Year 4 Science: Metals are good conductors
Part of the Year 4 Science switches, conductors and insulators chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Metals are good conductors
Metals are good conductors of electricity. Copper, steel, aluminium, iron and gold are all metals, and they are used for wires and for the parts of a circuit that carry the electricity.
Not every conductor is a metal. Pencil lead is made of graphite, which is not a metal, but it still lets electricity flow through it.
The table shows the results of the conductor tester for eight materials.
| Material between the clips | Kind of material | Lamp lights? (conductor or insulator) |
|---|---|---|
| copper coin | metal | lights: conductor |
| steel paper clip | metal | lights: conductor |
| aluminium foil | metal | lights: conductor |
| pencil lead (graphite) | not a metal | lights: conductor |
| plastic ruler | not a metal | stays off: insulator |
| rubber band | not a metal | stays off: insulator |
| wooden stick | not a metal | stays off: insulator |
| glass | not a metal | stays off: insulator |
Key ideas
- Metals are good conductors of electricity.
- Copper, steel and aluminium are metals that conduct.
- Pencil lead is a conductor, but it is not a metal.
- Test each material with the same cell, bulb and clips.
Method. Find the copper coin row.
- Read the row. The copper coin is a metal, and the lamp lights for it.lights
- Name the kind. So the copper coin is a conductor.conductor
- Write the answer. conductor
Check. Copper is a good conductor. ✓
Method. Count the metal rows.
- Read the middle column. The metal rows are copper coin, steel paper clip and aluminium foil.three metals
- Count them. There are three metals in the table.3
- Write the answer. 3
Check. The other five materials are not metals. ✓
Method. Check each metal row.
- Check the metals. The copper coin, steel paper clip and aluminium foil all light the lamp.all light
- Decide. So every metal in the table is a conductor, and the answer is yes.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Metals are good conductors. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a metal is not always the same as a good conductor in every case, but in this table every metal is a conductor. Do not assume that shiny things are metals.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Test a copper coin, a steel paper clip and a plastic spoon with a grown-up, in a conductor tester with a cell and a bulb holder. Note which ones light the lamp. Do not test anything with mains electricity.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “Which material is a metal? Did the lamp light for every metal?” Let your child make a table of the materials and the results.
Exercise 10C Metals are good conductors
Method. Read the table.
- Find the two rows. The copper coin lights the lamp, but the plastic ruler does not.lights
- Name the conductor. So the copper coin is the conductor.copper coin
- Write the answer. copper coin
Check. Copper is a metal conductor. ✓
Method. Read the table in section 10.3.
- Read the row. The steel paper clip lights the lamp.lights
- Decide. So the steel paper clip is a conductor.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Steel is a metal, and it conducts. ✓
Method. Think about aluminium.
- Think about the material. Aluminium is a metal.metal
- Decide. So the answer is yes.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Aluminium foil is a metal, and it is a conductor. ✓
Method. Count the metal rows.
- Count them. Copper coin, steel paper clip and aluminium foil are the metals.three
- Write the answer. 3
Check. Three metal rows in the table. ✓
Method. Read the table.
- Read the metal rows. All three metal rows say conductor.conductor
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Metals are good conductors. ✓
Method. Count the conductor rows.
- Count them. Copper coin, steel paper clip, aluminium foil and pencil lead are conductors.four
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four conductors in the table. ✓
Method. Read the table in section 10.3.
- Read the kind column. The kind of material for pencil lead is not a metal.not a metal
- Write the answer. no
Check. Pencil lead is made of graphite, which is not a metal. ✓
Method. Read the table in section 10.3.
- Read the result column. The pencil lead lights the lamp, so it is a conductor.lights
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Pencil lead conducts even though it is not a metal. ✓
Method. Read the metal rows in section 10.3.
- Read the rows. The metal rows are copper coin, steel paper clip and aluminium foil.copper, steel, aluminium
- Write the answer. Accept any one of: copper, steel, aluminium.
Check. Any one of these metals conducts. ✓
Method. Think about the table.
- Think about shiny things. Shiny is not the same as being a metal or a conductor; the test decides it.the test decides
- Decide. So Ali is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Test the material to find out if it conducts. ✓
Method. Think about what gold is.
- Think about the material. Gold is a metal.metal
- Make the prediction. Metals are good conductors, so a gold ring should be a conductor.good conductors
- Write the answer. yes. Accept any reason that gold is a metal, and metals are good conductors.
Check. Test with a grown-up, using a safe, dry metal object. ✓
Method. Think about what metals do.
- Think about the electricity. Electricity flows easily through a good conductor.flows easily
- Write the reason. So metal parts carry the electricity round the circuit well.carry
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says metals are good conductors, so electricity flows through them easily.
Check. A good conductor carries the electricity. ✓