Max's Spark Bench
Wire it up and see what lights
build real circuits with batteries, bulbs and switches, and watch them light up
what this teaches: circuits, series and parallel, voltage and current, short circuits
What you'll learn
- That electricity only flows when the circuit makes a complete loop
- Why two bulbs in a row are dim, and two bulbs side by side are bright
- What a switch actually does to the loop
- Why a short circuit burns things out
- How a resistor slows the current down
How to play
- Drag a battery onto the bench, then wires and a bulb, and close the loop.
- Tap a wire to rotate it, and tap a switch to flip it on or off.
- Tap any part on the bench to read its voltage and current in the multimeter panel.
- Try the challenges — can you light two bulbs so both stay bright?
FAQ
What age is this for?
Around 8 and up, roughly 3rd through 7th grade. Younger children enjoy just getting a bulb to light, which is the whole first lesson anyway.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in any web browser, it is free, and there is no signup.
Is the physics real?
Yes. The circuit is solved with the same nodal analysis engineers use, including the battery's internal resistance, which is why shorting it produces a huge current.
For parents and teachers
This pairs with a real battery-and-bulb kit rather than replacing one — the game lets a child try fifty arrangements in the time one takes to wire by hand, including the short circuit you would never let them build for real. It supports NGSS 4-PS3 energy transfer and MS-PS3-5.
Max's Physics Playground
Max's Light Lab
Max's Magnet Lab