What Affects the Flow of
Electricity?
Some materials are good conductors.
Electricity flows best through conductors.
The base and the wires of a light bulb are
good conductors. The filament in a light
bulb, however, is a poor conductor. It is a
resistor. Current does not flow easily
through resistors. Resistors allow
electrical energy to be changed into other
forms of energy. A light bulb gives off light
and heat due to resistance in the filament.
The light and heat that a light bulb
produces is evidence of energy
transformations that occur in electrical
circuits. The energy from electricity is
transformed, or changed, into other forms
of energy. In the example of a light bulb,
electrical energy becomes light and heat –
two different forms of energy. Sound and
motion (or movement) are other examples
of energy changing from one form to
another.
Cause and Effect
• What is one effect of using a good
conductor in an electrical circuit?
• Explain why a light bulb produces light and
heat.
How can you tell electricity has
changed into another form in a
light bulb?
• Answer the question…
– With a partner
– In your Learning Notebook