Download Electricity and Magnetism

Electricity and
Magnetism
Study Guide
Vocabulary

Charge

Static electricity

Electric field



Measurement of an
object’s extra positive
or negative particles.
Charge that stays on
an object.
Space around an
object where electric
forces occur.
Vocabulary

Electric current


Circuit


Electric cell

conductor


Flow of electric
charges
Path made for an
electric current.
Supplies energy to
move charges
through a circuit.
Material that electric
current can pass
through easily.
vocabulary

Insulator

Resistor

Series circuit

Parallel circuit




Material that electric
current can’t pass
through.
Material that resists
but doesn’t stop the
flow of current
Circuit with one path
for electric current.
Circuit with more than
one path for current.
Resister
Insulator

Conductors

Do you remember the copper atom that we
discussed? Do you remember how its
valence shell had an electron that could
easily be shared between other atoms?
Copper is considered to be a conductor
because it “conducts” the electron current
or flow of electrons fairly easily. Most metals
are considered to be good conductors of
electrical current. Copper is just one of the
more popular materials that is used for
conductors.

Conductors and Insulators

Conductors are made of materials that electricity can
flow through easily.
These materials are made up of atoms whose electrons
can move away freely.

Some examples of conductors are:

Copper
Silver

Aluminum
Water

Platinum
trees

Gold
people and animals

Silver

Electricity will always take the
shortest path to the ground. Your
body is 60% water and that makes
you a good conductor of
electricity. If a power line has fallen
on a tree and you touch the tree
you become the path or conductor
to the ground and could get
electrocuted

The rubber or plastic on an electrical cord
provides an insulator for the wires. By
covering the wires, the electricity cannot
go through the rubber and is forced to
follow the path on the aluminum or copper
wires.
Insulators

Insulators are materials opposite of conductors. The
atoms are not easily freed and are stable, preventing or
blocking the flow of electricity.


Some examples of insulators are:
Glass

Porcelain

Plastic

Rubber

vocabulary



Magnet
Magnetic poles

Magnetic field

electromagnet

Object that attracts
things made of iron or
steel.
Ends of a magnet

Space around a
magnet where the
force acts.

Arrangement of wire wrapped
around a core.

An object has what charge if it has more
negatives than positives?

Negative

When two objects both have positive
charges, the objects…….

Repel each other

We use copper wire in our circuits
because it ______________ electricity.

Conducts

A bar magnet’s pull is strongest at….

Both poles

Magnets attract each other at…

Opposite poles
Name 3 ways to control an
electromagnet.
 Turn
the current on and off
 Add coils of wire around the core
 Decrease the amount of current by using a
smaller battery
If a light bulb burns out, will the
others stay lit? No.

What type of circuit is this?
A series circuit.
What type of circuit is this? A Parallel circuit.
If a light bulb burns out will the others stay lit?
YES.
Essay questions

What two magnets make a compass
work? How do they interact?

The earth is a large magnet. The needle
of a compass is a magnet. The needle is
attracted to the north and south poles of
the earth.
Essay question

In what ways are electricity and
magnetism alike?

Both use a flow of electrons to push and
pull objects. They both have positive and
negatives. The opposites attract and
repel.
Essay question

What will happen if you put a compass next to
an electromagnet that is switched on?

The compass needle will turn because an
electromagnet produces a magnetic field. The
compass needle will move to line up with the
flow of electrons.