6.
5 Changing the number of
components in a circuit
1 What components have you used so far to build a
circuit?A battery, a lamp in a lamp, a switch and connecting wires.
2 Where is the electricity in thewire
In the circuit?
3 What pushes the electricity around the circuit?
The cell (battery)
4 What opens and closesThe
theswitch
circuit?
Cells and batteries
• So far you have mostly made
circuits with one cell.
• Each cell stores 1.5 V of
electricity.
• When we have two or more
of these cells connected
together we call it a battery.
Cells and batteries
• The car battery in the picture is 12 V.
• We used two cells in the experiment
looking at whether water conducted
electricity.
Cells and batteries
• When the cell or battery is part of a circuit, the stored
energy pushes electricity around the circuit.
What happens when we change the
• You will need:
number of components in a circuit?
• three 1.5 V cells in cell holders, three lamps in lamp
holders, a switch, wire, a sharp knife or wire trimming
tools, scissors, a stick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxlLxMYYMYk
What happens when we change the
number of components in a circuit?
dim
normal
bright
normal
dim
Questions
4- What happened when you used only one lamp and three
cells in the circuit? Why do you think this happened?
The lamp will ‘pop’ or burn out. This is because the current
passing through is too strong.
5- Did the lamps shine more brightly or more dimly when you
removed one cell from the circuit? Why do you think this
happened?
More dimly. There was a smaller strength of current to light up
the same number of lamps.
Questions
6- Identify a pattern in your results. Choose the correct
alternatives to complete these sentences:
The lamps shine less / more brightly when you add more
lamps to the circuit.
The lamps shine less / more brightly when you add more cells
to the circuit.
7- Complete the sentence below to write a conclusion:
Changing the numberlamps of ________
cell or ________ in a circuit can
make a lamp
brighter ________ or ________.
dimmer
8- Which type of scientific enquiry did you practise in this
investigation?
pattern seeking
Workbook page 94, 95, 96 & 97
Focus
a) List five components of the circuit.
2Cells, 2 lamps, 2 lamp holders,4 connecting wires and a switch.
b) What must you do to the circuit before the lamps light up?
Close the switch.
c) You add another lamp to the circuit. Do the lamps glow more brightly or
less brightly?
Less brightly
d) Explain your answer.
3 lamps will share the total voltage of the battery instead of 2
lamps.
Practice
2
a) List the components in the circuit.
Three cells, a cell holder, three lamps, three lamp holders, a
switch and five connecting wires.
b) Will the lamps light up? Explain your answer.
No. The switch is open.
c) If you remove a lamp from the circuit, will the remaining
lamps glow
more brightly or less brightly?
More brightly
d) If you add a lamp to the circuit, will the remaining lamps
glow more
brightly or less brightly?
Less brightly
e) If you remove a cell from the circuit, will the lamps glow
more brightly
Less brightly
or less brightly?
f) If you add a cell to the circuit, will the lamps glow more
More brightly
Challenge
3- A) In the picture, circle the components you need to make a
circuit with
a 3V battery, two lamps in lamp holders and a switch.
b) What can you do to make a 3 V battery using the things in
the picture?
You can stick two cells together using the sticks and tape. Make sure that
the + end of each cell is next to the – end of the cell next to it.
c) If you make the circuit, predict whether the lamps will
come on. will come on if I close the switch, but not if I leave the switch
The lamps
open.
d) Predict what will happen if you remove a lamp from the
The remaining lamp will light more brightly.
circuit.
The same strength of electricity will only
e) Explain why you think this will happen.
be used by one lamp instead of two lamps.
f) Predict what would happen if you added a third lamp to your circuit.
The lamps will light less brightly.
g) Explain why you think this will happen.
The same strength of electricity will be shared between three
lamps instead of two lamps
A switch
The brightness decreases (gets dimmer)
The brightness decreases (gets dimmer)
A switch
Check your progress pages
[146 – 147]
Switch
Lamp holder
Cell
It closes or opens the circuit.
Open the switch.
More dimly
More brightly.
He has not turned the switch off and
pulled the plug out of the wall socket.
3
