Question

Without switches, which circuit type is more reliable for holiday lights (if one bulb burns out, others stay lit)?(3 points)

Both equally

Series

Neither

Parallel
Question 14: Build both a series circuit and a parallel circuit with the same battery and the same two bulbs (no switches). Use the ammeter to measure total current leaving the battery in each case. Which circuit type usually draws more total current from the battery (making the battery "work harder" or drain faster)?(3 points)

Series – because current is the same everywhere but higher overall.

Parallel – because current splits and adds up across branches.

Both draw the same total current.

It depends only on the battery voltage, not the circuit type.
Question 15: In your parallel circuit with two bulbs, add a third bulb in parallel. What generally happens to the brightness of the original bulbs compared to a series circuit when adding a third bulb?(3 points)

In parallel, original bulbs get brighter; in series, they stay the same.

Brightness doesn't change in either type when adding bulbs.

Both circuit types cause original bulbs to dim equally

In parallel, original bulbs stay about the same brightness; in series, they get dimmer.

Answer 1

Q13: Parallel — if one bulb burns out the others stay lit because each bulb has its own branch.

Q14: Parallel — a parallel circuit draws more total current from the battery because each bulb gets the full battery voltage and each branch adds its own current; the total is the sum of branch currents (higher than the single-series current).

Q15: In parallel, original bulbs stay about the same brightness; in series, they get dimmer — adding a series bulb raises total resistance and reduces current through all bulbs, while adding a parallel bulb does not significantly change voltage across the original bulbs.