Virtual Electricity Lab: Lesson 2- Resistors


by Alan Zisman (c) 2003
 

Resistors soak up some electrical current, helping to keep it from getting too strong. We’re going to experiment with resistors in our circuit.

Resistors are labelled with coloured stripes, which tell how powerful they are-- resistance is measured in ohms.

Open the Virtual Electricity Lab. Create a circuit using:

-- two 12 volt batteries

-- the first light bulb

-- a switch

-- one of the first three resistors in the set. When you select a resistor, you’ll see its capacity listed on top.
 

1. Write down the capacity of the resistor you selected:

________ Ohms _______ Watts

Stripes: _________ ___________ _________ _________

 

Your circuit should look something like this:


 

 

2. Turn on the switch... What happened to the resistor? Why do you think this happened?

_________________________________________
 

3. Did the light bulb light up? Why do you think that happened?

_______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________
 

4. Flip the switch (to off). Remove the burnt-out resistor. Replace it with the sixth resistor (500 ohm, 5 watts... green, black, brown, and yellow stripes). Turn the switch on again.

a) What happened to the resistor?

________________________________________________________

b) Did the light bulb light up? Why do you think this happened?

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

 

5. Remove the resistor, and add two of the 5th resistor: 100 ohm/5 watts-- brown, black, brown, and yellow stripes... in a circuit like this:

 

Did the light bulb light up? Why do you think this happened?

________________________________________________________