Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can list the common circuit elements and say what each one does. (Guide: “What a circuit is”)
- I can explain the difference between a closed circuit, an open circuit and a short circuit. (Guide: “Closed, open and short circuits”; Practice Q1, Q3)
- I can explain why a short-circuited element carries no current, using potential difference. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q6c)
- I can explain why the same elements arranged differently can make a circuit behave differently. (Guide: “Arrangement changes behaviour”)
Skills
- I can draw and recognise the symbols for a battery, bulb, switch, capacitor, resistor, ammeter and voltmeter, and show a variable element. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q2)
- I can draw a schematic from a written description, using conventional current. (Guide: Worked example 3; Practice Q5a)
- I can place an ammeter in the loop and a voltmeter across an element, and say what goes wrong if they are swapped. (Guide: Worked example 3; Practice Q5a)
- I can list every closed loop in a circuit, including loops without the battery, and say which loops an element belongs to. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
- I can use I = ΔQ/Δt with a meter reading to find the charge through an element. (Guide: Worked example 3; Practice Q5b)
Reasoning
- I can predict which bulbs carry current for any combination of open and closed switches. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q6a–b)
- I can justify why the current is the same everywhere in a single loop. (Practice Q5c)
- I can explain why a voltmeter across an open switch reads the battery’s emf, but reads zero across a closed switch. (Practice Q7)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 11.3, Resistance, Resistivity and Ohm’s Law, or return to the course roadmap.