Topics · Systems: Electrical Circuits · Builder
Circuit Builder
Pick a part, then tap a gap between two dots to place it. Build a loop with a battery and a bulb, add more, and see what lights up. Then try the challenges at the bottom.
Circuit Builder
Pick a part above, then tap a gap between two dots to place it. Or start from a ready-made circuit.
Tap a gap between two dots to add a wire. Tap a wire again to take it away.
Build this 0 of 6 done
- Not done yet
Light it up
Make one bulb light, with no short circuit.
- Not done yet
Two in series
Two bulbs, both lit, where blowing either one turns both off.
- Not done yet
Two in parallel
Two bulbs, both lit, where blowing either one leaves the other lit.
- Not done yet
One switch for all
At least two lit bulbs, and one switch that turns every bulb off.
- Not done yet
A switch for one bulb
At least two lit bulbs, and a switch that turns off only one of them.
- Not done yet
Brighter than normal
Make a bulb brighter than one bulb on one battery.
Each one is checked by what your circuit does, so there is more than one right answer. The ready-made circuits don't count until you change them yourself.
Things to try
- Which switch controls which bulb?A switch on the main wire controls every bulb. A switch on one branch of a parallel circuit controls only the bulb on that branch.
- Why did that bulb go dark?A wire across a bulb gives the current an easier path, so the bulb is bypassed. A wire straight across the battery is a short circuit.
- Which way round?Two batteries in series must face the same way, long line to short line. Facing opposite ways, they cancel each other out.
Want to change one thing at a time instead? Circuit Explorer →
The full explanation, with the mistakes papers try to catch: Electrical circuits: series and parallel →