Christmas Light Webquest
Kyleigh
Test 1
Testable question: How does the type of circuit affect the strand of the Christmas lights with a burned out bulb?
IV: type of circuit
DV: Burned out bulb
Hypothesis 1: If the Christmas lights are arranged in a parallel circuit then when 1bulb bursts, the other bulbs will light up.
Observations
I noticed that when all the bulbs were wired together, none of the bulbs dimmed as you add bulbs.
Observations
I noticed that when a bulb was busted, or removed, the other lights were not affected by the burned bulb.
Test 2
If the Christmas lights are arranged in a series circuit then when 1 bulb bursts, the other bulbs don't light up.
Observations
I noticed that when you flip the switch to turn the bulbs on, they all work the same.
Observations
I noticed when a bulb burst, the whole circuit of bulbs didn't work.
Conclusion
A parallel circuit is the best series to use for Christmas lights because when a bulb burns out, the rest of the bulbs will light up and you can fix the bulb that is burned out on that strand. In a series circuit, if one bulb goes out all the other bulbs will go out in that strand.