4th Grade Core Knowledge Science :

Electricity

Review

Matter is everything around you. Matter is composed of elements. Atoms are the smallest unit of

an element. Atoms are made of smaller

subatomic particles-protons (+ charge), neutrons (no charge), and electrons (- charge)

More notes on atoms:

Protons are positively charged (+) and found in the nucleus (the center).

Neutrons do not hold a charge (neutral) and are found in the nucleus.

Electrons are negatively charged and spin around the nucleus.

electricity

-energy made available by the flow of an electric charge through a conductor

Static Electricity

The build up of an electrical charge

charge -an amount of

electricity caused by having too few or too many electrons

electron -a negatively

(-) charged particle that spins around the nucleus of an atom

Current A flow of

electrons

Electromagnet

a magnet formed by a current passed through a wire coiled around a core magnetic material; the current magnetizes the core

Electric Current The movement or

flow of an electrical charge, usually through an electrical circuit.

Electric Circuit a path through

which an electric current can flow

Conductor

material that readily allows an electric current to flow.

Example- copper and silver

Insulator

material that does not allow an electric current to flow

Example: plastic, glass, rubber, and wood.

Insulators

Insulators, cont.

Open circuit a circuit that

is not closed, or complete, and therefore DOES NOT allow electricity to flow

Closed Circuit A complete path

through which electricity can flow

Short Circuit

An accidental connection of low resistance made between points in a circuit in which electric currents can flow; a short circuit prevents the circuit from working as it is supposed to work.

Short circuit

Fuse A safety feature

in an electrical circuit that interrupts the circuit if the circuit goes beyond a safe level.