Year 5 Science · Properties and uses of materials · Lesson 5.2

Year 5 Science: Electrical conductivity

Part of the Year 5 Science properties and uses of materials chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

5.2

Electrical conductivity

Year 5
M1: group materials by whether they conduct electricity, using a fair circuit test

Story. Mr Patel gives the class a battery, a bulb, some wires and a switch. “Put each material into the gap, and see if the bulb lights,” he says. “Then we can sort the materials into two groups.”

Electricity passes through some materials but not others. A material that lets electricity pass through it is a conductor. A material that does not let electricity pass through it is an insulator.

In a circuit with a bulb, the bulb lights when a conductor completes the loop. Metals, such as iron, aluminium and copper, are good conductors. Plastic, wood, glass and rubber are insulators.

A simple circuit with a cell, a bulb and a switch. A material is placed in the gap in the top wire to test whether it conducts electricity.

The test results for the materials in section 5.1 are in the table. The bulb lit when a material conducted electricity.

Material	See-through?	Conducts electricity?	Conducts heat?	Pulled by a magnet?
iron nail	no	yes	yes	yes
aluminium foil	no	yes	yes	no
copper wire	no	yes	yes	no
clear glass	yes	no	no	no
clear plastic bottle	yes	no	no	no
wooden block	no	no	no	no
rubber band	no	no	no	no

Key ideas

A conductor lets electricity pass through it, so the bulb lights.
An insulator does not let electricity pass through it, so the bulb stays off.
Metals such as iron, aluminium and copper are conductors.
Plastic, wood, glass and rubber are insulators.

Worked example 5.2.1

Look at the table in section 5.2. Which material conducts electricity: wooden block, or copper wire? Write the words.

Method. Read the electricity column.

Read the rows. The copper wire row says yes, and the wooden block row says no.
yes and no
Choose the conductor. So the material that conducts electricity is copper wire.
copper wire
Write the answer.
copper wire

Check. Copper is a metal, and metals conduct electricity. ✓

Worked example 5.2.2

Is clear glass a conductor or an insulator? Write the word.

Method. Read the electricity column for clear glass.

Read the row. The clear glass row says no for conducts electricity.
no
Name the kind. A material that does not conduct electricity is an insulator.
insulator
Write the answer.
insulator

Check. Glass is an insulator. ✓

Worked example 5.2.3

How many of the seven materials in the table conduct electricity? Write the number.

Method. Count the yes rows in the electricity column.

Read the column. The yes rows are the iron nail, aluminium foil and copper wire.
three yes rows
Count them. So three materials conduct electricity.
3
Write the answer.
3

Check. The other four materials are insulators. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a bulb that stays off does not always mean that a material is safe. Only test with the low-voltage battery pack your teacher gives you, and never connect a circuit to the mains electricity.

Try it (with your teacher). Use a low-voltage battery pack, a bulb in a holder and some crocodile clips, all set up by your teacher. Put a metal paper clip, a plastic ruler, a rubber band and a wooden lolly stick in the gap, one at a time. Record whether the bulb lights each time in a table.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Ask: “Which materials let the electricity pass? Which did not? What do they have in common?” Let your child sort the materials into two groups.

Exercise 5B Electrical conductivity

FWhich materials in the table in section 5.2 conduct electricity? Write the name of one of them: iron nail, clear glass or wooden block.

Done

FIs aluminium foil a conductor or an insulator? Write the word.

Done

FIs a plastic bottle a conductor or an insulator? Write the word.

Done

FFill in the gap: a material that lets electricity pass through it is called a ___. Write one word.

Done

FIn a circuit, what does a conductor do to the bulb when it completes the loop? Write one word.

Done

FHow many insulators are in the table in section 5.2? Write the number.

Done

PSLook at the table in section 5.2. Which conductor is a wire used in electrical circuits? Write the name.

Done

PSLook at the circuit in section 5.2. What is the name of the part that is turned on or off? Write the word.

Done

PSLook at the circuit in section 5.2. Which part of the circuit gives the electricity? Write the word.

Done

PSWorking scientifically. Sort the evidence. Sort these into two groups: conductor or insulator, for a wooden block. Write the word.

Done

RExplain why a metal paper clip could be used to test a circuit, and a plastic ruler could not. Write one sentence.

Done