Physical Sciences: Electricity Term 3 Week 8 and 9

Electrical energy can be transferred and transformed in electrical circuits and can be generated from
a range of sources.
Learning goal: To recognise that recognising the need for a complete circuit to allow the flow of
electricity and investigating different electrical conductors and insulators.
Watch Physical Science for Children All About Electricity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOudWLBaYLM)
A conductor allows electricity to easily flow through it. In order to build a circuit, we must provide a continuous
The conductive dough contains salt, which helps path for electricity to flow from a power source (for
electricity flow through the dough because the salt example, a battery), through a conductor, into a device
(sodium chloride, or NaCl) separates into sodium (Na+) that uses the power (for example, a light bulb), and back
and chlorine (Cl-) ions. An insulator does not let through another conductor to the power source. This is
electricity flow through it easily. Because of this, they act called a closed circuit. If this continuous path is broken
as a wall to electricity and the electricity must go around anywhere, electricity will not flow and the light bulb will
them. If a path around the insulator is not available, the not work. This is called an open circuit. If the conductors
circuit cannot be completed. The insulating dough recipe in a closed circuit are touched together, it forms a new
does not use salt, so no ions are available to allow type of undesirable circuit called a short circuit.
electricity to flow. Electricity will still flow through the circuit, but the light
***********************SAFETY************************ bulb will not work. This is because the light bulb has a
Dont connect the 9V battery directly to the LED, it higher resistance than the conductors, and the electricity
may burn the LED out. is lazy it would rather travel through the conductors
Dont cross the wires on the battery connectors when they are touching than use extra effort to travel
this will short out the battery! It may heat up and through the light bulb. There are two types of closed
explode. circuits: series and parallel circuits. Series circuits only
Always be careful when experimenting with provide one path for electricity to flow. Parallel circuits
electricity. High voltages and high currents can be provide multiple paths for electricity to flow.
deadly. For example, they should never stick wires
or other objects into wall sockets. Its best to
always do these activities with adult supervision.
Building Squishy Circuits


1. Begin with two lumps of the conductive dough.
Plug one wire from the battery pack into each piece and bridge the gap with a LED.
What do you notice? Does the LED light up? ______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


2. Take the LED out and flip it around so that each leg is in the opposite piece of conductive dough.
What do you notice? Does the LED light up?_______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The LED only works in one direction. The longer terminal should be attached to the positive (red) wire from the
battery pack. This is called a closed circuit.




3. Next, pull one of the LED legs out of the dough.
Does the LED light up? ? _____________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the last step, the LED went out because we broke the loop of electricity this is called an open circuit.



4. Put the LED leg back in, so your LED is on.
Now, push the two pieces of conductive dough together.
Does the LED light up________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the last step, the LED went out this is called a short circuit.