Physics · Electric Circuits
Circuit Builder
Build circuits from batteries, wires, resistors, switches and bulbs. Probe them with the multimeter and find out why bulbs in series and in parallel glow so differently.
3. Build and measure
The circuit board
Each spot between two dots holds one part. Tap a part to select it; drag it to move it, or off the board to remove it.
Multimeter
Or tap a part on the board. The meter reads the current through that part without breaking the circuit.
Readings for every part
| Part | Where | Setting | Voltage | Current | Power | Brightness |
|---|
Voltage is across the part and current is through it. Wires are left out; measure one with the multimeter.
The model
V = IR and P = VI. Bulbs: 10 Ω each, 100% brightness at 3.6 W. Wires and closed switches: no resistance.
Batteries are ideal: they keep the same voltage whatever the current. Current is conventional current, from + to −.
4. Check your thinking
Test each idea with the meter
5. Make sense of it
Why are bulbs in parallel brighter than bulbs in series?
Load Series and parallel side by side, then measure the voltage across and the current through each bulb.
How much voltage does each bulb get in series and in parallel? What happens to the current? How do the voltage and current decide the brightness?
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