1. Circuit Basics Electrical Shorts

2. What is an electrical short? An electrical short, or just short, is a direct path from one side of the battery to the other without any resistors (lightbulbs) to slow the current down.

3. Electrical Shorts Shorts ARE complete (or closed) circuits. There is a complete path from one side of the battery to the other. They are just dangerous because the current is so high that the circuit produces a lot of heat, which can cause sparks or fires.

4. Electrical Shorts It’s referred to as a short because it is a “short cut” for electrons to take. The green wire in this picture creates a short because it allows electrons to skip the light bulb and go directly to the battery.

5. Electrical Shorts In general, electrons always follow the path of LEAST resistance. So if there’s a path without a resistor, current will always go down THAT path and skip the others. That’s why the light bulb won’t turn on if there’s a short even though it is also a complete path.