From: Mike Schulist (schulist@marin.k12.ca.us)
Date: Mon Sep 11 2000 - 01:22:12 PDT
Message-Id: <v01540b00b5e24141f33c@[204.188.195.25]> Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 09:22:12 +0100 From: schulist@marin.k12.ca.us (Mike Schulist) Subject: modelling a circuit
This summer in Paul and Don's electricity and magnetism class we discussed
how students could model an electric circuit. A flexible half pipe track
would represent wire, and marbles rolling in the track would represent the
flow of current. A student could hold one end of the track up,
representing a higher voltage, and the marbles would "flow" down the track.
When the marbles arrive at the lowest point, a student lifts them up back
to the high point in the track. This represents a battery giving
electronic potential to a circuit. My question is how to represent a
lightbulb or other resistor in a circuit. Since it is taking away
potential electic energy, should it just be a drop in the track? This
might confuse students because the current would flow faster through areas
of high resistance. Maybe students should lift the marbles off the track
and place them back on the track when it's a few feet lower. This would
slow the "current" down and show that the current is losing potential
energy. Any other ideas on how to clarify this demonstration?
Thanks,
Mike Schulist
Miller Creek School
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