Setup: A DC circuit is made up of four resistors connected to a battery as shown in the schematic of movie. Which way will the current flow when the switch is closed?

Observations:  

• The simulation uses a gravity analogy for current flow as an analogy for electrical current flow. The vertical axis represents potential - voltage. The battery "pumps" the charge/fluid up from ground level to an higher energy. The size of the current is shown by the density of the charges through any of the resistors. As the current cascades through the various resistors, energy is lost until it reaches ground level again. Circular paddle wheels are used to infer the loss of energy as the current goes through the resistors.
• Before the switch is closed you can see that the potential is higher at point a than point b. After the switch is closed the potential at point a has decreased while the potential at point b has increased until the potential at point a and b is the same.
• Before the switch is closed more current flows through the left branch that the right branch because the combined resistance in the left branch is smaller, 14.0 W, than the right branch, 22.0 W.
• For more details see DC Circuit with Switch Problem.