder.
EXPERIMENTS 1&2 Changing direction You will need 3. Remove the parts you added in steps 1–3. Then, follow steps 4–6. 4. Again, observe what happens when you complete the circuit. How fast and in which direction does the motor turn now? – Parts and Setup Assembly for Experiments 1–4 (see page 7) - Here’s how + 1. Follow steps 1–3 to build your first circuit. 2. Observe what happens when you complete the circuit.
Electricity and Electric Circuits 3&4 EXPERIMENTS - + Speeding up 5. Remove the parts you added in steps 4–6 and follow steps 7–9. What happens? 6. N ow switch the direction of the wires by following steps 10–12.
EXPERIMENT 15 5 16 29 1x 17 1x 19 25 1x 1 26 + 1x - 1x 1x 1x Will it light up? You will need 2 – Parts shown above, with battery installed + Here’s how - 1. A ssemble the circuit following steps 1–6. In step 4, you must wrap one end of the resistor around the shorter leg (the negative pin) of the LED. Whenever you use the resistor in the circuit, please wrap one end of the resistor three times around the LED.
Electricity and Electric Circuits EXPERIMENT 15 6 16 29 1x 17 1x 19 2x 25 1x 26 1 1x 1x 1x + - + Lighting the way - You will need – Parts shown above, with batteries installed 2 Here’s how + 1. F ollow the steps to assemble the circuit and observe what happens this time! + W h at ’ s h a ppening? - - Place terminals side by side. This time, with two batteries in a series circuit, there is enough voltage for the LED to light up.
EXPERIMENT 7 15 16 29 1x 17 1x 19 1x 25 26 1 2x 1x 1x 1x + + Lights off! - You will need – Parts shown above, with batteries installed 2 Here’s how + 1. Assemble the circuit following steps 1–5. - 2. Observe the LED. What do you see? + - W h at ’ s h a ppening? There are two batteries in the circuit, but because they are connected in parallel, the voltages are not 3 being added together. There is not enough voltage for the battery to light up, just like in experiment 5.
Electricity and Electric Circuits EXPERIMENT 8 15 16 1x 17 27 1x 19 25 26 1x 29 1 2x 1x 2x 1x 1x + - Light switch + - You will need – Parts shown above, with batteries installed Here’s how M +2 – C G + Switch - - Place terminals side by side. 3 + 3. Turn the switch to its on position, with the knob horizontal. What happens now? W h at ’ s h a ppening? A + 1. F ollow the steps to assemble the circuit as shown.
EXPERIMENT 9 19 20 9 21 22 2x 1x 1x 24 23 2x 1x 25 2x 26 29 1 1x 1x 1x Make sure you use the LED+resistor (see p. 10) 1x Simple generator + + - You will need 2 – Parts shown above Place terminals side by side. Here’s how 1. Assemble the circuit as shown. 2. Turn the large gear wheel quickly with your hand. What does the LED do? 3. Now turn the large gear wheel quickly in the opposite direction.
Electricity and Electric Circuits EXPERIMENT 10 15 16 29 1x 17 1x 19 2x 25 1x 26 1 1x 2x 1x + - Conductors + - You will need – Parts shown above, with batteries installed – Various metallic objects from around your home. For example: coins, paper clips, silverware, nails, and so on. 2 + + Here’s how 1. Follow steps 1–5 to assemble the circuit. 2. One at a time, use the metallic objects to connect the two free terminals of the black wires.
EXPERIMENT 11 15 16 29 1x 17 1x 19 25 1x 26 1 2x 2x 1x + 1x - 18 + - 1x Insulators 2 You will need + – Parts shown above, with batteries installed –V arious nonmetallic objects from around your home. For example: paper, fabric, plastic, rubber, wood, and glass. + Here’s how 1. Follow steps 1–5 to assemble the circuit. - - Place terminals side by side. 3 2. One at a time, use the objects to connect the two free terminals of the black wires. Place terminals side by side.
Electricity and Electric Circuits EXPERIMENT 17 19 20 21 2x 2x 23 12 2x 1x 24 22 25 + + 1x - 26 - 1 1x 2x 27 2x 1x 29 + 1x 1x + Putting it all together Place terminals side by side. 2 You will need Make sure you use the LED+resistor (see p. 10) – Parts shown above, with batteries installed Here’s how + 1. F ollow the steps to assemble the circuit as shown. - - 2. Use the switch to turn on the motor and the LED.
EXPERIMENT 17 19 2x 23 13 + 20 21 2x - 22 2x 1x + 1x 24 25 26 - 2x 1x 2x 2x 1 29 + 1x + - Parallel paths - You will need – Parts shown above, with batteries installed 2 Here’s how 1. F ollow the steps to assemble the circuit as shown. + 2. Observe what happens. - Make sure you use the LED+resistor (see p. 10) 3. Remove the LED. What happens now? W h at ’ s h a ppening? The motor and LED are connected in parallel. The LED lights up and the motor turns.
Electricity and Electric Circuits EXPERIMENT 17 20 2x 24 14 21 + 22 2x 2x + 2x 1x 25 - 23 26 27 - 1x 1x 2x 2x 1 + Taking a shortcut - You will need + – Parts shown above, with batteries installed Here’s how - 1. A ssemble the circuit as shown. 2 2. CAUTION! Leave the switch on for only a brief moment. You are essentially creating a short circuit. The battery holder has a fuse in it to prevent an actual short circuit in the battery, thus preventing the battery from heating up.
EXPERIMENT 15 + - 17 20 2x 24 21 22 2x 23 2x 25 + 2x 1x 26 27 - 1 1x 1x 2x 2x Two circuits in one You will need – Parts shown above, with batteries installed 2 Here’s how 1. Assemble the circuit as shown. + 2. Turn the switch to its off position. What happens to the motor? - 3 W h at ’ s h a ppening? When the switch is off, the motor will turn faster than when the switch is on.
Section Title ?! WHICH ? CHECK IT OUT KE Y W O R WAY DOES IT GO? ? Charges are always associated with charge carriers — in other words, with tiny electrically charged particles. In metals, these are electrons, with each electron carrying a negative charge. In electrically conductive liquids (for example, salt solutions), there are even both kinds of charge, with positive as well as negative charge carriers (which are then called ions).
The motor in a washing machine ed z i M otor es c i v e d Have you ever tried to imagine how you could get by without electric circuits and electric motors in everyday life? Without electric devices, we would need things like a hand-cranked washing machine, a foot-powered dentist’s drill, and a horse-drawn car — all of which existed not too long ago. As far as your smartphone, computer hard drive, microwave, and lamp go — those things would never be possible without electric circuits.
Motorized Devices EXPERIMENT 16 4 6 12 2x 4x 1 2x 20 22 11 2x 9 1x 21 23 1x 25 26 1x 1x For experiments 16–20, use the parts shown in the parts lists for each experiment, with the battery already installed in the battery holders, to assemble the models. Then, observe how each model moves.
EXPERIMENT 16 5 Use the film strip printed on the inside of the cylinder, or cover it with one of the other two film strips. Align the notches in the film strip with the four button pins in the ends of the four rods. 6 You might need to give the cylinder a little push to get its rotation started. 7 Watch the animation through one of the slits in the side of the spinning cylinder. W h at ’ s h a ppening? The circuit you built is actually the same as circuit 1.
Motorized Devices EXPERIMENT 1 2 8x 6x 11 4 6 2x 4x 12 2x 9 10 1x 2x 15 2x 2x 1x 17 18 1x 2x 2x 22 21 Walking Lion 1 14 16 20 17 2 23 24 2x 2x 1x 2x 1x 25 26 2x 1x 28 1x 4 Make sure you insert the joint pins into these holes.
EXPERIMENT 17 8 7 + + - 9 10 11 12 W h at ’ s h a ppening? You built a model that uses the same circuit as in experiment 3 to power the motor. The motor turns the medium gear wheels, which move the legs back and forth. This causes the model to walk forward! 26 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM 17 M + – + – If the legs are moving in the wrong direction and your model is not walking forward, reverse the direction of the wires. See experiment 4.
Motorized Devices EXPERIMENT 1 2 7x 6x 11 4 6 1x 4x 12 2x 9 10 2x 2x 1x 17 18 1x 2x 2x 22 21 2 15 2x 2x Flapping bird 1 14 16 20 18 23 24 + 3 - 2x 2x 13 1x 2x 1x 2x 1x 7 25 26 1x 1x 28 1x 5 4 30 mm 6 X2 7 27
EXPERIMENT 18 8 9 + - 10 11 W h at ’ s h a ppening? Again you used circuit 3 in a motorized device. This time, the batteries power the motor, the motor turns the gears, and the gears turn to make the wings flap up and down. The cranks attached to the gears convert the rotating motion of the gears into the up and down motion of the rods holding the wings.
Motorized Devices EXPERIMENT 1 2 10x 5x 10 2x 3 4 8 1x 1x 1x 12 13 1x 2x 2x 1 1x 18 1x 2x 22 Electric Car 15 17 2x 2x 9 2x 11 16 20 19 21 23 2 24 2x 1x 2x 1x 25 26 2x 2x 27 1x 4 3 5 6 29
EXPERIMENT 19 8 7 9 10 + + 70 mm 11 12 Can you make the car drive forward and backward? W h at ’ s h a ppening? 30 You built a new circuit with two batteries, a switch, and a motor to turn the wheels of a model car. When you turn the switch on, the car moves forward or backward, depending on the direction in which the wires are connected to the batteries.
Motorized Devices EXPERIMENT 20 - 1 3x 6 9 4x 10 2x 2x 15 17 1x 20 22 11 13 + Optical Illusion Spinner 2x 2x 18 1x 1x 21 1 24 23 2 3 2x 1x 2x 1x 25 26 1x 1x 28 1x 4 The shaft does not go through. 5 6 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM 20 M You might need to give the cylinder a little push to get its rotation started. Watch the spinning disks. What optical illusions do you see? – 7 + 2x W h at ’ s h a ppening? The motor makes the optical illusion disks spin.
?! CHECK IT OUT Who invented the electric motor? The history of the electric motor started a long time ago. A lot of scientific knowledge and experience were needed before such a ground-breaking invention could even be conceivable to humankind. It’s impossible to name a single person who thought of the entire invention. As early as the 1740s, the British physicist Andrew Gordon and the American scientist Benjamin Franklin experimented with electrostatic motors.
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