Materials:

• wires
• light bulbs + light bulb socket
• batteries + battery holder
• nail
• paperclip

Forming a Hypothesis:

1. What is electrical current?
2. How do we make electricity flow?

Experiment:

1. Using the wires and battery, make one of the light bulbs light up. Sketch your circuit.
2. What happens when you switch the direction that you connect the battery? What happens when you switch the direction of the light bulb?
3. Now use BOTH light bulbs and light bulb holders, and make them light up, using 3 wires (or a serial connection). Are the light bulbs lit up as brightly as before?
4. Use BOTH light bulbs and light bulb holders and make them light up, using 4 wires (or a parallel connection). Are the light bulbs lit up as brightly as before?
5. Now connect 2 batteries into your electrical circuit with the 2 light bulbs. Compare the brightness to what it was before. What happens when you switch the direction of ONE of the batteries?
6. Making an electromagnet: wrap the wire tightly around the nail provided. Move the paperclip close to it. Did anything happen? Now connect the ends of the wire to either end of the battery. Move the paperclip close to it again. Did anything happen?
7. Coil the wire as tightly as possible around the nail. Is the effect stronger or weaker?

After the Experiment:

1. How do we make electricity?
2. What happens to electricity as it gets used?