Activity Sheet 2: Making The Circuit

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Video: CONCEPTS IN ELECTRICITY # 4 "Current Electricity"

1. Allessandro Volta invented the first electric battery about two hundred years ago, in the year 1794. Volta called his invention a "voltaic pile" or a "voltaic cell." A battery is a chemical cell which produces a continuous flow of charge.
  1. What is the secret to a battery's success?


  2. What happens to the outer zinc layer of the battery during the chemical reaction?


  3. What happens to the graphite rod in the middle?


  4. Sketch the battery and label the following: the zinc layer, the graphite rod, the positive electrode, and the negative electrode.









2. The chemical reaction that occurs inside a battery produces a flow of electric charge.
  1. What will happen if you connect them with a wire?


  2. On your sketch of the battery, show the direction of the flow of electric charge with an arrow.


  3. Define the term "current electricity."


3. Electrical devices are normally connected to a conducting wire.
  1. What is a simple circuit?


  2. Identify the parts of a simple circuit. Label them on your sketch.


4. A flashlight battery is a chemical cell, and is a source of chemical energy in a simple circuit.
  1. What is the source of the light in the bulb?


  2. Identify the form of energy that exists in the battery, the conducting wire, and in the light bulb. Label the forms of energy on your sketch.


  3. Why is the circuit said to illustrate direct current?