The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?

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written by Tom Henderson

This is an interactive tutorial for introductory physics on the topic of electric circuits, current, and power. It explains the following concepts: electric potential, requirements of a circuit, light bulb anatomy, current flow, and electric power, and common misconceptions relating to electricity. Each section contains self-guided quizzes that allow students to check their understanding.

This page is part of The Physics Classroom tutorials for students of introductory physics. SEE RELATED ITEMS on this page for a link to a closely related tutorial on inverse square relationships by the same author.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Electricity & Magnetism - DC Circuits	- High School - Middle School	- Instructional Material = Problem/Problem Set = Tutorial

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
- Learners - Educators	- text/html - image/gif	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 1996 Tom Henderson
Keywords:: circuits, current, electric current, electric potential, electric power, electricity tutorial, interactive tutorial, kilowatt, tutorial
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created June 18, 2010 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: June 27, 2011 by Tom Henderson
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 12, 2008
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

8. The Designed World

8C. Energy Sources and Use

6-8: 8C/M4. Electrical energy can be generated from a variety of energy resources and can be transformed into almost any other form of energy. Electric circuits are used to distribute energy quickly and conveniently to distant locations.

AAAS Benchmark Alignments (1993 Version)

4. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

G. Forces of Nature

4G (9-12) #4. Different kinds of materials respond differently to electric forces. In conducting materials such as metals, electric charges flow easily, whereas in insulating materials such as glass, they can move hardly at all. At very low temperatures, some materials become superconductors and offer no resistance to the flow of current. In between these extremes, semiconducting materials differ greatly in how well they conduct, depending on their exact composition.

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=10097">Henderson, Tom. The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?. December 12, 2008.</a>

AIP Format

T. Henderson, (1996), WWW Document, (https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm).

AJP/PRST-PER

T. Henderson, The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit? (1996), <https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm>.

APA Format

Henderson, T. (2008, December 12). The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm

Chicago Format

Henderson, Tom. The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?. December 12, 2008. https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm (accessed 19 April 2024).

MLA Format

Henderson, Tom. The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?. 1996. 12 Dec. 2008. 19 Apr. 2024 <https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm>.

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@misc{ Author = "Tom Henderson", Title = {The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?}, Volume = {2024}, Number = {19 April 2024}, Month = {December 12, 2008}, Year = {1996} }

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%A Tom Henderson %T The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit? %D December 12, 2008 %U https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm %O text/html

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%0 Electronic Source %A Henderson, Tom %D December 12, 2008 %T The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit? %V 2024 %N 19 April 2024 %8 December 12, 2008 %9 text/html %U https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/U9L2a.cfm

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The Physics Classroom: What is an Electric Circuit?:

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