School Projects Using Battery Circuits

Batteries can be used as the basis for many battery projects.

Battery circuit projects help students better understand the dynamics of electrical currents. These types of school science projects range from projects testing how the placement of batteries in a circuit affect the brightness of a lightbulb to learning about a battery-powered burglar alarm. Even though a battery is a low-voltage device, battery circuit projects can demonstrate basic principles of electricity.

Burglar Alarm

A working battery-powered burglar alarm can be done for a battery circuit project. This project is geared toward middle school students and consists of an alarm device such as a bell or buzzer, a battery and a way to open and close the circuit. Other components of a battery-powered burglar alarm include two wooden blocks, a metal strip, two screws and a hookup wire. This type of burglar alarm is designed to go off when an intruder opens a swinging door. The device is installed anywhere on the bottom of the door and is triggered when the opening of the door brings the circuit together, which sends a surge of electricity to the alarm.

Batteries Connected Series vs. Batteries Connected in Parallel

A lightbulb, two batteries and some wire can be used to test how connecting batteries parallel works compared to connecting batteries in series works. This project consists of connecting the lightbulb to two batteries with the batteries end to end forming a circuit; this connects the batteries in a series. The parallel part of the project is connecting the batteries to the lightbulb using another method that involves connecting one battery to the bulb and connecting the other battery to that battery with two wires as it lays parallel. The goal of this project is to see which method makes the lightbulb burn brighter.

Dance Pad Project

A battery circuit project can be performed making an interactive arcade dancing game. A simple version of The Dance Dance Revolution arcade game that involves participants dancing on a platform in front of a computer screen can be replicated as a science project. This can be a rather complex project that basically involves using a battery-powered circuit that runs through a dance pad comprised of two square pieces of material. The circuit is connected to a lightbulb or a buzzer. When the dance pad is stepped on, the dance pad acts as a switch that sends electricity to the bulb or the buzzer.

Circuit Tester

A simple circuit tester can be built to show how electricity moves through a table lamp. The basic components of this project are a couple of AA batteries, buzzer, wire and alligator clips. This tester works by attaching the two wires to the batteries with a buzzer hooked into the circuit. In order to use the tester on a lamp, the ends of the wires of the circuit tester are hooked to the two prongs of the plug on the lamp. A lamp that is working properly will set off the buzzer.

References

• Julian Trubin: Battery & Cell Science Fair Projects and Experiments
• Charles Edison Fund: Experiments
• Julian Trubin: Electric Circuits and Devices Science Fair Projects and Experiments
• Tecnoelpalo: Basic Electrics - Revision
• Science Buddies: Dance Mania: Build Your Own Dance Pad
• Science Buddies: Is This Connected to That?

Resources

• Energizer: Battery Powered Science Projects - Make a Simple Electric Circuit; Energizer.com