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Introduction

Electric circuits are paths for transmitting electric current, or moving electricity. Such circuits allow electricity to be used to provide power to lights, appliances, and many other devices. Scientists have studied electricity for hundreds of years. But it was not until the early 1800s that they learned how to create a continuous flow of electricity and then to channel that electricity through the use of a circuit.

Parts of a Circuit

An electric circuit has to have a power source, wires for the electricity to flow through, and a device such as a lamp or a motor that uses the electric current. All of these parts must be connected so that the current continues to flow.

For small portable devices such as flashlights, a battery supplies the power. In a home or school most devices take power from the electricity supplied by the public power plant.

Wires made of metal and covered in plastic carry the electricity around a circuit. Metal is a good conductor of electricity, which means it can pass along the wire easily and well. The plastic around the wire insulates the electricity. The electricity is very powerful, and the plastic keeps it contained so that it does not harm people or other objects.

Switches

Electric circuits have switches that allow people to control the flow of the electric current through the circuit. When someone flips a light switch in a room or pushes a button on a flashlight that person is helping to complete the circuit. The current can then flow to the light or the bulb. When the switch is turned the other way, it breaks the circuit and stops the flow of the current.

Series and Parallel Circuits

Electric circuits can be set up in two ways. They can be either a series circuit or a parallel circuit.

In a series circuit, all parts of the circuit are connected one after another to form a loop. The electric current that flows through one part will flow through the next part and so on. Everywhere in a series circuit the current is the same. However, the current in a series circuit will lessen if another part, such as another lightbulb, is added. If one part of the series circuit burns out, the entire circuit is broken.

A parallel circuit has different pathways. The electric current divides, and only part of it flows through any path. Each pathway can be switched on or off separately from the others. In a parallel circuit of lights, for example, some or all of the lights may be used.

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Did You Know?

The electronic components within a single device, such as a radio, make up an electric circuit.

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