Video Transcript
Which of the following is the
correct circuit symbol for a cell?
Before we take a look at each of
our answer choices, let’s remind ourselves what a cell actually is.
A cell is an electrical power
source that provides electrical energy to a circuit. A cell provides an electrical
potential difference to a circuit and allows a current to flow. A cell has two terminals. A terminal is a point where the
cell is connected to the rest of the circuit. One of the cell’s terminals is
always positively charged, and the other terminal is always negatively charged.
The circuit symbol for a cell
consists of two vertical lines. One of the lines is longer and
thinner than the other. Each line represents a different
terminal of the cell. The long, thin line represents the
positive terminal, and the short, thick line represents the negative terminal. Looking at the options we are
given, we see that this matches option (C). Option (C) shows the correct symbol
for a cell.
Let’s look at the other options and
check we know what each of these symbols represents. Option (A) looks very similar to
the symbol for a cell, but this is actually the symbol for a battery. Batteries are made of two or more
cells connected in series. If we look closely, we see the
battery symbol is actually two cell symbols, connected by a dashed line. This represents the cells that are
connected together to make up a battery.
Option (B) is a circle with an X
inside it, which represents a light bulb. Option (D) is a zigzag line. This represents a resistor. And finally we come to option (E),
which represents a typical closed switch. Switches determine whether a
current is able to flow in the circuit. This is just like the switches we
use every day to turn different devices on and off.
So, to recap, a cell consists of
two terminals: one positive and one negative. We can see this drawn in option
(C). Option (C) is the correct answer to
our question.
