What are conductors and insulators?

What is a conductor?

• A conductor is something which allows electricity to flow through.

• An example of a conductor is:– Scissors– Paper clip– Aluminum foil– Iron– Steel– Copper

What is a Insulator?

• An insulator is what makes electricity from not flowing

• Examples of insulators are:– Cotton– Paper– Plastic– Glass– Rubber

These are pictures of conductors and Insulators

Conductors Insulators

Use of a circuit tester: To test whether the material is a good electrical conductor.

Example of a circuit tester

Now its your turn…

Inquiring Minds Want to Know! Conductor or Insulator? That is the question!

Now take the bag of materials and spread them out in front of you.

Draw the following table in your journal.

As you test each item, record whether it was a conductor or and insulator with a

Item Conductor Insulator Did the bulb light?

Spoon

Paper clip

pencil

Rubber band

eraser

Foil

Nail

coin

Step 1: Set up the circuit tester as shown above.

Step 2: Place the object between the open ends of the wire.

If the bulb lights up, it means the material allows electric current to flow through the closed circuit.

The brighter the bulb, the better the conductor of electricity is the material.

Conductors allow electricity flow through them.  Conductors are materials that can carry electricity - they conduct electricity. Metal materials such as copper, iron, steel and aluminum are all good conductors of electricity.

Insulators do not allow electricity to flow through them. Materials such as wood, plastic, rubber and glass do not carry electricity and are called insulators – they don’t conduct electricity.

Conclusions…