House Wiring Project

Applying knowledge of circuits for the “Parade of Ohms”

Assignment Due Date: Saturday, March 8, 2008

Materials Needed:1 box, approximately Xerox paper-sized

2 cardboard or corrugated paper dividers

4 Christmas tree light bulbs

10 brass brads

5 paper clips

2 D-cells

Several feet of lightweight copper wire

Directions:

1)Use a portable-sized corrugated box with a “+” –shaped divider as a model house, as below:

2)Wire the four ‘rooms’ of the house in parallel. Each room should have a working light (Christmas tree miniature bulb) with a switch. One of these lights must have a three-way switch so that it can be turned off/on from either side of the room. All lights should work off of a pair of D-cells.

Sturdy switches can be made from paper clips and brass brads (as demonstrated in class). More fragile but workable ones can be made from aluminum foil (see IIIB1, How Can You Make a Switch?, p. 71 in the OP Electricity binder) or instead of foil, very durable switches can be made with strips cut from an aluminum pie pan.

3)When you are finished, please mount a wiring diagram on a side or the back of the box, where Building Inspectors can find it. The wiring diagram does not have to use technical symbols – any schematic that accurately shows the path of wire from batteries to lights and switches in your house is fine. Make sure your name is on the diagram.

Please bring your completed Model Home to class on Saturday, March 8, 2008 so that we may have our annual “Parade of Ohms” that day. IF you have difficulties with this assignment, bring your problem circuits and/or questions to class on Friday evening, March 7, 2008.

Evaluation:

Category / 5 points / 4, 3, 2 or 1 pt(s) / 0 points
Independent lights / All circuits are in parallel and each light works independently of the others / House is wired in series or in some combination of parallel and series / Missing
Working regular switches / Switches can be used to turn the lights off (open) and on (closed) / Switches work improperly, or some switches work and others don’t / Missing
Working three-way switch / Light can be turned on or off from either of two switches in a single room / Three-way switch is not functional / Missing
Wiring diagram / Schematic picture that accurately shows the path of wire from batteries to lights and switches in your house / Schematic picture is incorrect in places / Missing

Total: ____/20