SIMPLE CIRCUIT HELP

[coldice]

Can I connect a resistor across the two poles of a battery? I need to know for a science project material thanks. 

[Tedster]

1 minute ago, coldice said:

Can I connect a resistor across the two poles of a battery? I need to know for a science project material thanks. 

Welcome to the Forum!

 

Sure you could, but why would you? You'd just be throwing power away.

[coldice]

I need to do this because my science project is seeing if a worm can learn a maze. One side will have a reward and the other sandpaper and then an electric shock. Is there a better way to do this? I know if I don't use a resistor bad things will happen.

[fjdhdhcyfhf]

yes it is a simple application of ohm law. V=IR and power = VI. Make sure your resistor is rated above the power calculation. so 10V with 100ohm will give you 10/100=0.1Amps; 0.1A * 10V = 1W; so you will need at least a 1W resistor.

[Mira Yurizaki]

11 minutes ago, coldice said:

Can I connect a resistor across the two poles of a battery? I need to know for a science project material thanks. 

Yes, but you'd basically be giving the battery a load and thus using it.

[fjdhdhcyfhf]

1 minute ago, coldice said:

I need to do this because my science project is seeing if a worm can learn a maze. One side will have a reward and the other sandpaper and then an electric shock. Is there a better way to do this? I know if I don't use a resistor bad things will happen.

Are you testing positive and negative reinforcement or behavioral conditioning?

 

 

 

 

[coldice]

I'm pretty much seeing if an earthworm can learn. Also I was planning on using a D cell. Could I just connect a wire between both poles and then connect a pushbutton in between this wire if the worm touches so I don't waste all of the power, or do I still need a resistor(load)

[coldice]

30 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Yes, but you'd basically be giving the battery a load and thus using it.

Would the pushbutton work?

[coldice]

40 minutes ago, SCHISCHKA said:

yes it is a simple application of ohm law. V=IR and power = VI. Make sure your resistor is rated above the power calculation. so 10V with 100ohm will give you 10/100=0.1Amps; 0.1A * 10V = 1W; so you will need at least a 1W resistor.

If I used a pushbutton would it stop the current so I can only use it when needed and not let the battery short?

[johnny5c]

Man P.E.T.A. is going to have your face on t-shirts...

 

Seriously though most worms won't go near any electric fields because they're hyper sensitive to them, well at least that's what the box for my electric nightcrawler probe states.  The thing does work though, it's basically four "D" batteries connected to a steel rod and is enough to drive them right out of the ground in like a 20 foot radius.

[coldice]

A D cell doesn't have enough voltage to do much to an earthworm, and I don't think it will make too much of an electric field.

[coldice]

56 minutes ago, Tedster said:

Welcome to the Forum!

 

Sure you could, but why would you? You'd just be throwing power away.

Could I connect alligator clips from the battery to a pushbutton to save power and not blow anything up?

[mariushm]

Yes, you can connect a resistor across the poles of a battery.

Should you do it? Probably not.

 

V = I x R  ...  P = I²R  where V = voltage , I = current , R = resistance, p = power

 

So for example, with a 1.5v battery and a 100 ohm resistor ,  V = I x R so  I = V / I = 1.5v / 100 = 0.015 A or 15 mA , and the power dissipated in the resistor will be  P = 0.015 x 0.015 x 100 = 0.0225 watts, so you need a resistor with a rating of at least 0.125w so that it wouldn't burn up.

With a 10 ohm resistor, you have 0.15A current and  0.15x0.15x10 = 0.225 w of power dissipated in the resistor, so you'd need a resistor rated for at least 0.5w unless you want to see resistors smoking/burning/blowing up.

 

My advice... don't harm your worms.. they won't learn but as other said, probably they won't come near electricity since they're sensitive to it.

[coldice]

Alright