ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS

Electricity is very important in everyday life. People use electricity to

light their homes, shops and factories. Electricity is needed to make
TVs, telephones, radios and computers work. Electricity is needed to
control traffic lights and to make runway signals work.

These pages are about different

kinds of electrical circuits and how
to draw them.

Circuit symbols

Conductors and insulators

When you work with electrical circuits you need to

use symbols to show how you have arranged your
equipment.

A conductor is a material which lets electrons move

through it easily. Conductors contain free-moving
electric charges (positive and negative charges). All
metals conduct electricity, and so does graphite (a
form of carbon). Examples of metal conductors are
copper, aluminium, iron, etc.

Symbol

Electrical
component
Cell

Picture

Battery
two or more
cells
together
Lamp

An insulator is a material which does not let

electrons move through it. Electrical insulators do not
contain free-moving electric charges, but can acquire
static electric charges by rubbing. Non-metals
(rubber, wool, glass, silk and amber) are insulators,
and so are materials like wood or plastic, which are
mainly made from non-metals.

Bulb

Electrical conductors are used to make electrical

wires, whereas electrical insulators (plastic and
rubber) are used to make protective coverings in
wires and electrical devices.

Switch
(open)

Electrons were discovered in 1897 by a scientist

called Sir Joseph Thomson. Before then people
had imagined that electricity was an invisible
fluid which flowed through wires. To make it
easier to talk about electricity, they decided
that this fluid flowed out of the + end of a cell
and when back into the end.

motor

Ammeter

Now that we know about electrons, we also

know that the electrons come out of the end
of the battery and go back in the + end.

Bulbs, switches and motors are all electrical

components.

Electrical Circuits

Series and Parallel Circuits

An electrical circuit is the path along which electric

charges flow. It consists of an electrical source (e.g.
an electric cell) which drives the electric current
through the circuit, connecting wires and one or
more electrical components such as electric bulbs
and switches.

Electrical circuits may be divided into two main types

series circuits and parallel circuits.
A series circuit is one that connects electrical
components end to end, one after another to form a
single loop. The current flowing through each
electrical component in a series circuit is the same.

Switches can be used to control electricity.

In a closed circuit, the switch is closed and the circuit
is completed. There is a continuous path for electric
current to flow.If the circuit is broken, no current can
flows in the circuit. This called an open circuit.
If you put more lamps into a series circuit, the lamps
will be dimmer than before.

(a) Closed circuit

In a series circuit, if a lamp

breaks or a component is
disconnected, then the
circuit is broken and all the
components stop working.

(b) Open circuit

Circuit diagrams
A circuit diagram must be drawn using the symbols
which are used to represent electrical components.

A parallel circuit is one that splits into two or more

branches. The current flowing through each branch in
the parallel circuit may be the same or different, but
it is definitely less than the current flowing out from
the source.

Some guidelines for drawing circuits:

Wires must be straight lines
Draw component symbols then add the wires.
Use a ruler to draw wires connecting each
component.

Unlike a series circuit, the lamps stay bright if you add

more lamps in parallel.

The circuit diagram on the right uses the symbols for

a cell and a bulb. Notice the wires are straight lines.

In a parallel circuit, if a lamp breaks or a component

is disconnected from one parallel wire, the
components on different branches keep working.

Try drawing a circuit diagram of the open and closed

circuits on this page.

SUMMARY

Conductors are materials which allow electrons to move through them

Insulators are materials which do not allow electrons to move through
them
A complete circuit is needed for an electric current to flow
Series circuits have components arranged one after the other
Parallel circuits have components arranged in separate branches of the
circuit.

1.

What do these words mean?

a. Cell
b. Battery
c. Component
d. Conductor
e. Insulator

2.

(a) Name an insulating material.

(b) Name a conducting material.

3.

4.

(a) Why are electrical wires made of

metal?
(b) Why do they usually have a plastic
coating on the outside?
(a) Draw two bulbs and a cell in a
series circuit.
(b) Draw two bulbs and a cell in a
parallel circuit.

5.

(a) Which switches have to be pressed

to make bulb 2 come on?
(b) Which bulbs will come on if you
press switch B?
(c) Which bulbs will come on if you
press switches A and C?

A
B

6.

Mr. Smith has some Christmas tree

lights. One bulb is missing and the
other light will not come on until
he has replaced the bulb.
(a) Are the lights on a series or a
parallel circuit?
(b) Explain why.

7.

(a) Are the lights in your house on

a series circuit or a parallel
circuit?
(b) Explain why.
Two way switches are used on stair
cases so that the light can be
switched on or off from upstairs or
downstairs. Find out what a circuit
with a two-way switch would look
like and explain how it works. Draw
a diagram of the circuit too.