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Science Quiz - Electrical Circuits 01 (Questions)

Test yourself on the mysteries of voltage and amps. What is a parallel circuit?

Quizzes are a great way to learn if you are aged between 11 and 14.

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This KS3 Science quiz challenges you on electrical circuits. An electrical circuit consists of wires, components (like switches and bulbs) and a cell or other source of power. A circuit needs to be complete for electricity to flow through it. If there is a break in the circuit, the electricity cannot pass. The amount of electricity passing through a circuit can be measured in volts and amps. The voltage tells you how much electrical energy there is. The current (number of amps) tells you how much electricity is flowing through the circuit. The amount of current flowing depends on the voltage and the resistance of the components.

There are two types of electrical circuit - series and parallel. In a series circuit, the components are arranged one after the other. If the components in a series circuit are bulbs, the more you add, the dimmer they will be. In a parallel circuit, the bulbs are connected side by side. Each one gets the same amount of energy from the battery and will all be the same brightness. If you add more bulbs in parallel, they will all be as bright as each other.

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1. What does an electric circuit need to provide energy?
[ ] A bulb
[ ] A cell
[ ] A switch
[ ] A wire
2. Which of the following does a light bulb do?
[ ] Change electrical energy into kinetic energy
[ ] Change electrical energy into light energy
[ ] Change light energy into electrical energy
[ ] Change light energy into thermal energy
3. A complete circuit has:
[ ] a motor in it
[ ] a switch in it
[ ] two bulbs in it
[ ] no breaks in it
4. What is the unit of electric current?
[ ] Amp
[ ] Ohm
[ ] Volt
[ ] Watt
5. What is used to measure the flow of current in a circuit?
[ ] Ammeter
[ ] Battery
[ ] Rheostat
[ ] Voltmeter
6. Three bulbs connected in series:
[ ] are brighter than one bulb
[ ] are dimmer than one bulb on its own
[ ] do not light up
[ ] are the same brightness as one bulb
7. In a parallel circuit:
[ ] the current can flow through only one route
[ ] the current can flow through more than one route
[ ] the current does not flow
[ ] the current gets smaller
8. In order to measure the current flowing through a bulb in a circuit, the ammeter is connected in:
[ ] Not connected in the circuit
[ ] parallel with the battery
[ ] parallel with the bulb
[ ] series with the bulb
9. In order to measure the voltage across a bulb in a circuit, the voltmeter is connected in:
[ ] Not connected in the circuit
[ ] parallel with the battery
[ ] parallel with the bulb
[ ] series with the bulb
10. If more bulbs are added in series in a series circuit:
[ ] less current flows
[ ] more current flows
[ ] no current flows
[ ] there is no change in current flow

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Models of electrical circuits

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Science Quiz - Electrical Circuits 01 (Answers)
1. What does an electric circuit need to provide energy?
[ ] A bulb
[x] A cell
[ ] A switch
[ ] A wire
A battery contains two or more cells
2. Which of the following does a light bulb do?
[ ] Change electrical energy into kinetic energy
[x] Change electrical energy into light energy
[ ] Change light energy into electrical energy
[ ] Change light energy into thermal energy
Thomas Edison invented a light bulb that stayed alight. All the previous efforts had only stayed alight for a short while before the filament melted, breaking the circuit
3. A complete circuit has:
[ ] a motor in it
[ ] a switch in it
[ ] two bulbs in it
[x] no breaks in it
Switches are used to deliberately break a circuit so that the electricity doesn't flow round it all the time
4. What is the unit of electric current?
[x] Amp
[ ] Ohm
[ ] Volt
[ ] Watt
Short for ampere
5. What is used to measure the flow of current in a circuit?
[x] Ammeter
[ ] Battery
[ ] Rheostat
[ ] Voltmeter
Most school ammeters are now digital which makes them easier and faster to read
6. Three bulbs connected in series:
[ ] are brighter than one bulb
[x] are dimmer than one bulb on its own
[ ] do not light up
[ ] are the same brightness as one bulb
The energy of the cell is shared between them
7. In a parallel circuit:
[ ] the current can flow through only one route
[x] the current can flow through more than one route
[ ] the current does not flow
[ ] the current gets smaller
The current splits at a junction in the wires
8. In order to measure the current flowing through a bulb in a circuit, the ammeter is connected in:
[ ] Not connected in the circuit
[ ] parallel with the battery
[ ] parallel with the bulb
[x] series with the bulb
It measures the amount of electricity flowing through the circuit or component and therefore needs to be in the circuit rather than being in parallel with it
9. In order to measure the voltage across a bulb in a circuit, the voltmeter is connected in:
[ ] Not connected in the circuit
[ ] parallel with the battery
[x] parallel with the bulb
[ ] series with the bulb
The clue is in the wording - you measure voltage across a component
10. If more bulbs are added in series in a series circuit:
[x] less current flows
[ ] more current flows
[ ] no current flows
[ ] there is no change in current flow
It is the voltage from the battery or power pack that pushes the current round a circuit. As more bulbs are added to a circuit, it is harder for the battery or power pack to push the current round the circuit. This means that less current flows (so the bulbs would be dimmer than before). To make more current flow you would need to use a higher voltage. To make no current flow, you would need to break the circuit by disconnecting a wire. To keep the current the same as before, you would need to increase the voltage to compensate for the extra bulbs