Fun DIY project: Making an electric circuit at home

We use electrical appliances every day and we are aware that they are powered by electricity. But how does pushing a button makes a bulb light up or switch on that microwave? The process is best explained with a model of a simple circuit which your kids can make at home.  

What is needed to make an electric circuit? 

• A small light bulb  
• A bulb holder 
• Batteries that meet the correct voltage of the light bulb used 
• 3 pieces of wire 
• Electric tape 
• A small switch 
• Optional: a battery holder 

Making the circuit 
Here is a step-by-step guideline for making an electric circuit. Help your child follow them.  

• Pick any two wires and connect one end of each wire to the base of the bulb holder. 
• Now pick up the battery and connect the other end of one wire to the negative (-) end of the battery. 
• The free end of the other wire connects to the small switch. 
• Now, pick up the third wire and connect one end to the positive (+) end of the battery, and the other end to the switch. 
• Use the electric tape to ensure that the connections don’t come loose. 

Testing the circuit  
Technically, the electric circuit is now complete. Ask your child to screw the bulb into a holder, and turn the switch on. It will light up. When the bulb glows, it is proof that the electric circuit is functional. 

How does an electric circuit work? 
Electric current is the overall movement of charged particles in one direction. The wires build a continuous connection from the positive to negative terminals of the battery which completes the circuit and the flow of negatively charged electrons in the circuit is what makes it electric. This is why, the negative and positive terminals are clearly marked in battery and cell-powered devices. If the battery is connected the wrong way around, the current will not flow. 

If the connection breaks anywhere in the middle, say by turning off the switch, the circuit breaks and the current stops flowing. When the switch is turned on, it again completes the circuit and the bulb glows. 

An electric bulb lights up when the current flows through the tungsten wire in the bulb and meets resistance. This resistance produces heat, causing the bulb to glow. The voltage of a battery defines the electric potential it contains. 

A complete circuit through which current flows is called a closed circuit and if the circuit disconnects at any point before it reaches the positive end of the battery, it is called an open circuit.