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"Cool" Conductors vs Insulators Experiment PDF Print E-mail

The following simple experiment is a fun way to demonstrate the properties of conductors and insulators:

Materials:

  • A sample material of a good conductor and a good insulator.  For this experiment I used a 4" x 4" piece of sheet metal (steel)  and a 4" X 4" piece of plywood.  Size and shape of course do not matter as long as an ice cube will fit on it.  Another good tip is to spray paint the materials so that they are the same color.  You can then have students name the insulator and the conductor by the way the ice is behaving. (melting faster=conductor, melting slower=insulator)
  • Two Ice Cubes

Procedure:

  1. If your materials are not painted so students can tell what material is metal and what is wood, have them predict what the ice will do.
  2. If your materials are painted so students won't know what they are, skip to step 3.
  3. Place the ice cubes on the materials and observe what happens. The students should be able to observe that the ice on the metal is melting faster than the ice on the insulator.

 
 
Basic Ohm's Law Experiment PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 12 August 2008 09:26

Materials Needed:

1. Solderless breadboard
2. Jumper wires (approx 24 ga)
3. A Load (a resistor, small light, buzzer, etc)
4. Power Supply (9v battery, 1.5v battery)
5. Multimeter

The Big Picture:

Ohm’s law states that it takes one volt to push one amp through one ohm. If we change something, like increase our voltage, what will happen to the current? In this experiment you will use Ohm’s Law to predict the changes that will occur in a circuit when one of the variables is changed, then put your prediction to the test.

Step By Step:

1.Before assembling the circuit, measure and record the resistance of your load and the actual voltage of your 9V battery and your 1.5V battery.
2.Assemble and power the circuit with the 9V battery.
3.Measure the voltage by placing the leads on either side of the load. Record your result. 4.Measure the current by disconnecting a wire and putting the multimeter in series with the circuit. Record your result.
5.Next using Ohm’s Law, predict what will happen to the current if we change from a 9V battery to a 1.5V battery. Record your result.
6.Replace the 9V battery with the 1.5V battery. Test the current by disconnecting a wire and putting the multimeter in series with the circuit. Record your result.

Was your prediction correct? Why or why not?
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 April 2009 03:20