The Conant High School physics team is proud to announce three new labs for the “DC Circuit Builder” HTML5 circuit simulator. The labs are designed to walk students through a progression of basic circuit concepts, starting with “how to light a bulb”, all the way through “parallel versus series”.

An overview of each lab is provided below:

1. Intro to Voltmeters and Ammeters
a. Light a bulb
b. Which of these bulbs will light? (show examples of schematics and actual wires, then create the circuit in DC Circuit Builder)
c. Large series circuit, use the voltmeter to measure the voltage drop across multiple locations
d. Large complex circuit, use the voltmeter to measure the voltage drop
e. Simple circuit, remove a wire and insert ammeter
f. Light bulb chain, which bulbs will light? Why?
g. 3 bulbs in series, what will happen if ammeter is put in across middle bulb? Why?

2. Ohm’s Law
a. Simple circuit. Use voltmeter and ammeter to measure voltage and current.
b. Increase battery voltage, measure voltage and current.
c. Repeat b to create a I vs V plot.
d. Design an experiment to determine the resistance of wires and ammeters in the simulation

3. Parallel and Series Lab
a. What happens to a series circuit when a bulb is removed?
b. What happens to a parallel circuit when a bulb is removed?
c. What happens when another bulb is added in series?
d. What happens when another bulb is added in parallel?

We would be happy to hear from you if you are using the labs or if you have any suggestions for improvements. If so, please let us know in the comments below!