Students should be aware of the
importance of an electric circuit, especially in their everyday life.
However, the circuits that they experimented with are not quite the same
circuits that they use in their home. There are two types of current
electricity, series and parallel. This was introduced in the third grade
When a simple series is connected, a
single pathway is formed through which current flows. A parallel
circuit, forms branches, each of which is a separate path for the flow
of electrons. Both series and parallel connection have their own
In a series circuit, when one of the
bulbs or one of the wires is left open or is broken, the entire circuit
ceases. The break opens the circuit. Less expensive Christmas lights are
usually of this type, and you have to search for the defective bulb. A
parallel circuit is designed so that if one branch is defective, the
flow of electricity will not be broken to the other branches.
alligator clips, lamp holders, and lamps, erect a series and parallel
circuit as in the diagrams below. The more bulbs you put on the series
circuit, the more voltage you will need. Go over the difference between
the circuits. Point out that the lights get dimmer on a series circuit,
the lights are all illuminated the same on a parallel circuit.