This lesson gives students the opportunity to review electricity and circuits, learn new vocabulary words, and then build different series and parallel circuits. (Most appropriate for grade levels 5-8.)
Science Standards:
7.PS.2: introduces the idea of conductivity
7.PS.3: Energy can be transformed or transferred but is never lost.
7.PS.4: Energy can be transferred through a variety of ways. An electrical circuit transfers energy from a source to a device.
8.PS.1: Objects can experience a force due to an external field such as magnetic, electrostatic, or gravitational fields. Magnetic, electrical and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
High School Standards:
P.EM.4: DC circuits • Ohm's law • Series circuits • Parallel circuits
PS.EW.5: Electricity • Movement of electrons • Current • Electric potential (voltage) • Resistors and transfer of energy
Critical Technology Connections:
Microelectronics: Building circuits provides the foundation for designing the complex microcircuits found in modern computing and communication technologies.
STEM Emerging Technology Connections:
Directed Energy: Understanding circuits is fundamental to any technology using electromagnetic energy, like lasers and high-powered microwaves.
Hypersonics: Electrical systems in hypersonic vehicles rely on a deep understanding of circuits for power and control.