Year 6 Science · Components, switches and circuit symbols · Summary
Year 6 Science Components, switches and circuit symbols: summary and key words
Part of the Year 6 Science components, switches and circuit symbols chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Components | A cell gives the voltage. A bulb lights and a buzzer sounds when current flows through them. |
| Switches | An open switch is a gap, so no current flows. A closed switch completes the loop. |
| Bulbs in a row | Bulbs in a row in one loop share the voltage, so each is dimmer than one bulb on its own. |
| Symbols | Cell: long thin and short thick lines. Bulb: circle with a cross. Switch: a line with or without a gap. Wire: plain line. |
| Diagrams | Follow the loop. Check it is complete, has a cell, and the switch is closed before saying a bulb lights. |
Can you…?
- I can say what an open and a closed switch do to a circuit
- I can explain why bulbs in a row are dimmer than one bulb on its own
- I can name the symbols for a cell, a battery, a bulb, a switch and a wire
- I can read a circuit diagram and say whether the bulb will light
- I can draw a simple circuit diagram using the recognised symbols
Key terms
- component
- a part of a circuit, such as a cell, bulb, buzzer or switch
- switch
- a component that opens or closes a circuit
- open
- a switch or loop that has a gap, so no current flows
- closed
- a switch or loop with no gap, so current can flow
- in series
- joined one after another in the same loop
- circuit diagram
- a drawing of a circuit that uses symbols for the parts and straight lines for the wires
- symbol
- a standard drawing that stands for a component in a circuit diagram
- battery
- two or more cells joined together