Challenging switches
In this activity, students construct a variety of circuits that all contain a switch. The activity builds on their understanding of how electrical circuits work and the role of switches within a circuit.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
understand the role of switches in circuits
design/construct a variety of circuits incorporating a switch for particular purposes.
Car interior light model
We know that the interior light of a car comes on regardless of which door opens, but can you make a model of this circuit using a light bulb, battery, wires and four switches?
Download the Word file (see below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need and what to do
extension ideas
student worksheets
activity answers.
Related content
The article Electricity and sensors explains the basics of electric currents, circuits, conductivity and switches. Discover more about the the role of resistors in controlling the flow of electrical currents. In Mechatronics discover more about how the combination of electronics, computer programming and mechanics make robots like MARVIN – a Mobile Autonomous Vehicle for Indoor Navigation function.
Activity ideas
Try one or more of these activities:
Communicating with symbols teaches students how to draw a range of simple circuit diagrams using specific symbols for electrical components that can be understood worldwide.
Controlling resistance explores the concept of variable resistance by using a simple electrical circuit.
Testing for conductivity involves the construction of simple electrical circuits to test a variety of materials for their conductive abilities.
