TINKER PiEDESIGN IN INDIA

Closed circuit: make a bulb glowTinkerPieCircuit tutorial 1 of 24 · Beginner · 10 minutes

Join a battery, a switch and a bulb in a loop and see why a closed circuit lets electricity flow.

Open this circuit in TinkerPieCircuit (free, runs in your browser)

What you will learn

Parts

1 battery (3 V)1 slide switch1 bulb3 wires

Steps

  1. Hide the board

    Press Hide board in the toolbar. You do not need the TinkerPie board for this circuit.

  2. Add the parts

    Click Battery, Slide switch and Bulb in the Parts list.

  3. Wire the loop

    Drag a wire from the battery + to one side of the switch. Join the other side of the switch to a bulb leg. Join the second bulb leg to the battery −.

  4. Close the switch

    Press ▶ Start, then click the switch knob so it turns green. The bulb glows.

  5. Open it again

    Click the knob again. The bulb goes out. The loop is broken.

This circuit needs no code. It runs by itself when you open it.

How it works

Electric current needs a complete loop from the battery + side back to the battery − side. A closed switch is a bridge in the loop. An open switch is a gap, so the current stops.

Challenge: Make the bulb glow with a 1.5 V battery and then with 6 V. Which is brighter? What happens at 9 V?

All 24 circuit tutorials · Open circuit: find the gap →