You probably remember the first time you played with circuits in school — or maybe using an electronics set given as a gift. Watching the circuits light up is very satisfying, but understanding the internal process is surprisingly difficult and eludes many students (and adults, for that matter). Like other areas of science, this is because our everyday experiences do not always prepare us well for events on the very small scale. Our brains evolved for different tasks and learning to visualise a non-intuitive model takes time and effort.
Using a batter y, bulb and wires, it doesn’t take much to bring forth light. If you add a resistor, you’ll notice the light dims. If it hasn’t, rearrange the components into one loop (Figure 1).
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
