16 Chapter One

Figure 1-16 Schematic for connecting a bulb and a battery.

Connecting a Circuit
When a circuit is connected to a battery, there is a negative charge at the neg-
ative terminal of the battery. Thus, an excess of electrons is located at this
point. There is a positive charge at the positive terminal of the battery. Thus,
there is a deficiency of electrons at this point. Electrons flow out of the negative
terminal into the copper wire. This causes a movement of the electrons in one
direction. Electrons also move in one direction in the bulb. The copper wire, con-
nected to the other end of the bulb, conducts the electrons to the positive ter-
minal of the battery. The arrival of the electrons at the positive terminal should
end the movement of electrons. However, the chemical action in the battery
maintains an emf across the battery terminals, and electrons continue to flow.
The light bulb has a resistance high enough to convert the electrical energy
to light and heat energy. The electric current heats the filament of the bulb. It
glows brightly. Keep in mind that light bulbs do not change all of the electrical
energy into light. As you know, the light bulb also becomes hot. This means that
much of the electrical energy is changed to heat.
Chemical action in the battery supplies the electrical energy to the light bulb.
The chemical action in the battery has a limited lifetime. Eventually, the chem-
ical action stops because the material in the battery is used up. When this hap-
pens, the light goes out because the battery is discharged.

Switches Control Electron Flow

Electron flow can be stopped by opening the circuit at any point. One of the
wires can be removed from the battery terminal or from the bulb. In most elec-
tric circuits, a switch is used at some point to permit the electron movement
to be started and stopped when needed. Figure 1-17 shows a switch placed in