← Back to course
Everyday Machines / Week 06 / Friday
5/6
Week 06 · The Light Switch

Friday

Explain the switch
// A loop, a gap and a glow
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: Explain the Switch

Rocket draws a wall switch with a see-through wall.

"Power, wire, switch, wire, bulb, and back," he says.

Raven asks, "What do you notice at the switch?"

Nova glows a tiny gap. "That is the whole trick."

How a light switch works

Wires make a loop from the power to the bulb and back.

The switch sits in the loop.

Flip it on. The loop closes. Electricity flows. Light!

Flip it off. A gap opens. Electricity stops. Dark.

A flashlight works the same way with a battery.

LIGHTS OFF
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last
Draw a cutaway of a light switch and its loop. Mark the gap.

Tell a grown-up

Try it
Show your drawing to a grown-up.
Trace the loop with your finger.
Say what the switch does when it is on.
Say what it does when it is off.
Safety first
Point at a real wall switch. A grown-up flips it. Never open it.
SWITCH EXPERT
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What is a circuit?
A switch turns the light off. What did it make?
What pushes electricity in a flashlight?
Who handles outlets, plugs and wall switches?
SentenceTrue or false?
A closed loop lets electricity flow.?
A gap in the loop lets electricity flow.?
The bulb turns electricity into light.?
A flashlight and a wall switch both use a loop.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEYou can now explain every switch in your home.

Next week

Next week we meet magnets at home.

A magnet can pull without touching!

You explained the trick inside every switch!

Tomorrow is Machine Day.

← Thursday