HPP Activity 69V2
Batteries and Bulbs
Introduction
The following activities will give you the chance to experimentally explore the behavior
of circuits made from batteries and bulbs. Circuits are an extremely important concept in
Physics 142. This lesson has been designed to help you begin to develop an understanding of
some fundamental circuit concepts. This lesson has not been designed to have you verify some
facts given in lecture or in your text, instead you are to explore, make observations, and draw
your own conclusions based solely on your observations.
The
(thought balloon) symbol is used to denote a ponder question (or prediction
question). This question must be answered before you try a particular experiment. These
questions are designed to have you think about what you expect to happen in a particular
experiment. These ponder questions will be graded for completeness, but they will never be
graded as "right" or "wrong."
Activity #1 is to be completed individually. That is, each person should work through
Activity #1 on his or her own.
Activity #1
Battery
#49 Light Bulb
Wire
1. Suppose you were given a single standard battery (just like the batteries in a flashlight),
a single light bulb, and a single wire. Could you make the bulb light? If you predict
you can’t light the bulb, explain why not. If you predict you can, draw a picture clearly
showing how you would make the bulb light, and explain why you think it would
work.
Once you have completed your explanation, you should show your instructor that you
have finished your prediction and then he/she will give you some equipment to test your
prediction. Try several different arrangements with just the single wire, battery, and bulb.
2.
Was your prediction correct? How many different ways can you find to make the bulb
light with just these three pieces? In your logbook, record precisely what you do to
make the bulb light (picture(s) may be helpful).

It is extremely important that you not continue until you have successfully
made a light bulb light. If by chance your bulb is burned out, then request a
new one from your instructor.
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
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HPP Activity 69V2
3.
Based just on this activity, what conditions seem necessary for the bulb to light?
Once you have completed activity #1, then you can join forces with your lab partner(s)
to complete the rest of the lesson.
Activity #2
Obtain various materials from your lab instructor (such as a coin, lead, wood, and
aluminum foil). One at a time, insert these materials into your working circuit. What happens?
Does the light bulb still light? Try this experiment and record the results for at least six
different materials (copper, lead, your finger, your shirt,....).
4.
How do these different materials change the conditions that allow the bulb to light?

Please return the battery, bulb, and wire neatly to the box in the front of the class
before you go to the next activity.
Activity #3 - Why Does the "Chirping Chick" Toy Chirp?
Each group should obtain a Chirping Chick toy (if there are not enough toys, you may
have to combine groups for this activity).
Using this toy, have your group try out the following mini-experiments. Record the
result of each experiment in your logbook.
Mini-experiments:
A. Place the chick in the palm of your hand.
B. Using two fingers of your right hand, place them touching
each of the toy's feet.
C. Place the chick on the back of your hand.
D. Place the chick on your upper arm.
E. Place the chick on the tabletop.
F. Place the chick on a piece of aluminum foil.
G. Using one finger of your right hand and one of your left
hand, place them touching each of the toy's feet.
H. Try any other experiment of interest…
Using your results of these experiments, answer the following questions.
5.
Consider the chirping chick toy. Based only on the evidence of your experiments, is the
battery in the toy or in your body? Explain your experimental evidence.
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
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HPP Activity 69V2
6.
What conditions need to be met in order for the chick to chirp? How is this similar to or
different from the battery, bulb, and wire system?
7.
What is it about the human body that lets the chick chirp sometimes but not other times?
Try to explain in detail. Why do you think parents tell their young children not to put
their fingers in power outlets?
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
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HPP Activity 69V2
Activity #4
You may have had some difficulty holding all of the equipment together to make the
bulb light in Activity #1. This can be made easier with some additional pieces of equipment.
At the front of the class you should find the supplies needed for Activity #4.
Equipment:
Battery(ies) in a holder, Two identical #13 light bulbs in sockets, Several wire
connectors, One key switch
Get a battery that has been placed in a holder and a bulb that is screwed into a socket.
Now the wires can be connected easily. Go ahead and make this bulb light.
This arrangement is called a circuit. If the circuit is left connected for too long, the
battery will weaken and it will have to be replaced. To avoid this, place a key switch in the
circuit such that the bulb only lights when the switch is closed.
Imagine you are trying to explain to someone how to connect the circuit as you have just
done. This is much easier to do with pictures than with words. To make the pictures easier to
draw and understand, standard symbols are used to represent the various elements of the
circuit. These symbols are identified below.
battery
wire (or any connection)
switch
The symbol for light bulbs is not standard, but some typical symbols include:
Or
When a picture of a circuit is drawn with these
symbols, it is called a circuit diagram.
A diagram for the circuit you constructed at the
start of Activity #4 with the switch would appear as this:
8.
Draw a circuit diagram that represents the chirping chick in mini-experiment G.
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
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HPP Activity 69V2
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
Page 5 of 5
HPP Activity 69V2
Activity #5
It is helpful at this point to construct a mental model of what is happening with the
circuit. In Activity #1, you might have decided that something flows from the battery to the
bulb, giving the bulb some energy. We call this flow of charge electrical current.
9. Discuss with your partners which of the following you think is true about the electrical
current at various points (A, B, C, D) in the circuit drawn below. Explain why you think
your choice is true.
A
B
D
C







The electrical current is largest at A.
The electrical current is largest at B.
The electrical current is largest at C.
The electrical current is largest at D.
The electrical current is the same everywhere.
The current is the same in AB and smaller than in CD.
The current is the same in AB and larger than in CD.
Now you will determine which answer might be best with the following experiment.
Add a second bulb to your circuit as shown.
This is called connecting the bulbs in series.
Two Identical Bulbs in Series
10. (a) When you close the switch, do both bulbs glow? How does the brightness of one bulb
compare to the other?
(b) Which answer from above (#9) supports these observations? Why do you think so?
Discuss with your partners and predict what would happen if one bulb is unscrewed
from the socket. Explain your reasoning for your prediction.
11.
Conduct an experiment to try it and see what happens. Record your results. Was your
prediction correct? Try to explain what you observe.
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
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HPP Activity 69V2
Activity #6
Suppose you were to connect the two
identical bulbs as shown to the right. This is called
connecting the bulbs in parallel.
Two Identical Bulbs in Parallel
Discuss and predict the following: How would their relative brightness compare? How
would the brightness of each bulb compare to that of a circuit with a single bulb? Explain your
reasoning.
12.
Connect two bulbs as shown and test your predictions. Record your observations and
any conclusions you can draw about bulbs in parallel.
Discuss and predict what would happen if one bulb is unscrewed from the socket and
explain why you think this.
13.
Try it and see what happens. Explain what you observe.
Activity #7
Obtain a #40 and a #46 bulb from your lab
instructor and build the following series circuit.
14.
Which bulb seems to cause the greater obstacle to the
flow of current in the circuit? Explain your evidence.
Hint: Think about how the brightness may be
related to or caused by the presence of an obstacle.
15.
# 40
# 46
Two Non-identical Bulbs
in Series
Rewire the circuit so that the #40 and #46 bulbs are in parallel. Observe which of the two
bulbs is brighter.
(a) How does this result compare to the result when the two bulbs were in series? Is the
same bulb the brightest?
(b) Attempt to explain the results for these two different circuits (parallel and series) for
these two bulbs.
Hint: An individual bulb (say the #46 one) will glow more brightly when more current is
flowing through it.
End of Lab Cleanup
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
Page 7 of 5
HPP Activity 69V2

Return the #40 and #46 bulbs to the containers on the lab instructor’s desk.

Place the two identical #13 bulbs back into the sockets.

Return all equipment including the chick toys to the front equipment table.
Activity Guide
 2010 The Humanized Physics Project
Supported in part by NSF-CCLI Program under grants DUE #00-88712 and #00-88780
Page 8 of 5