Start with the path
Power source→Conductive path→Control→Load/output→Back to source
The switch opens or closes the path. A lamp, LED, motor, or speaker is a load because it uses electrical energy to do a job.
Watch: your first Snap Circuits path
Open or closed?
Open circuitThe path has a break. Current cannot travel around the full loop. The output is off.
Closed circuitThe path is complete. Current can travel through the load and return to the source. The output can turn on.
The lamp turns ___ because the path is ___.
Watch: conductors and insulators
A fair test changes one material while the circuit, gap, and power source stay the same.
___ is a conductor/insulator because the lamp ___.
Word bank: path · open · closed · conductor · insulator · complete · break · output
Five safety moves
- Switch off and build before inserting batteries.
- Compare the build to the diagram before power.
- Never connect the battery terminals directly.
- Keep hands, hair, and faces away from a spinning fan.
- Disconnect power before changing or returning a circuit.