Tracing out loops in battery-powered devices
Classroom Activity
for 5-11
What the Activity is for
Finding loops in battery-powered devices.
Children should identify complete loops in battery-powered devices and devise their own records of that loop, using their own diagrams writing or other notation.
What to Prepare
- A collection of small torches, or other battery-powered devices (often found constructed using translucent plastic), where it is easy to make out a complete electrical loop
What Happens During this Activity
Introduce the idea of an electrical loop, perhaps using the rope loop model. Emphasise that what happens in one place in the loop affects what happens in another place in the loop – for example changes in the battery (running down) allow all drive changes somewhere else (motor turns or a lamp glows).
Then produce your supply of small translucent battery-powered objects and encourage the children to identify the loops and to communicate their findings, using their own diagrams and words.
