Describe an activity to show that metals are good conductors of electricity
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Test an Object for Electric Conductivity
What You Need:
C- or D-size battery
Aluminum Foil
Flashlight or other 1.5- or 3-volt bulb
What You Do:
Testing an object for conductivity
1. Make a long ribbon wire out of the foil by cutting a piece about 18′ x 2′. Fold the foil lengthwise in fourths so that you form a ribbon. Hold or tape one end of this wire to the flat end (negative terminal) of the battery and wrap the other end tightly around the ‘threaded’ (screw) sides of the lightbulb.
2. Now you’re ready to test various objects around your house to see if they conduct electricity. Do this by pressing the positive terminal of the battery (the end with a bump) to one side of an object, and the metal end of the lightbulb to the other side. If the bulb lights up, a series circuit was formed: electric current can pass unobstructed through the wires from the battery to the lightbulb to the battery again.
What are some variables that could keep the lightbulb from shining even if the object it was touching was metal? Even though an object may be metal and otherwise a great conductor of electricity, a plastic or paint coating on it could break the circuit connection.
What You Need:
C- or D-size battery
Aluminum Foil
Flashlight or other 1.5- or 3-volt bulb
What You Do:
Testing an object for conductivity
1. Make a long ribbon wire out of the foil by cutting a piece about 18′ x 2′. Fold the foil lengthwise in fourths so that you form a ribbon. Hold or tape one end of this wire to the flat end (negative terminal) of the battery and wrap the other end tightly around the ‘threaded’ (screw) sides of the lightbulb.
2. Now you’re ready to test various objects around your house to see if they conduct electricity. Do this by pressing the positive terminal of the battery (the end with a bump) to one side of an object, and the metal end of the lightbulb to the other side. If the bulb lights up, a series circuit was formed: electric current can pass unobstructed through the wires from the battery to the lightbulb to the battery again.
What are some variables that could keep the lightbulb from shining even if the object it was touching was metal? Even though an object may be metal and otherwise a great conductor of electricity, a plastic or paint coating on it could break the circuit connection.
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