Lamp & Fan in Series

Project Number: 5

Parts Needed For Circuit: B1, L1, M1, Fan Blade, 2, S1, 2, 2, 2

OBJECTIVE: To show how a lamp can indicate when a fan is running.

Description: Build the circuit shown on the left by placing all the parts with a black 1 next to them on the base grid first. Then, assemble parts marked with a 2. Finally, place the an blade on the motor (M1). When you close the slide switch (S1), the fan will spin and the lamp (L1) should turn on. The fan will take a while to start turning due to inertia. Inertia is the property that tries to keep a body at rest from moving and tries to keep a moving object from stopping. The light helps protect the motor from getting the full voltage when the slide switch is closed. Part of the voltage goes across the lamp and the rest goes across the motor. Remove the fan and notice how the lamp gets dimmer when the motor does not have to spin the fan blade.