1Two things to know first
A battery is a push, and a wire is already full
Electricity isn't "stuff" stored in the battery waiting to squirt out. Here are the two ideas you need — watch each one:
The battery = a push
A battery is a pump, not a tank. It doesn't hold a puddle of electricity. It shoves on the tiny bits that are already inside the wire.
The wire = a packed tube
A wire is already crammed full of tiny bits, end to end, like marbles in a tube. To move one, the bit in front needs somewhere to go.
2The two kinds of path
A whole ring, or a broken ring
Closed loop — the path comes all the way back
Wire goes out one end of the battery, through the bulb, and all the way back to the other end. The packed line of bits can shuffle around the ring, like a bike chain.
Open loop — one gap somewhere
Leave one tiny gap anywhere in the ring. Now the bit at the gap has nowhere to go… so the bit behind it can't move either… so the whole line freezes — even far from the gap.
3Build it yourself
Here's your loop — open and close the gap
A full battery and a working bulb, wired in a ring. There's a switch in the wire. Tap the button to open or close the gap and watch the teal bits — that's the current.
4Now move the break around
Does it matter where the gap is?
This time the ring starts whole and glowing. You'll snip one break and slide it around the loop — right beside the bulb, or way over on the far side. Before you try it — does the spot matter?
Guess before you find out
A break sitting right next to the bulb clearly stops it. But what about a break way over on the far side of the ring, nowhere near the bulb? Does the bulb get a little light through?