Electrical Circuits

1. Electrical Circuits Ch 7 Sect 3

2. Electrical Circuits • Electrical circuits will always have a minimum of 3 parts • Voltage Source-A device that provides the electrical flow • Conductor-A device that will allow the electricity to flow through • A device to do work- • Example-Light, Drill, Circular saw

3. Types of Closed Circuits • Series Circuit-A circuit that has only one loop for electrons (current) to follow • Used in simple devices such as flashlights and some Christmas lights • series circuit

4. Types of Closed Circuits (cont) • Parallel Circuits-Contains 2 or more branches for electrons (current) to flow through • Parallel circuits have an advantage because you can use different items without affecting the entire current • Houses make use of parallel circuits • parallel circuit

5. Safety Devices • There are two types of safety devices most commonly used when using electrical wiring in buildings and cars • These devices keep the wires from getting hot and melting or possibly starting a fire

6. Safety Devices (cont) • Fuse-A fuse is a small device that breaks when the electricity becomes more than the wires may be able to handle • When the fuse breaks it opens the electrical circuit so no more electricity can flow through • Most commonly used in cars or individual electric devices

7. Safety Devices (cont) • Circuit breaker-When electric flow becomes to much a piece of metal bends and flips a switch that opens the circuit • The advantage to having a circuit breaker is that it can be reset (just reset the switch and it bends the metal back into place) • A circuit breaker is generally used in houses and large buildings