VII - Practical-1: To find out whether the given material is a conductor or an insulator

 

Aim:
To find out whether the given material is a conductor or an insulator.

Materials Required

· Dry cell (battery)

· Small bulb

· Connecting wires with clips

· Bulb holder

· Switch (optional)

· Test materials (coin, iron nail, copper wire, plastic scale, wooden stick, rubber, paper clip, eraser, etc.)

Theory

Materials that allow electric current to pass through them are called conductors. Materials that do not allow electric current to pass through them are called insulators.

Procedure

1. Connect the battery, bulb, and wires to make a simple electric circuit, leaving a small gap.

2. Place the test material in the gap so that it completes the circuit.

3. Observe whether the bulb glows or not.

4. Repeat the process with different materials.

5. Record the observations in the table.

Observation Table

S. No.	Material Tested	Bulb Glows (Yes/No)	Conclusion
1	Copper wire	Yes	Conductor
2	Iron nail	Yes	Conductor
3	Coin	Yes	Conductor
4	Plastic scale	No	Insulator
5	Wooden stick	No	Insulator
6	Rubber eraser	No	Insulator

Result

Materials through which the bulb glows are conductors of electricity, while materials through which the bulb does not glow are insulators.