FEU Institute of Technology P.

Paredes St. Sampaloc,

Manila, 1015 Metro Manila

Module 4 Laboratory Report:

Conductors and Insulators

Acar, John Francis Almendras

Ariate, Mary Kristine M.
Agustin, Trishia Anne
Arap, Phoebe Reem
Asuncion, Kervi
Bautista, Khlyye
Calimlim, Charles Denton

Physics for Engineers 2 Laboratory

Ma. Sharol Petinez
May 18, 2022

Activity 04 _ Simple Circuits, Conductors and InsulatorsPage 1

PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS 2 LABORATORY ACTIVITY 4

SIMPLE CIRCUIT, CONDUCTORS, AND INSULATORS

I. ACTIVITY LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the activity, you should be able to:

a. To build simple circuits.
b. To draw the corresponding circuit diagrams.
c. To test different materials and electrical components (resistances) for conductivity.

II. MATERIALS
A. Simple Circuit

1 piece layout plug-in board

1 piece lamp holder
1 piece type A bulb (2.5V/0.1A)
1 piece type B bulb (12 V / 3W)
1 piece red lead, 50 cm
1 piece mono-cell
1 piece mono-cell holder
1 piece SPST
3 pieces jumper plugs

B. Conductors and Insulators

1 piece layout plug-in board

3 pieces jumper plugs
1 piece lamp holder
1 piece toggle switch
1 piece voltage source, 12 V
1 piece type B bulb (12 V)
1 pair plug-in clamps
1 piece lead, red 25 cm
1 piece lead, blue 25 cm
1 piece 47- ohm resistor
1 piece 100-ohm resistor
1 set test materials

III. PROCEDURE

A. SIMPLE CIRCUIT WITHOUT A SWITCH

1. Fit the mono-cell to the layout plug-in board using the mono-cell holder.
2. Screw the type A bulb into the lamp holder.

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 3. Using the plug-in board, the lamp placed in a holder, mono-cell, and a red lead, build a circuit using
the mono-cell as the power supply unit and the lamp as the current indicator. How do you turn off
the lamp?
4. Using the appropriate symbols, draw the circuit diagram for the circuit you have built.

B. SIMPLE CIRCUIT WITH SWITCH

1. Connect the mono-cell, switch, lamp (type A) and lead together in a simple circuit. Use the diagram
as shown in Figure 4.1.
2. Check whether the connections between the individual components (mono-cell, switch, and bulb)
can be interchanged without affecting the brightness of the lamp.
3. Determine how many different ways can you combine the three components. Draw the circuit
diagrams showing these combinations.
4. Using the bulb as your current indicator, can you see any difference in the intensity of the current if
you change the order in which the components are connected?
5. Screw a type B bulb into the lamp holder instead of a type A bulb. Build a similar circuit. Actuate
the switch. What do you observe?
6. Replace the lead with jumper plugs. Does the lamp change in brightness?

C. TESTING VARIOUS SUBSTANCES FOR CONDUCTIVITY.

1. Build the circuit as shown in Figure 4.2.

2. Test the materials listed in Table A for conductivity. Identify which substance conducts current, and
which does not conduct current. Write your observations in Table 4.1.
3. Draw the circuit diagram of the test circuit as shown in the figure. Use the symbol for the test
connection below:

D. TESTING RESISTANCES

1. Modify the circuit diagram in Figure 4.2 so that you can test the conductivity of the plug-in
resistors.
2. Close the circuit by inserting a 47-ohm resistor in the place of the plug-in clamps. Actuate the
switch and watch bulb. Note down your observations.
3. Replace the resistor with a 100-ohm resistor. Observe and record what happens.

IV. DATA AND RESULTS

Table 4.1 Testing Materials for Conductivity

MATERIALS CONDUCTOR or INSULATOR
ALUMINUM Conductor
BRASS Conductor
WOOD Insulator
POLYSTYRENE (GRAY) Insulator
PERTINAX (BROWN) Insulator
COPPER Conductor
TIN Conductor
PAPER Insulator

TABLE 4.2 TESTING RESISTANCES

RESISTOR OBSERVATION

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47 – OHM RESISTOR THE LIGHT BULB LIT UP FAINTLY.
THE LIGHT BULB ALSO LIT UP BUT MORE FAINTLY
100- OHM RESISTOR
COMPARED TO THE 47-OHM RESISTOR.

V. GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

1. How do you turn off the light in procedure A3?

- In order to turn off the light in procedure A3, you must unplug at least one connector or the
battery.

2. Draw the circuit diagram for this part of the experiment.

3. How many different ways can you combine the three components (procedure B3)?
- Based on the experiment, the students combined the components in at least three different
ways.

4. Draw the circuit diagrams of the combinations you observed.

5. Is there a difference in the intensity of the current if you change the order in which the
components are connected?
- As the students changed the order of the components, the same amount of energy was
flowing and no difference in the intensity of current was observed.

6. What happened when the type A bulb was replaced with a type B bulb (procedure B5)??
- The type A bulb lit up brighter than the type B bulb. The type B bulb did not light up as
bright as type A, because type B requires greater voltage.

7. What happened when the leads were replaced with jumper plugs?
- When they were replaced with jumper plugs, it had no effect on the circuit. It was working
the same way with the leads.

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 8. Draw the Circuit Diagram for Figure 4.2.

9. Does more or less current flow through the 100-ohm resistor, compared to the 47-ohm resistor?
Explain
- There is more current flowing through the 47-ohm resistor than the 100-ohm resistor. This
happens because as we increase the resistance/resistor, the lesser the current flow is.

VI. CONCLUSION

The three experiments tackled the physical concepts governing electrical circuits. Our group
concluded the following: (1) In the first experiment, This experiment proved the concept of electron
movement that causes electricity. As long as there is a channel for electrons to move freely, electricity
could be produced in materials. (2) The second experiment tested different materials to determine whether
they are a conductor or an insulator. The experiment proved the concept that materials are considered to be
considered conductors if it accepts electricity easily and is considered to be an insulator if it resists
electrical flow. (3) The third experiment shows the principle behind Ohm’s law. This law states that current
is indirectly proportional to resistance. This concept is shown in the experiment because the load that has a
higher resistance is lighted up more faintly than the other resistor.

VII. CREDITS

Created by: MPS Laboratory Committee

Version: 1.0
Modified: October 2018

VIII. REFERENCES

Brauers, W. (1992, August). STM-Physics, Electricity, Basic Electrical Circuits. Germany:

Leybold Didactic GmbH.
Committee on Physics Laboratory. Physics 2 Laboratory Manual.
Young, Hugh D. and Freedman, Roger A. (2010). Sear’s and Zemansky’s University Physics
12th Edition. United States of America: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

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