The cell or battery is like the boiler and the pump, pushing hot water around. So it helps to think of an electrical circuit a bit like the central heating system in a house. Across the cell here, we can see it is one point four one volts.īecause the flow of electricity is invisible, it can be pretty tricky to imagine what’s going on inside all the tiny wires. In this circuit it’s nought point two three amps.Īnd a voltmeter measures the potential difference in volts, which is the difference in energy between two parts of a circuit. We can also add in some components that measure the current and the potential difference.Īn ammeter tells you the current, or the flow of charge through the circuit, measured in amps. Or you can even put in a switch that can temporarily break the circuit. You can put all kinds of other components in the circuit, to be powered by the cell. These could be batteries, solar panels, or a power supply connected to the mains - anything that can provide power to our circuit.Ī wire from the cell can then be connected to a component like a bulb.Īnd to complete the circuit you need to connect it back to the other side of the cell. You start with a cell, or combination of cells. We can see how circuits work, and represent them with some simple diagrams, using basic electrical components like these. It’s called a circuit.įor example, the lights in most houses and flats are part of a circuit controlled by the consumer unit, where power enters the house. For electricity to flow, everything needs to be connected in a big ring.
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