Electricity
Map
Arrows point from what you learn first to what it opens. Point at a concept to light up its chain and where it comes back deeper. Right-click a concept (or press and hold it) for its lessons and stories.
- Proven to depth123
- Open
- Locked
- Comes back deeper
Learning path
In the order the concepts build on each other.
- Electric circuitsLockedAn electric circuit is a closed loop that electricity can flow round: from one end of a battery, through wires and a bulb, and back to the battery's other end. If the loop is broken anywhere, the electricity stops and the bulb goes out. A switch is a gap we can open and close on purpose.Opens after: Energy
- Electrical conductors and insulatorsLockedSome materials let electricity pass through them: metals such as iron, copper and steel. They are called conductors. Others, such as plastic, rubber, glass and dry wood, don't let it through. They are called insulators. Electric wires are copper inside a plastic coat.Opens after: Electric circuits
- ElectromagnetsLockedWind an insulated wire many times round an iron nail and join its ends to a battery, and the nail becomes a magnet. It is a magnet only while electricity flows: open the circuit and it lets go. More turns of wire make it stronger. Cranes in scrapyards lift iron with big electromagnets.Opens after: Magnets, Electric circuits
- Series and parallel circuitsLockedTwo bulbs can be joined to a battery in two ways. In a series circuit they sit one after the other on a single loop, so if one goes out, the other goes out too. In a parallel circuit each bulb has a loop of its own, so one can go out while the other stays lit. The lights in a home are joined in parallel.Opens after: Electric circuits
Connections to other domains
- Electric circuits needs EnergyEnergy
- Electromagnets needs MagnetsMechanics