Hooked on Science: Simple circuit demonstrates how electricity works

Using a few items from around the house you can create a simple circuit that will teach the entire family about electricity.

Materials

* Flashlight bulb

* Battery

* 12 inches of insulated wire

* Wire cutters

* Tape

Instructions

STEP 1: Using the wire cutters, cut the wire in half to create two six-inch pieces of wire.

STEP 2: Use the wire cutters to remove the plastic from the ends of the wire.

STEP 3: Tape the end of one of the six-inch pieces of wire to the end of the battery and the other end of the wire to the flashlight bulb.

STEP 4: Tape the end of the second piece of wire to the flashlight bulb and the other end of the wire to the opposite end of the battery.

Explanation

Once you connected the last wire to the opposite end of the battery you closed the circuit. This allowed the current to flow and then turned on your flashlight bulb.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.com. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.