Thomas Edison’s:Bright Idea

Finding the Electric CircuitThomas Edison was a young manborn in the 1800’s who loved to ask questions, and find out interestingthings about the world he lived in.

You see, when Mr. Edison wasgrowing up, things were verydifferent. Electricity was brand new, so not everyone evenhad it in their homes!

That’s right, no Ipods or TV’s!

Thomas Edison in Fifth Grade!

Thomas Edison and other people in his time did not have the use of light bulbs. It was very hard to do anything at night since

light was only provided by candles. Also during this time, many house fires

happened because the use of gas lamps were unsafe, and caused disgusting soot to

pollute the air!

How Thomas Edison lived

A home in the 1800’s.

This is when Thomas Edison was

born

An actual gas lamp, used in most home in the 1800’s

Thomas Edison, the scientist knew that energy called, electricity, could be used in a way to light the homes of America. Though others had tried, he began work on a useful electriclight bulb, that would use a circuit in order to produce light, and wouldbe easy to use in any home!

After many experiments, Edison found that if an electrical current was present the energy running through the light bulb over a filament to produce light.This would be done by creating a complete circuit.

There are now over 20 million light bulbs sold per year!

Edison found that connecting wires to a one side of a battery, to a bulb, and back to the other side of the

battery would create a path for the electricity to travel.

As the current traveled through the complete circuit ,the energy from electricity would travel through the

filament and create a reaction of light in the light bulb.

Thomas Edison’s First Light Bulb

What we know as a light bulb today

One Hot IdeaEdison also found that these light bulbs would last for a very long time. Though the light would last long, the container of the electricity would

become extremely hot!Make sure to remember not to touch a light bulb after it

has been on for an amount of time.

Edison’s Other InventionsThomas Edison had many bright ideas besides the

light bulb such as….

Phonograph Kinetoscope

Moving Picture Machine Typewriting Machine

Light SocketLight Bulb

Wire

Battery

Battery Holder

Complete Circuit

Who am I? Conductors Insulators

Light up the words of Electricity!Place a bright light bulb under the words that are part of

electricity

Football

Battery

Electric CurrentLight Socket

Light Bulb Circuit

Battery Holder Sledding

Swimming Pool Wire

ConductorsElectricity’s Best Friend

Conductors are materials that allow electricity to pass through.Below are things we use everyday that can conduct electricity!

Insulators Electricity’s stealing enemy

Insulators are materials that do not allow Electricity to pass throughInsulators steal the energy from electricity, and keep it for themselves!

Here are some examples…

Fahnestock clip

Conductor

Insulator

Light Socket

Keeps the bulb in place

Helps to hold the wire as we test the circuit

Does not let electricity pass

Allows electricity to pass through

switch

contact points

battery holder

electric current

Where wires must be placed in order to create a circuit

The flow of electricity through a circuit

What stops and starts the electricity through a circuit

Holds the battery in place

Holding it all togetherDo you have to hold a wire to a battery in order to turn on

a light?

Scientists found materials that help to hold the circuit together.

Now these materials do the work!

Fahnestock Clip- Holds the wire to the contact point on the battery.

Light Socket- holds the light bulb in place.

Battery Holder- Keeps the battery in place, so the wires will stay connected.

Light Switch- Starts and stops the flow of electricity through the circuit.

Drag these pieces to create a complete

circuit

Insulator vs. ConductorDoes not allow

electricity through

Allows electricity to flow through

The last two pieces of the puzzle…

Contact Points-points on the battery

that conduct electricity

Circuit Tester-Created to test for a

complete circuit

An object that does not allow electricity through __________

The points on a battery that give the circuit electricity ___________

An object that does allow electricity through _______________

The tool that holds the wire to the battery __________________

Lights up when electricity is inside it _________________

What holds the battery in place for the circuit __________________

Insulator

Contact Points

Fahnestock Clip Battery Holder

Conductor Light Bulb

Holds the Light Bulb in place _________

The complete circle of electricity __________

Used to check if the circuit is complete _________

What fuels a complete circuit ____________

Turns the electricity on and off in our homes ______

Switch

Light Socket

Electric Circuit

Circuit TesterElectricity

1.) Explain why the light bulb only lit up some of the time.

2.) Classify which numbers were hidden circuits.

3.) Construct a list made up of the circuits points that did not work.

4.) How can you explain to a younger student what the light bulb needs in order to light?

5.) Choose which side of the circuit box has more connected circuits and explain why.

Series Circuit Parallel Circuits

What do you notice about these

circuits?

Parallel Circuit

Source of Electricity

Wire

Junction

A parallel circuit is set up just as the one on this page.

In a parallel circuit, electricity flows along more than one path around the circuit.

There are junctions in a circuit, where the electric charge must “decide” whether to go along one path or the other.

It cannot go along both paths at a junction, but must split up.

Series CircuitIn a series circuit, electricity has only one path to travel from one point on the circuit.

Electricity travels through the wires, batteries, and bulbs, and back to the starting point.

Discovering Parallel and Series Circuits

Click on the light bulb to play a game about these circuits!

Batteries in a Series

Batteries in a Parallel

Batteries in a parallel circuit, the brightness of the bulb will remain the same as it was with one battery. This is because the electric charge has picked up the energy of only one battery, since

it cannot go through both batteries at the same time.

Batteries in a series, the energy across the bulb is increased causing the bulb to glow more brightly. This is because the electric charge flowing through the circuit has picked up the energy from one

battery then the next, effectively doubling its energy.

Time to Review!

Drag the word to the correct definition

Parallel Circuit

Series Circuit

Junctions

Electric Current

Battery

Batteries in a parallel

Batteries arranged in series

Electricity has one path to travel.

Electricity arrives at junctions as must travel different ways.

Where electricity must “decide” to go different ways

The flow of Electricity through the circuit

The source of Electricity in a circuit

Two batteries in a circuit where more energy is produced

Two batteries in a circuit where less energy is produced.