Electricity

Unit 4: Electrical Energy

Review

Describe the materials needed to build a circuit.

You need a power source, such as a battery,
connected to a conductor, such as copper wire.
Copper is a conductive material, as are most
metals. Then connect the copper wire to the
switch, and then connect the two copper wires
coming from the power source to the load, or
lightbulb. Flip the switch to create a closed
circuit.

Word Bank

-Conductive material

- electricity

-Load

-Power source

Look at the image. Why does the lightbulb not turn on?
Explain what you would do to fix it.
The switch is in the open position therefore
there is a gap in the flow of electrons. To fix it,
you have to close the switch and it is now a
closed circuit and the electrons have a
continuous path in which to flow.

Word Bank

-Conductive material

-Open or closed circuit

-Conductive material

-Flow of electricity

Drag and Sort Materials as Conductor or Insulator

Conductor- usually made

of metals

Insulator

Plastic Comb

Shoelace

Dime

Iron Screw

Copper Wire

Construction Paper

Rubber Duck

Stick (from Tree)

Metal Spoon

Electrons flow
through the
material

Electrons do not
easily flow through
material

Explain Conservation of Energy.

When energy is conserved- it is not created or
lost. Energy is transformed from one form to
another. An example would be solar garden
lights. These lights get energy from the sun, and
it is transformed into artificial radiant Or light
energy.

Word Bank:

-Energy

-Created

-Lost

-Transferred or Transformed

What steps can you take to conserve energy in your
home?

●Turn off lights when you're not using them

●Unplug things/ or turn off when not being
used

●Air filters need to be clean changed
regularly

●Turn off water when brushing teeth or
washing hands

●Washing clothes in cold water

●Turn down the heat or ac

●Shorter showers

●Use sprinklers on your yard at night or
early morning

Match the household appliance to the type of energy
transformation
Household Appliance

Energy Transfer

Television

Cell Phone Battery
Charger

Oven

Roomba

Electrical → Light
and Sound

Electrical →
Mechanical

Electrical →
Thermal and Light

Electrical →
Chemical

What do both of these pictures represent?

Both show an energy transfer from
one object to another. The soccer
player is transferring the energy from
his/her foot to the ball, putting it in
motion. The wires are putting energy
back and forth from a power source
to objects being powered- in homes,
business, street lights, etc.
Word Bank:

-Energy

-Transfer

Drag and Sort Resources as Renewable or Nonrenewable

Renewable

Nonrenewable

Wind Energy

A resource that can be used repeatedly
without running out

Natural Gas

Coal

A resource that will run out of over time.

Solar Power

Fossil Fuels

Geothermal

Hydroelectric
energy

A student conducted an experiment and collected data.
Identify the following.
Independent Variable:

Material

Dependent Variable:

Whether or not static electricity was observed

Testable Question:

How does the material affect whether or not
static electricity was observed?

Material

Was static
electricity
observed?

Wool socks

Yes

Cotton socks

Yes

High heel shoes

No

Tennis shoes

Yes

Boots

No

A student created electromagnets with wires cut to the
same length. They collected the data below.
Independent Variable:

Thickness of the wire

Dependent Variable:

The size of the magnetic field

Testable Question:

How does the thickness of the wire affect the
reach of the magnetic field?

Conclusion from Data:

The thicker the wire, the greater the reach of the
magnetic field.

Thickness of
Wire

Reach of
Magnetic Field

0.5 mm

6 mm

1.00 mm

12 mm

1.5 mm

18 mm

2.0 mm

24 mm

2.5 mm

30 mm

Explain what an electromagnet is. How can you test it?

Explanation: A wire wrapped around a metal
conductor that is magnetized by the flow of
electrons in the wire.

Test: We tested different amounts of coils to see
how many paper clips were attracted to the
electromagnet.

The more coils the stronger the electromagnet.

Word Bank

-Power source

-Conductive material

-Metal nail

-Magnetic field

Static Electricity

Describe why the girl’s hair is sticking to the
balloon.

Word Bank: Attract, repel, negative, positive
charge, electrons

The electrons from her hair are negatively
charged and they are attracted to the positively
charged balloon surface. If the surface of the
balloon was also negatively charged they would
repel.

What do you notice
about this graph?

The world is starting to use
more renewable sources of
energy.