Experiment Design:
Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer each question. This list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to give answers you can trust, it must have a “control.” A control is an additional experimental trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done exactly like the others. The only difference is that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a neutral “reference point” for comparison that allows you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it to not changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes very hard to develop. They can be the hardest part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the variable causes your observations. A series of experiments that includes a control is called a “controlled experiment.”
Please Read Carefully!
All experiments use safe, low-voltage battery power. Household electrical current contains high voltage that could cause serious injury. Do not use household electrical current for any of these experiments.
Carefully follow wiring instructions for each experiment—improper wiring can result in battery leakage and/or rupture.
Do not take a battery apart—contact with internal battery material can cause injury.
Do not dispose battery in fire, recharge, put in backwards, mix with used or other battery types—may explode, leak and cause personal injury.
Making a Simple Electric Circuit
In this experiment you will make a Simple Electric Circuit. Please note that Simple does mean easy (in this context). It means an electric circuit with one battery, one lamp and one switch.
Materials:
- Wood Board 12cm x 17cm (5″ x 7″)
- Single cell battery holder (MiniScience # MBH1D)
- Simple Switch (MiniScience # KSWITCH)
- Miniature lamp holder (MiniScience # MINIBASE, MINIBASEP, MINIBASEB)
- Miniature lamp 1.2-Volt (MiniScience # E0112)
- Small screws
- Connection Wires (Solid copper wires gage 20 up to 26 are recommended)
The picture bellow is from the Simple Electric Circuit kit of MiniScience.com.
