Appliances
Name one everyday appliance that uses a battery.
TV remote, torch (flashlight), toy car (any correct battery-powered appliance).
What is a circuit?
A pathway that electricity can flow around (includes wires and a power supply; may include bulbs, switches, buzzers).
Is a metal spoon a conductor or an insulator?
Conductor.
Name the three states of matter.
Solids, liquids, gases.
What process turns liquid water into water vapour?
Evaporation
Give one example of an appliance that is usually plugged into the mains.
Toaster, kettle, lamp (any correct mains-powered appliance).
What part of a circuit can you open or close to stop or allow electricity to flow?
A switch.
Is a plastic ruler a conductor or an insulator?
Insulator
Which state of matter keeps its shape unless you squash it?
Solid.
What is condensation?
Condensation is when water vapour cools and turns into tiny water droplets (forming clouds).
Explain why a mobile phone can sometimes work without being plugged in.
Because its battery stores electrical energy that powers the phone when it is unplugged.
Describe the three basic parts every simple circuit needs.
Power source (battery or mains), conductive path (wires), output (bulb, buzzer, motor).
Name one conductor and one insulator.
Conductor: coins, spoon, keys. Insulator: plastic, screwdriver (if handle plastic), ruler.
Describe how the particles behave in a gas compared to a solid.
Gas particles are spread out and move quickly in all directions; solid particles are close together and can only vibrate.
Put these three steps in the water cycle in the correct order: condensation, evaporation, precipitation.
Evaporation → Condensation → Precipitation.
List two appliances that might use both mains electricity and a battery (one as main power, one as backup)
Laptop (mains while charging, battery when unplugged), some clocks (mains with battery backup); other valid examples acceptable.
Explain what happens to a bulb in a circuit if there is a gap in the wires.
The bulb will not light because the circuit is not complete; electricity cannot flow across the gap.
Explain why coins are good for conducting electricity but a piece of plastic is not.
Coins are metal with free electrons that move and carry charge; plastic has no free electrons so charge cannot move through it easily.
Explain what happens to particles when a solid melts into a liquid.
Particles gain energy, move further apart, and can slide past each other so the solid becomes a liquid (melting).
Explain why clouds form using the word condensation and water vapour.
Water vapour in the air cools as it rises, the vapour condenses into tiny droplets that stick together to form clouds (condensation)
Describe how electricity helps a washing machine do one of its jobs.
Electricity powers the motor to spin the drum; electricity heats water; electricity runs the pump.
Two bulbs are in a simple circuit: if they are arranged in a series and one bulb breaks, what happens to the other bulb? Explain why.
If bulbs are in series and one breaks, the other will go out because the circuit is broken and current cannot flow.
You want to make a safe handle for a tool so electricity won't pass through to your hand. Which material would you choose and why? Use the vocabulary conductor or insulator in your answer.
Choose an insulator (e.g., plastic or rubber) because it prevents electricity from passing through to your hand.
Give an example of a material that can change between all three states and name the processes for each change (use melt, freeze, evaporate, condense).
Example: Water — solid: ice (freezing to make ice), melt: ice → liquid water (melting), evaporate: water → water vapour (boiling/evaporation), condense: water vapour → liquid (forming clouds).
Describe a full cycle of water moving from a puddle to falling as rain again. Use the terms evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Example answer: Sun heats puddle → water evaporates into water vapour (evaporation) → vapour rises and cools to form droplets (condensation) → droplets join and fall as rain (precipitation), returning water to the ground where it can evaporate again.