Part of the Grab and Go With Science series, in this activity youth will build and understand the dangers of a short circuit.

There are times when electrical current tries to find a shortcut through the circuit. For example, if you accidentally connect a light bulb circuit so that there is a direct path through the wires from the positive terminal to the negative terminal of the battery, the electricity will not flow to the light, but will go directly through the wire back to the battery. This is a short circuit.