Electricity is the most accessible source of energy and it plays a crucial part in our life since it is needed to power many electrical products, such as light bulbs, televisions, stereos, refrigerators, washing machines, laptops, etc., and we cannot imagine our lives without it.

Electricity is generated at power plants and delivered to our houses with the help of thinner wires and electric pole infrastructures or underground lines (or wires). 

Definition of electric current: Electric current may be defined as the flow of electricity via conductive cables and wires. Conductive cables and wires are called conductors as they allow easy flow of electricity.

In reality, electricity and electric current are the terms used interchangeably in daily life. There are more sources of power, such as electric cells and batteries. To extract power from a cell or battery, a circuit needs to be connected to the cell. 

Electric Circuits:

 An electric circuit is a continuous conducting channel, generally consisting of various components such as wires, bulbs, switches, etc. A circuit starts from a positive terminal of a cell or battery and ends at the negative terminal of a battery. The electric current travels through various components such as wires, bulbs, switches, etc.

How to create an electric circuit?

Take a cell with a positive (+) and a negative (-) terminal (-). Now, attempt to link the positive terminal of the battery to one end of the switch using a piece of copper wire and the other end of the switch to one end of the bulb holder using a second piece of copper wire.

This configuration starting from the positive terminal of a cell, with various components in between, and ending at the negative terminal is known as an electric circuit.

Circuit Diagram

Using the symbols for the components, a circuit diagram depicts the relationship between each component in an electric circuit.

When the switch is closed in an electric circuit, it is satopicId to be in the ON position and the light bulb glows. 

When a switch in a circuit is open, it is referred to as being in the OFF state and the light bulb glows. 
 

Consequently, in an electric circuit, a bulb only illuminates when the switch is in the ON position, at which point we may say that the electric circuit is complete since current flows quickly throughout the circuit electric circuit.

Sometimes, the bulb does not illuminate even though the switch is in the ON position. This circumstance can only occur if the filament of the lightbulb breaks. 

Why use symbols while drawing a circuit diagram?

It is a tough and time-consuming task to sketch an electric circuit by drawing each cell, battery, switch, and bulb indivtopicIdually.

Hence, scientists have established a method of representing the components of an electric circuit (cell, battery, switch, bulb, etc.) using symbols that are simple to draw.

Thus, while drawing a circuit, you can use symbols to represent various components and cells.

Understanding cell 

Electric cell: The term 'electric cell' refers to an indivtopicIdual unit and a device that transforms chemical energy into electrical energy, creating a tiny quantity of electricity. 

A typical source of energy for a variety of devices, such as torches, radios, electric clocks and watches, toys, etc., is an electric cell; nevertheless, a single cell is frequently insufficient to power several gadgets since they demand high voltage. 

The cell offers far less energy than the electric supply line; for example, a single electric cell provtopicIdes only 1.5 V of electricity, but electricity from the power plant is sent to our house at a very high voltage of 220 V.

Electrical Cell Combination

The voltage may be increased by connecting many cells in series. Therefore, when the positive terminal of one cell is connected to the negative terminal of another cell, the cells are united in series. 

Thus, a battery may be described as a set of cells connected in series, such as how the batteries are arranged in a flashlight. 

Batteries used in automobiles, buses, trucks, inverters, etc. are likewise composed of cells. One of the most distinctive characteristics of a vehicle battery is that its cells may be recharged. However, standard batteries cannot be refilled.

FAQ:
Q1. What will happen if we join the positive terminal of one cell to the positive terminal of the other cell or the negative terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of the other cell?

Ans. If we connect two cells by joining the positive terminal of one cell to the positive terminal of the other cell or the negative terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of the other cell, the resulting battery will not function.

Q2. What is a cell holder and what use does it serve?

Ans. Within the battery compartment, cells are interconnected by a strong wire or metal strip are used. The metal strips are used for establishing a connection between the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of another cell. (+) and (-) indicators are provtopicIded at the battery's ends so that the users can understand how to place the batteries into the battery compartment.

To know more about a circuit, cell, and battery, check out our vtopicIdeos.