Skip to Content Go to sign in Skip to Primary Navigation Skip to Secondary Navigation Skip to Page Navigation Skip to Header Navigation Skip to Footer Navigation Read more about accessability options and our navigation

Physics Classroom is making strides to make our site accessible to everyone. Our site contains 6 navigation areas. The Primary, Secondary, and Page Level navigations have a screen reader version of their nav structure that allows using the left and right keys to navigate sibling navigation items, and up or down keys to navigate parent or child navigation items. The others can be navigated using tabs. The Primary Navigation handles the first 2 levels of site pages. The Secondary (which is not always available) handles the 3rd and 4th level of structure. The Page level navigation allows you to navigate the current page's headings quickly. The Header Navigation contains the Light/Dark Mode toggle, Search, Notifications and account login. The Breadcrumb Navigation contains the breadcrumb of the current page. If the current page has a breadcrumb, you can get to it by skipping to the content and tabbing in reverse (shift plus tab). The Footer Navigation contains links such as Privacy, Contact, about and terms. Some resources contain an Audio Player that can be activated by holding down the T key for 3 seconds, and then using K to pause and resume. While not every area of Physics Classroom is usable purely from keyboard and screen reader, we are committed to continue work on making this possible. If you have questions or need additional help, please use this link to contact us.

Return to screen reader navigation
Home Concept Builders Electric Circuits Light Bulb Anatomy Help Help 13

Light Bulb Anatomy - Questions 13 Help

For a light bulb to light, charge must enter the threaded side of the bulb and exit out the bottom tip of the bulb OR enter the bottom tip of the bulb and exit out the threaded side of the bulb. As long as a bulb is connected in this manner to the pathway that leads from the positive terminal of the cell to the negative terminal of the cell, the bulb will be lit.

There are three similar versions of this question. Here is one of the versions:

Version 1:
At which location must a second wire be connected in order for all three Bulbs to be lit?

Know How a Light Bulb Lights
A light bulb will light if charge flows through its filament. The filament is the curled wire that is located inside the glass bulb of a light bulb. The filament is connected to the side of the light bulb by a wire that supports one of its ends. The other end of the filament is supported by a wire that leads to the bottom tip of the bulb. As long as the bulb is arranged such that charge enters its side and exits out its bottom OR enters at the bottom and exits out the side, the light bulb will light. Carefully inspect each diagram to see if the light bulb is arranged in one of these two ways.

 

It's All About Anatomy
Questions in Activity 3 - Wire It Up will test your understanding of the wiring of a light bulb like no other question. You must use your understanding of the anatomy of a bulb in order to determine where the second wire must be connected. After you think you have determined the locatoin, tap on the corresponding letter. Notice that a wire is drawn connected to a bulb at that location. Before you tap the Check Answer button, trace the pathway from the first wire until it exits. Remember: if charge enters the bottom tip, it will only light the bulb if it passes out the side. AND if charge enters the side, it will only light the bulb if it passes out the bottom tip. Check your answer first. Tap Check Answer second.

Try these links to The Physics Classroom Tutorial for more help with understanding what makes charge flow through a circuit:

What is an Electric Circuit?

Requirements of a Circuit

Concept Builder Teacher Notes Directions