Topic Menu

Cyber-chess a chess instruction site
Questions on Electric Circuits

Q15. The back window of this car contains a heating element.

The heating element is part of an electrical circuit connected to the battery of the car.

The diagrams below show two ways of connecting the circuit of a heating element.

(a)

(i) Give the name for the type of circuit A

A series circuit.

(ii) Give the name for the type of circuit B

A parellel circuit.

2 marks

(b) A wire gets broken at point X on circuit A and at point Y on circuit B.

When the switch is closed, how does the broken wire affect the heating element in:

(i) circuit A?

The heating element ceases to work. No current flows in it because there is a break in the circuit, therefore it stops getting hot.

1 mark

(ii) circuit B?

The lowest strand of the circuit has a gap in it. So that strand will stop getting hot. However the rest of the circuit strands will get hot as before. That means that the heating element will still produce heat - but not quite as much as before.

1 mark

Maximum 4 marks