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The plug-in blocks

This page was translated from German with AI. It has not been checked by a native speaker. Original page in German

With the plug-in blocks you build circuits on the table. Each block is a piece of wire, a lamp or a switch. Here you learn how to plug them together and what to watch out for.
📄 Open worksheet (PDF, German)

The video

In the video you see the blocks from above. The yellow dots show where current flows.

Subtitles are available in ten languages. Choose them at the bottom right of the video.

Contents of the video

  1. 0:00 Overview
  2. 0:12 The wire
  3. 0:20 Shapes
  4. 0:35 Sockets
  5. 0:52 Plugging together
  6. 1:06 Closed circuit
  7. 1:16 Limits
  8. 1:29 In short

The most important points

The white line on the block is the wire. Current can only flow where it runs.

Straight blocks, corners, T-pieces and crossings, plus lamp and switch. At the T-piece the wire branches.
Straight blocks, corners, T-pieces and crossings, plus lamp and switch. At the T-piece the wire branches.
A block with a gap and two sockets: here you connect the power supply or measure. If you are not measuring there, you join the sockets with a cable.
A block with a gap and two sockets: here you connect the power supply or measure. If you are not measuring there, you join the sockets with a cable.

The blocks are plugged into each other: on every side they have a tab and a notch, like puzzle pieces. Then the wires meet at the edges.

Current flows only in a closed circuit. If a block is missing, the circuit is open – the lamp goes out.
Current flows only in a closed circuit. If a block is missing, the circuit is open – the lamp goes out.

Limits

The blocks are built for 12 V and 2 A at most. So never set the power supply higher than 12 V. Before every change, switch the power supply off at the back.

The worksheet

Here you can see the worksheet for the video (in German). The hints are printed upside down – turn the sheet only when you cannot get on by yourself. You can also open it as a PDF.

📄 Open worksheet (PDF, German)

The worksheet – Page 1
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The worksheet – Page 2
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The worksheet – Page 3
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Show the worksheet solutions
The worksheet – Page 4
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Try it yourself

Task

A circuit of eight blocks with a lamp is connected, but the lamp stays dark. A corner at the top right is inserted so that its wire points up instead of down. Why does the lamp not light, and what do you do?

Show solution

The wire of the corner ends at the edge where there is no block. The circuit is open, no current flows. Switch the power supply off at the back, insert the corner the right way round, switch on again.

Keep learning with a language model

You are my physics teacher. I am learning to build circuits with plug-in blocks: the white line is the wire, the blocks are plugged together like puzzle pieces, current flows only in a closed circuit. Describe three set-ups to me in words, one after the other, each with a mistake in it. I have to find the mistake. Always wait for my answer and then explain briefly.

How this was made: The idea and the choice of equipment are mine. A language model (LLM) drafted the script, the drawings, the worksheet and this page following my instructions. The devices are drawn from photos of our collection and from my own templates. The voice was generated with Qwen3-TTS, modelled on my own voice.

Limits and operation apply to the devices in our collection. If you work with other devices, follow what is written on the device and what your teacher says.

The videos, worksheets, texts and prompts in this series are licensed under CC BY 4.0: you may use, change and share them if you name the source.