What Affects the Flow of Electricity?

Some materials are good conductors. Electricity flows best through conductors. The base and the wires of a light bulb are good conductors. The filament in a light bulb, however, is a poor conductor. It is a resistor. Current does not flow easily through resistors. Resistors allow electrical energy to be changed into other forms of energy. A light bulb gives off light and heat due to resistance in the filament.

The light and heat that a light bulb produces is evidence of energy transformations that occur in electrical circuits. The energy from electricity is transformed, or changed, into other forms of energy. In the example of a light bulb, electrical energy becomes light and heat – two different forms of energy. Sound and motion (or movement) are other examples of energy changing from one form to another.

Cause and Effect What is one effect of using a good conductor in an electrical circuit? Explain why a light bulb produces light and heat.

How can you tell electricity has changed into another form in a light bulb? Answer the question… –With a partner –In your Learning Notebook