Demonstrating The Electrical Path Through A Parallel Circuit; Other Suggested Activities - PASCO EM-8090 Instruction Manual

Model No. EM-8090

Demonstrating the Electrical Path through a Parallel Circuit:

1. Insert the black lead into the COMMON port and the red lead into the
PARALLEL port of the Series/Parallel Circuit Board (EM-8677).
2. With Switches 1 and 2 open, rotate the Hand Crank Generator in the positive direction
(shown by the arrow on the label of the generator) at approximately 1 to 2 revolutions per
second. Note what happens.
3. With the leads still connected, close Switch 1 by moving the switch handle down into the
metal slot. Crank the handle. Note what happens.
4. Close both Switch 1 and 2 and crank the handle again. Note what happens. (Figure 3 on
page 6 shows the electrical pathway.)

Other Suggested Activities

a) Plug in two Hand-Crank Generators (using stacked banana plugs) into the EM-8677
Series/Parallel Circuit Board. Have one student rotate the handle of the first generator
forwards (according to the direction arrow on the generator label) and a second student rotate
the handle of the second generator forwards and note what happens. Then have the first
student rotate the handle forwards and the second student rotate the handle backwards and
note what happens.
b) Obtain two Hand-Crank Generators and lay them on the table. Connect the Generators to
each other (through the openings in the back of the banana plugs). Ask a student to crank the
handle of the second generator and note what happens.
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Hand-Crank Generator
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