Circuits

Play this online game! Click on the picture below and create different circuits!

What is a conductor? Can energy move through a conductor?

What is an insulator? Why would you use an insulator to protect yourself from heat and electricity?

That's shocking!

Last week, we studied heat energy. We decided that some items allow heat to travel through them, while others do not. Objects that allow energy to travel through them are called conductors. Objects that don't allow energy to transfer from one thing to another are called insulators.

This week, we are studying electricity and light!

Have you ever put your sweater over your head and your hair sticks straight up? Have you ever touched a metal door knob and received a painful shock on your hand? Have you ever changed the batteries in your flashlight or remote control? Have you ever looked out the window during a thunder storm and observed a bright flash of light? All of these questions have one thing in common...

Yep, you guessed it! They're all about ELECTRICITY!

Static electricty can make your hair stand straight up! It can also give a painful shock when you touch something made of metal. Lightening in the sky is another form of electricty, but we don't use it in our homes to make things turn on. We usually plug our appliances in the wall, or place batteries inside them to make them work.

We're building circuits this week and discussing how electricty travels from the battery, through the wires, and into the bulb. Kinetic electrical energy is always moving!

Questions:

1. Explain the difference between static electricty and electricty. Does static electricty turn your TV on?

2. Why does your battery have metal on both sides?

Homework:
Flow of electricty #1-4