The Electric House Project
Objective
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Students will construct a light-weight two-story electric house in which they will wire separate series,
parallel, and complex circuits.
Requirements for The Electric House
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The house must have at least one series circuit consisting of a switch and at least two Christmas tree
lights powered by a 9-V battery.
The house must have at least one parallel circuit consisting of a switch and at least two Christmas tree
lights powered by a battery. NOTE: A 9-V battery might burn out the bulb, so you can use a lower
voltage battery for this circuit.
The house must have at least one complex circuit consisting of a switch, at least two Christmas tree
lights, and one "doorbell" (or buzzer) powered by a third 9-V battery.
Description of The Electric House
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The house will consist of two stories.
Each story will contain at least two rooms.
Each individual room will be illuminated by its own light.
There will be a front door and a porch with a porch light.
Materials for The Electric House
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At least six miniature Christmas tree light bulbs or LEDs
Insulated wire
Suggestion: If you are using a strand of Christmas tree lights (the small ones), there is plenty of extra
wire! It works perfectly.
Three 9-V batteries
Three switches of any type
Doorbell or buzzer
Suggestion: Use a Piezo buzzer available at electronics stores. They cost approximately $3.50.
Electrical tape or wire connectors
Three 9-V battery caps or six small alligator clips
Look in your Garage (or ask a Neighbor) for the following
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Wire stripper
Small Phillips screwdriver and small “slot” screwdriver
A glue gun or tape is helpful in assembling your house.
Scissors
Scoring Rubric (Project will count as one test grade – student choice for 4th or 5th weeks)
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Group Project (2 to 3 members) = 60 points
1. Meeting minimum construction requirements of two stories, four rooms, and a porch = 15 pts
2. Successfully meeting series circuit minimum requirements = 10 pts
3. Successfully meeting parallel circuit minimum requirements = 15 pts
4. Successfully meeting complex circuit minimum requirements = 20 pts (the doorbell must operate
independently of the lights)
BONUS 2 pts awarded to the winners of the following categories (as voted on by students)
- Most Artistic
- Best Theme
- The McGuyver Award (made out of any resource handy)
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Individual Project = 40 points
Each student will answer the following questions. Each question is worth 8 points. In each of the
questions, assume that the light bulbs have the same resistance.
To receive the full 8 points for each question, you must provide the following:
For questions 1, 2, and 5 provide a “before and after” drawing. In each of your drawings, label the
percentage of the total current that each light bulb carries. Then answer the question and describe how
the described action will affect the intensities of the remaining lit light bulbs. For questions 3 and 4,
only one drawing is required with an explanation.
All answers must be in complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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You have three light bulbs. All have the same intensity when lit. Explain how you can determine
that they are connected in series by unscrewing one light bulb. Support your answer.
You have three light bulbs. All have the same intensity when lit. Explain how you can determine
that they are connected in parallel by unscrewing one light bulb. In your response, state the
relationship between the current and resistors in parallel.
You have three light bulbs. Two are connected in parallel. This parallel combination is connected
in series with the third light bulb. Describe the relative intensity of each bulb. Support your
answer.
In question #3, describe the relative intensities of the two remaining lit bulbs if one of the
bulbs in parallel was unscrewed. Support your answer.
You have four light bulbs, light bulbs one, two, three, and four. All have the same intensity. Bulb
one is unscrewed causing only bulb one to go out. Now, the current through bulb two is 33%
greater than it was originally. The current going through both bulbs three and four are 2/3 of
their original current. Based upon this information, how are the four bulbs wired? Support your
answer.