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Electrical Insulator

Key Stage 2

Meaning

Wires have Plastic covering them because Plastic makes a good electrical insulator.

An electrical insulator is a material that does not allow electricity to flow through it easily.

Singular Noun: Electrical insulator
Plural Noun: Electrical insulator
Verb: To electrically insulate
Adjective: Electrical insulation

About Electrical Conductors

Plastic, rubber and the air make good electrical insulators.
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Brick is a good electrical insulator. Fabric is a good electrical insulator. Glass is a good electrical insulator.
CupPlastic.png
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Plastic is a good electrical insulator. Rock is a good electrical insulator. Rubber is a good electrical insulator.

Key Stage 3

Meaning

An electrical insulator is a material with a very high resistance to the flow of electricity.

About Electrical Conductors

Non-metal elements are usually good electrical insulators. Carbon in the form of graphite is an exception to this.
Metal elements are poor electrical insulators.
To determine if an object is a good electrical insulator the object can be added to a circuit. If a current flows then it is not a good insulator.
To compare the effectiveness of different insulators an ammeter can be added to the circuit. The higher the current the worse the object is at insulating.

Key Stage 4

Meaning

An electrical insulator is a material with a very high resistance to the flow of electricity.

About Electrical Conductors

Non-metal elements are usually good electrical insulators as electrons are not free to move from one atom to another. Carbon in the form of graphite is an exception to this.
Plastics are good insulators because covalent bonds share electrons but do not allow electrons to be transferred from one atom to another.
Metal elements are poor electrical insulators.
To determine if an object is a good electrical insulator the object can be added to a circuit. If the ratio of potential difference to current is high then it is a good insulator.

References

AQA

Electrical insulators, page 99, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA