Science

Grade 4
Unit 5
Making Circuits

Block 3 Unit 5

Grade 4 science

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Electricity
Electricity was invented by Thomas Edison.
Electric appliances (devices) are either battery
powered (like torches and clocks), or mains
powered (like televisions and washing machines...)
But some devices work with both (like mobile, some
radios, and some cameras).
And all of them need a complete electric circuit to
work.
Electrical circuits
A circuit always needs a power source, such as a
battery, with wires connected to both the
positive (+) and negative (-) ends. A battery is
also known as a cell.
A circuit can also contain other electrical components,
such as bulbs, buzzers (which make sounds) or motors
(which allow electricity to pass through).

Bulb

Buzzer

Motor
Electricity will only travel around a circuit that is
closed. That means it has no gaps.

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Open circuit
closed circuit

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Circuits that are not complete will not work because

electricity will not travel through them;
Here are some examples of incomplete circuits:

Note:
If you are using more than one battery (cell) in a
circuit, remember that they need to be connected so
that they are facing the same direction in the circuit.
The positive end (bumpy end) of one battery should
connect to the negative (flat end) of the other battery.

Electric circuit Symbols

We use these symbols to draw diagrams of circuits:

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Changing circuits
You can change the brightness of a bulb in a
circuit by changing the components of the
circuit
1- The number of batteries
Adding more batteries to a simple circuit will
increase the electrical energy, which will make a
bulb brighter.
2 batteries

2- The number of bulbs

Adding more bulbs to a simple circuit will reduce
the electrical energy and make the bulbs
dimmer.

3- The length of the wires

Lengthening the wires (making the
wires longer) in a simple circuit will
reduce the electrical energy, as it has
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further to travel. The extra distance will

make the bulb dimmer.

4- Adding a motor
If electrical energy is flowing around the circuit, the motor will
rotate, and if there is a bulb in the circuit it will get dimmer,
because the motor will reduce the electrical energy flowing to the
bulb.

5- The thickness of the wire

As the wire gets thicker the bulb gets brighter.
And using a thinner wire makes the bulb
dimmer
thats because when the wire is thick it will let more electricity pass
to the bulb.

Note:
If you add too many cells the bulbs could burn out.
Always make sure that the sum of volts on the batteries is close to the
number of volts on the bulbs, if the number on the battery is much
bigger than the number on the bulb then the bulb will blow or burn
out.

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Switches

Switches help control the flow of electricity through a circuit.

When a switch is open (off), there is a gap in the circuit. Electricity
cannot travel around the circuit.
When a switch is closed (on), it makes the circuit complete. Electricity
can travel around the circuit.

Switch open (off) Bulb doesn't light.

lights.

Switch closed (on) Bulb

Types of switches
Not all switches work in the same way; there are different switches to work
with different electrical appliances in our homes.
For example, we would expect a light switch to turn the light on and keep it
turned on, but we certainly would not want this to happen with the doorbell,
this is why there are different types of switches for different uses:
A- Simple switches: This is a simple on/off switch.
When it is on, the current flows through the circuit; when it is off, the current
stops.
Activity: Make a switch using a block of wood, a paper clip, and two wires.
When the clip touches both wires, the switch is on.

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B- Two way switch: used to control more than

one bulb.

C- Folded card push switch:

This switch only works while pressure is
applied.

D- Push to switch off.

E- Dimmer Switch: a dimmer switch allows us to

control light level from nearly dark to fully lit by
turning a knob.
We can do this by using a bad conductor of electricity
(but not an insulator).
E.g. a pencil graphite rod
As we move the wire on the pencil, the bulb will get
dimmer or brighter.
F- Reed switch: A switch consists of 2
metal rods inside a tube and a magnet outside
the tube.
When the 2 metals attract; the circuit is closed.

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Electrical conductors and insulators

Electrical conductors:
Some materials will allow electricity to travel through
them; we call these materials Conductors.
e.g. (metal) copper, silver, gold, and iron
The piece of metal in this circuit allows electricity to
travel through it, so the bulb will light up.

Electrical insulators:
Other materials do not allow electricity
to pass through them. We call these
materials insulators.
There are lots of different materials
that are insulators, such as plastic,
rubber, wood, paper or glass.
In the picture the plastic does not
allow electricity to pass through so the
bulb does not light up.

Sometimes we need insulators and other times we need conductors,

E.g. In this cable the wire is made of copper because copper is a
conductor so it will let electricity pass through to the electric devices.
But the coating is plastic because plastic is an insulator
so it will not let electricity pass to other objects that
touches the wire or to our hands so we will not get an
electric shock.

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How to make a simple circuit?

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