Review
Explain a major difference between how sound and light travel.
Sound cannot travel through a vacuum/space, but light can.
Why is static electricity not as strong in the summer as it is in the winter?
What kind of energy transforms when you plug in a lamp?
When the lamp is plugged in, there is a transfer of electrical energy.
What is a conductor?
A conductor is any material that allows electricity to flow.
What is an example of how we see static electricity?
Examples: Hair stands up when putting on/taking off a shirt, a balloon sticking to you, lightning
The liquid would lose energy.
What is the difference between an open and closed circuit?
An open circuit does not allow electricity to flow. A closed circuit allows the electricity to flow.
Name an example of how electrical energy can be transformed into thermal energy.
turning on a light (the bulb gets hot), cutting on an oven or microwave, etc.
What is an insulator?
An insulator is any material that does not allow electricity to flow.
My simple circuit is not working. Give 2 reasons why it might not be working.
Examples: The battery may be dead. The wires might not be fully connected to the battery. The light bulb could be burned out. If there's a switch, it may be open. The wires might be connected to just one end of the batter.
What is an example of kinetic energy?
Answers could be anything that is in motion.
What is the difference between an electric current and static electricity?
An electric current is the flow of electricity. Static electricity is a sudden transfer of energy from object to another.
How can electrical energy be transformed into mechanical energy?
plugging in a fan, an electromagnet in a motor, turning on a microwave, etc.
Name 2 examples of an insulator and 2 examples of a conductor.
Insulators: rubber, plastic, glass, wood, etc.
Conductors: paper clip, coin, nail, lead of a pencil, brass fastener, etc.
The wire of a circuit was accidentally cut. What kind of material could you use to complete the circuit again?
Any material that would be a conductor. Ex: penny, paper clip, brass fastener, nail, etc.
Describe what types of forces work against a soccer ball when you kick it.
The grass causes friction (slows the ball down). Gravity pulls the ball down to the ground.
You created an electromagnet and it's not very strong. How can you increase the strength of the magnetic field produced by the electromagnet?
You could wrap more wire around the nail. You could use a bigger/stronger battery.
Explain how electrical energy can be put to work.
We use it to see what we're doing, to charge things, to heat or cool things, and to produce things (factories).
Why is wood not considered to be a good insulator to use for covering wire?
Wood is flammable. If wires get hot, it could catch the wood on fire.
How do the frequencies on the visible spectrum change going from red to violet?
The frequencies increase. Red has the lowest frequency we can see, and violet has the highest frequency we can see.
Why does lightning occur?
Electrons build up in the clouds. When there is too much of a negative charge, the electrons are suddenly released and go after something they are attracted to (like metal objects, tall objects.)
What kind of energy transformation occurs when an electromagnet is turned on?
When an electromagnet is turned on, the battery's potential energy is transformed into an electrical and magnetic energy. That energy can then transform into mechanical energy (like in a spinning motor).
An electrician came to work on the wiring in my house. Explain what he may wear to keep himself safe while working with the electricity.
He may wear rubber gloves and rubber boots. The rubber will protect him from getting shocked because rubber in an insulator.
I am conducting an experiment on static electricity. My goal is to figure out how much static electricity different objects create. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
The independent variable (the one thing I am changing in the experiment) is the objects I rub to create static electricity. For example, I may test a balloon, a sweater, and tennis shoes to see which objects generates the most static electricity.