4.3 Rope model
The rope model is another model that demonstrates electric current moving around a circuit. Once more, read the instruction, answer the questions and consider how effective the model is for helping children to develop their conceptual understanding.
Activity 14 Modelling a circuit (2)
Timing: Allow about 15 minutes
What you need:
- a (large) loop of rope, ideally with a pattern or marks on it every metre, so you can see how fast it is moving.
What to do:
Before you start, choose one person from the group to read out the instructions and the ‘applying your knowledge’ questions.
- Everyone in the group stands in a circle and holds the rope so that the loop is not pulled too tightly, but does not sag anywhere either.
- One person pulls the rope around steadily, i.e. with a steady amount of pull.
- Everyone else should grip the rope very lightly as it passes through their hands.
- Everyone should grip more tightly and notice what happens. Be careful though, not too tightly! (This is not a tug of war game: the person pulling is meant to give a constant amount of pull, and should not start pulling harder and harder as everyone else grips more tightly.)
Applying your knowledge:
The following prompts will help you and children to evaluate this model:
- What forms the circuit in this model?
- What represents the current moving round the circuit?
- What represents energy in the circuit?
- Where does the current collect energy?
- In what ways is this model similar to your own ideas about electricity? In what ways is it different?
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Answer
The circuit in this model is the children’s hands. The current is the moving rope. The energy is the rate of the rope’s movement. Energy comes from the person pulling the rope.