======Rope Loop Electric Circuit======


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**Alternative titles:** Modeling Electricity with a Rope
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Arrange students in a large circle, either in a hall or outdoors.  
  - Hand out a rope loop (6–9 mm thick) so it rests lightly on each student’s curled fingers.  
  - Begin moving the rope continuously around the circle to represent current flow.  
  - Instruct one student to grip the rope more tightly while it moves, creating resistance (like a bulb).  
  - Ask students to observe how the rope keeps moving everywhere at once, but energy is transferred where resistance occurs.  
  - Use guided questions to connect the model to electric circuits (e.g., battery makes charges move, current is same everywhere, energy shifts at resistors).



====Links==== 
The Rope Loop Model (and how it Explains AC) - GCSE and A Level Physics - Physics Online: 
{{youtube>Wt7QaPb5Tko?}}\\

📄 From rope loop to electric circuit model - Institute of Physics: [[https://spark.iop.org/rope-loop-electric-circuit-model]]\\


====Variations====
  * Use multiple “resistors” (students gripping rope) to show how energy is shared across different components.  
  * Compare rope speed with different numbers of students pulling to illustrate more or less current.  
  * Try using two rope loops in parallel paths to demonstrate parallel circuits.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Ensure students handle the rope gently to avoid rope burns.  
  * Use a rope of safe thickness (not too thin or rough).  
  * Supervise in large open spaces to prevent tripping hazards.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Where does the “rope” (charge) come from? (It is already in the circuit; the battery just sets it moving.)  
  * Does the current get used up? (No, it is the same everywhere in the loop.)  
  * Why does the student gripping the rope feel warming? (Friction resists the rope’s movement, like resistance in a circuit transferring energy.)  
  * What happens when the rope starts moving? (All parts of the rope move at once, just as current flows instantly around a complete circuit.)  
  * How does this model help explain why larger circuits work the same way as smaller ones? (The rope moves as a loop regardless of its length, showing current flows everywhere in the circuit.)