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WHAT WILL YOU DO?:
Want to be "enened"
about electricity?
In this activity you'll construct a simple electrical
circuit. You'll make a buzzer ring and a bulb light up.
You'll be able to change the intensity of the light bulb
and buzzer's sound
by using "resistors". Resistors supress the passage of electric
current.
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
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Follow the diagram below to construct the circuit.
(You can click on the diagram for a larger view.)
Connect one end of one jumper lead (Marked 2 on the
diagram)
to one lead from the buzzer (Marked 1 on the diagram).
Buzzer Circuit Diagram
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Connect the other end of that jumper lead
to a lead from the battery connector (Marked 3 on the diagram).
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Attach another jumper lead to the other buzzer lead. Keep the
other end of the jumper lead free for now.
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Using a third jumper lead, attach one end to the free end of the battery
connector. Keep the other end of the jumper lead free.
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Attach the battery by snapping the battery (Marked 4) to the battery connector.
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Touch the free ends of the jumper leads together and listen. Is the
buzzer loud?
Connect the free ends of the jumper leads to the wooden toothpick. Does the
buzzer made a loud sound now?
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MATERIALS:
Buzzer
(We Used Radio Shack 12 Volt DC Piezo Buzzer $2.99)
9 Volt Battery
1 Wooden Toothpick
1 Battery Connector
(We Used Radio Shack 9 Volt
Battery Snap Connectors (5 in a package $1.49))
3 Jumper Leads (We Used Radio Shack 14" Jumper Leads
with mini alligator clips (10 in a package $3.99))
Resistor Assortment:
10W,
100 W,
1,000 W,
10,000 W,
100,000 W,
1,000,000 W.
(Cost: about $0.99 per five pack. Sometimes
an assorted package of resistors
of different ohms (W) is available.)
Optional
Lamp Base (We Used Radio Shack Miniature Lamp Base)
Lamp (We Used Bayonet Base Lamp 14 Volts $ 1.49)
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Remove the toothpick. Now connect the jumper leads to
the 10 W
resistor (Marked 6) and listen to the
buzzer. Is it a louder or quieter buzz? Do the same
for each of the resistors you have. Note the buzzer tone for each resistor.
What conclusions can you make? How do the resistors and the toothpick affect
the circuit?
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Optional:
Replace the buzzer with the lamp base (Marked 6) and lamp (Marked 7) by
unclamping the leads from the buzzer and reattaching them to the lamp base.
Repeat Steps 7 and 8 using the lamp instead of the
buzzer. Does the lamp get brighter or dimmer?
What conclusions can you make? How do the resistors and the toothpick affect
the circuit?
Lamp Circuit Diagram
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