ELEMENTS online
www.stao.ca
Electricity: Conductors and Insulators
««« By Nira Thiagalingam
Nira Thiagalingam was a pre-service teacher at the Nipissing University when she
wrote this article. Nira was a recipient of the 2011 Don Galbraith Pre-service Teacher
Award of Excellence with this submission.
This information is recommended
for use with the Ontario Curriculum,
Grade 6: Understanding Matter and Energy,
Electricity
Expectations
This activity will fulfill the following elementary curriculum
expectations:
• 3.3 identify materials that are good conductors of electricity
and good insulators.
• 3.5 identify ways in which electrical energy is transformed
into other forms of energy.
• 3.6 explain the functions of the components of a simple
electrical circuit.
Hook
To begin this activity, we watched a Bill Nye video entitled “AC/DC
Charge”. It is available for free, online, to be used only in the classroom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXZ2fi25O7Q .
Content
In this activity, we will discuss and learn about the following concepts
in the study of electricity:
• Conductor: materials that can carry electricity
• Insulator: does not allow electricity to flow though (i.e. does not
conduct electricity)
• Components of a simple electrical circuit: battery is the power source, wire is the conductor that carries the electrical current to the load, light bulb or motor is the load
• Electrical energy is transformed into light energy (and other forms of energy depending on the load).
Conductors and Insulators
Volume 33 • 4 March 2012
ELEMENTS online
www.stao.ca
Materials
•
•
•
•
Battery
Bulb
Alligator clips
Variety of materials to test (e.g. penny, plastic, nickel, screw, elastic, cloth, paper clip, aluminum foil).
Safety Considerations
•
•
•
•
•
Dry hands and work area.
Only touch the rubber (not the metal) on the alligator clips.
Alligator clips are sharp; take care when handling.
Be careful with light bulbs as they break easily.
When the circuit is connected do not touch the load.
For further safety practices, please refer to STAO’s Stay Safe document. It should be consulted before undertaking any
activities of this sort.
Description of Activity
1. Use the diagram to help you design a simple circuit to test
various materials for conductivity. (see photo to right)
Procedure
1. Before you begin to test the materials, predict whether
each material is a conductor or an insulator.
2. To test each material, attach the ends of the “free” alligator clips to the material.
3. If the material is a conductor, you will be able to tell
because the light will turn on (or motor will run).
Conductors and Insulators – Page 2
Volume 33 • 4 March 2012
ELEMENTS online
www.stao.ca
Results
Indicate the results of the test in a chart:
Materials
Conductor
Insulator
Aluminum Foil
Bolt/Screw
Cloth
Elastic Band
Nickel
Paper Clip
Penny
Plastic
Questions to Consider
1. Why would it be important that some materials conduct electricity very well while other materials do not?
2. How could you tell a material was a conductor or insulator?
3. Can you think of any other materials that can be used as a conductor?
Adaptations
•
•
Add other loads (e.g. motors)
Design fans to attach to motors
Interactive Online Activity
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages
/8_9/circuits_conductors.shtml
Conductors and Insulators – Page 3
Volume 33 • 4 March 2012
ELEMENTS online
www.stao.ca
Extensions
•
•
•
Add switches to the simple circuit
From the curriculum document: design, build, and test a device that produces electricity (e.g. battery built from a
lemon or potato)
Compare series and parallel circuits
References/Resources
Ontario Curriculum: Science and Technology, Grades 1 to 8, 2007 (Revised).
Bill Nye the Science Guy: AC/DC Charge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXZ2fi25O7Q
Electrical Conductors: Interactive Online Activity
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/circuits_conductors.shtml
Conductors and Insulators – Page 4
Volume 33 • 4 March 2012