manav mangal school

Class: VI
Subject: Science
Chapter 12: Electricity and Circuits

Key Terms
It is a device that produces a small amount of electricity from
1. Electric Cell :
the chemicals stored in it.

It is defined as the path along which an electric current can

2. Electric Circuit: :
flow.

The flow of electricity through a conductor (like a metal wire)

3. Electric Current: :
is called electric current.

It is the flow of electrical energy. It can be easily converted to

4. Electricity: :
other forms of energy.

It is a thin twisted wire inside the bulb, made of tungsten that

5. Filament: :
glows when electricity is passed through it.

6. Fused Bulb: : It is an electric bulb with a broken filament.

It is a contact point in an electrical device like a cell or a bulb

7. Terminal: : where wires are connected. An electric cell has a positive and
a negative terminal.

Question - Answers
1. How does electricity make our lives comfortable?
Ans. Following are a few ways in which we use electricity to make our lives comfortable.

i) Electricity at home and workplace: We use electricity for entertainment,

communication and comfort. It is used to light the houses, power various devices
like fridge, television, fans, cell phones and computers etc.

ii) Electricity for media and health: It is used in electronic media and printing
machines. In the hospitals, most medical equipments like X-ray, CT scanners,
ultrasound machines run on electricity.

iii) Electricity for public transport: Electricity plays an important part in the running
of transports like trains, airplanes and cars.

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2. Draw the symbols for the following:
i) A bulb ii) an electric cell iii) a switch iv) a battery of electric cells

Ans:
Electrical components Symbols
i) A bulb

ii) An electric cell

iii) A Switch

iv) A battery of cells

3. Describe the structure of an electric cell.

Ans. A common electric cell is a cylindrical cell.
It has:
i) A metal cap on one side which is a positive
terminal marked as (+).

ii) A metal disc on the other side which is a

negative terminal marked as (–).

iii) A Chemical paste called electrolyte is

present inside in between the two terminals.

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4. Write about the types, uses and structure of electronic cells.
Ans.
Types of Cells Uses Structure
i) Cylindrical cells These are used to power
(most commonly used) devices like torches, toys,
etc.

ii) Button cells These are size of a button or

coin and are used in
watches, car keys, etc.

iii) Solar cells They are used in solar water

(convert solar energy heaters and solar lights etc.
into electricity)

iv) Car battery It is used in cars, scooters,

(rechargeable) buses etc.

5. Explain the structure and working of an electric bulb with the help of a labelled
diagram.

Ans. A round bulb that produces light, when we switch on the light switch, is an electric bulb.
It has the following parts:
i) A thin fine quality glass bulb.
ii) A thin twisted coil of wire inside the bulb called a
filament. Filament is made of material, tungsten.
It is this filament that heats up and glows to give
light when electricity passes through it. Tungsten
has a property that it does not melt on heating.
iii) Two thick wires inside the glass bulb which
provide support to the filament and connect it to
the outer circuit.
iv) The ‘metal tip’ at the base of the bulb and the
‘metal case’ of the bulb form the two terminals of an electric bulb. These two
terminals do not touch each other and are separated by an insulating material.
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 Working of an Electric Bulb
i) An electric bulb glows when an electric current passes through its filament which is
connected to the two terminals.
ii) The filament heats up and glows to give light.
iii) If the filament breaks, the path of the electric current gets broken, so the bulb stops
glowing.
iv) Hence, only an intact filament heats up to provide light.

6. What does it mean when we say ‘A bulb has fused’?

Ans. When the filament of a bulb is broken, the bulb is said to
be fused. It happens due to –
i. Normal wear and tear of the filament
ii. A large amount of electricity passing through it suddenly.

• With the breaking of the filament, the path of the

electricity between the two terminals of a bulb gets
broken.
• The electrical path gets open, where the filament was
broken, A Fused Bulb hence electricity cannot pass and so the fused bulb does not
light up.

7. Why does an electric bulb light up when it is connected to an electric cell?

Ans. When an electric bulb is connected to an electric cell Flow of electricity
with the help of a metal wire, a complete path is Positive terminal of the cell
↓
formed for the electricity to pass from one terminal
Metal tip of the bulb
to another terminal. As the electricity flows through ↓
the bulb, it heats up the tungsten wire and the bulb Tungsten filament
↓
starts glowing. Electric current always flows from
Metal case of the bulb
the positive terminal of the cell towards the negative ↓
terminal of the cell. Negative terminal of the cell

8. When does the bulb not light up in an electric circuit?

Ans. The bulb does not light up in an electric circuit because of the following:
i) The circuit might be open disrupting the flow of current.
ii) The bulb filament might be fused breaking the circuit.
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9. Differentiate between
i. Conductors and Insulators.
ii. Open and closed electric circuit.
i.
Conductors Insulators
i) Materials that allow electricity to pass Materials that do not allow electricity to
through them easily are called pass through them are called insulators.
conductors.
ii) These include all metals like copper, iron These include all non- metals like plastic
and steel and metal alloys like brass, and glass etc.
bronze etc.

iii) They are used to carry electricity. They are used to cover materials that carry
electricity. They are used for safety and
protection from electricity.
iv) Examples: Copper, Aluminum, Examples: Glass, Porcelain, Plastic,
Platinum, Gold, Silver, Water, Humans, Rubber, air, cotton, wood, paper, ceramic
Animals, Trees, Salt solution etc. etc.

ii.

Closed Electric Circuit Open Electric Circuit

i) It is a continuous or unbroken path It is an incomplete or broken path between
between the two terminals of the cell, the two terminals of the cell, conducting
conducting wires and the bulb. wires and the bulb.
ii) Electric current flows through Electric current does not flow through an
complete or closed electric circuit. incomplete or open electric circuit.

iii) The bulb will light up. The bulb will not light up.

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10. Give reasons:
i) The handles of a screwdriver used by an electrician or for repair work usually have
a plastic or rubber cover on them.
Ans. Plastic is an insulator which does not allow electricity to pass through it.
Electrician's screwdrivers usually have plastic handles because plastic insulates the
user’s hands from the risk of electric shock as human body is a good conductor of
electricity.
ii) It is advisable to operate an electric switch with dry hands.
Ans. Water is a good conductor of electricity. When we touch electric switch with wet hands,
current starts passing through our body. So, we may get an electric shock. To avoid this,
we should always touch switches with dry hands.
iii) We should never connect the terminals of the cell (+ and -) using a wire.
Ans. The terminals of the cell (+ and -) should never be connected directly using a wire. There
should always be an electric device connected between the two terminals. This is
because the chemical energy of the cell gets used up quickly and the cell stops working.
iv) An electric bulb and an electric cell has two terminals.
Ans. Current flows from one terminal i. e. Positive terminal to the other terminal i. e. negative
terminal. So, it is essential to have two terminals in an electric bulb and an electric cell.
11. Explain the role of a switch in an electric circuit. What do you mean by “ON” and
“OFF” position?
Ans. An electric switch is a simple device to turn ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ an electrical appliance by
opening or closing electrical circuits.
It is represented by the following symbol-
• O---O When it is ‘ON’ (Closed circuit→ Electric current flows through the circuit)
• O/O When it is ‘OFF’ (Open circuit→ Electric current does not flow through the
circuit)
Switch is ‘ON’→Electric circuit is closed→Electric current flows→Electric device works (glows)
Switch is ‘OFF’→ Electric circuit is open → Electric current → Electric device does not work.
Switches are good conductors of electricity. They are also built within certain electric devices
like washing machines, grinders etc. as a safety measure to ensure their proper functioning.

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12. What is an electric torch? Explain its working and structure with the help of a
diagram.
Ans. An electric torch is a portable device, which uses two or more cells to light a small bulb.
It has the following parts:
i) Bulb that gives light.
ii) Two or more cells connected together.
iii) Switch to control ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’.
iv) Thin metal spring and metal strip that
connects the cells to the switch and the bulb.
Working:
• A torch works on the principle of a simple electric
circuit.
• It has two or more cells connected to a torch bulb
through a sliding switch. An Electric Torch
• When the sliding switch of the torch is pushed forward to an ‘ON’ position, the contact
strips come together to complete the circuit. The electric current flows through the
torch and the torch bulb lights up.
• When the sliding switch of the torch is pushed back into an ‘OFF’ position, the two
contact strips move apart and open the electric circuit. The electric current stops
flowing and the bulb turns off.

HIGH ORDER THINKING SKILLS (HOTS)

1. Bird sitting on a livewire does not get a shock but a man touching the livewire gets
a shock. Why?
Ans. Bird sitting on a live wire doesn’t get a shock current always flows through a
complete and closed circuit.
i) Birds have feathers on their body which act as insulator. These protect them from
getting a shock.
iii) Their hind limbs or legs are modified to hop, walk and perch. Their claws have
nails which act as insulator. So, they do not get a shock.
iv) Other reason is that the electricity is always looking for a way to get to the ground.
While sitting on livewire, birds do not touch the ground or anything in contact with
the ground, so the electricity keeps flowing along the wire only. But a man touching
a live wire gets a shock because his body is a good conductor of electricity ans as
his feet are touching the ground, all the current flows from his body to the ground
completing the circuit and thus he gets a shocks.

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