1. D. Crowley, 2008 Conductors & Insulators

2. To understand the terms conductor and insulator Friday, May 01, 2015

3. Component Symbols Complete the electrical component symbol worksheet Match each component symbol to their correct name…

4. Component Symbols

5. Circuit Design Not all materials can be used to build a circuit Conductors are materials which allow electric current to flow through them Insulators are materials which do not allow electric current to flow through them Your task is to design a circuit which will allow you to investigate if a material will allow electricity to flow through it or not

6. Design Design a circuit which will allow you to investigate if a material will allow electricity to flow through it or not Explain how you will carry out your experiment (i.e. how you circuit will work), and prepare a table to record your results +- Cell Wires Lamp – will light if material conducts Material added to circuit to see if it is a conductor or insulator

7. Results MaterialConductor of electricity? Material 1Yes / No Material 2 Yes / No Material 3 Yes / No Material 4 Yes / No Etc…

8. Analysis Why do some materials allow electricity to flow through them (conductors) whilst others do not (insulators)? Electric current will only flow if the electrons can travel freely (metals are good conductors) If the electrons cannot move freely (such as in wood) then electricity cannot flow

9. Wire Finally, explain why copper is used in electrical wire, but the wire is coated in rubber Copper is a great conductor (electrons can move freely in it, so electrical current can flow) However, we do not want to get shocked, so the wire is covered in rubber (an insulator), stopping the electricity flowing from the wire into our hand when we touch the wire – this makes it safe!