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Home / SCSA / Year 6 - Science / Lesson 11 — Conductors, Insulators and Circuit Design / Conductors and insulators

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Conductors and insulators

Materials fall into two groups when it comes to electricity.

Conductors

Let electricity flow through. Mostly metals — copper, aluminium, steel, gold.

Insulators

Block electricity. Plastic, rubber, wood, glass, dry paper.

The test rig: a circuit with a gap, and the globe as an indicator. Bridge the gap with a material — if the globe lights, electricity flowed through it (conductor). If it stays dark, it's an insulator. The globe does the talking!

This is why wires are copper (a great conductor) wrapped in plastic (an insulator) — the plastic keeps the electricity safely inside and stops you getting a shock.

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