Why do lights turn on?
Lights turn on when the switch lets electricity flow into the bulb.
Pip’s answer
- Lights turn on when the switch lets electricity flow into the bulb.
- Electricity zooms along the wires like a busy line of tiny runners!
- Inside the bulb, the electricity makes a part get bright and glow.
- Ooh, it travels so fast the light comes on the instant you flip it!
For grown-ups
Flipping a switch closes a loop called a circuit, letting electric current flow through wires to the bulb. In LED bulbs, current flowing through special materials makes them emit light directly. The signal travels through the circuit almost instantly, so the light comes on right away.
Ask your child: Why do you think we should never touch plugs or wires?
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