Experiment with Short Circuit

What is a short circuit? 

Short circuit is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path, often where essentially no (or a very low) electrical impedance is encountered. The electrical opposite of a short circuit is an "open circuit", which is an infinite resistance between two nodes. It is common to misuse "short circuit" to describe any electrical malfunction, regardless of the actual problem Source: Wikipedia

Experiment with Short Circuit

Do Experiment

Materials needed

·         one 1.5-volt flashlight battery 

·         Two 25 cm ( 10 in.) lengths of single strand insulated copper wire of 20 or 22 gauge.

·         small light socket with flashlight bulb

·         small screw driver 

One 25 cm (10-in) length of copper wire, similar to that used in activity 8.2, stripped on both ends. 

Procedure

1.      Connect your circuit so there is a complete path and the light turns on.
2. Strip (clean off) the insulation from 1 cm (1/2 in.) in the centre of each wire. Does the light still go on?
3. Put the bare ends of the extra piece of wire across the bare sections of your circuit wires. Does the light go one?
4. What do you think has happened? Why?
5. Feel the ends where the bare ends are touching. Do you notice anything?
6. You have made a short circuit. Discuss with your teacher and the other class members what that means.

2.       

Conclusion:

Share us your results with us.

Caution:

do not leave the circuit connected this way for more than a few seconds. If the battery is strong the wire might become hot enough to burn fingers, though it will still not cause an electrical shock. It will also run thee battery down very rapidly