Conductor Test

Build your own conductor tester and check what objects around your home are conductors or insulators.

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things you will need

  • Play dough (shop bought or make your own)
  • 1 x LED
  • 1 x 4 AA battery pack (plus batteries)
  • Items to test

safety notice

  • Always ask a grown-up for help with batteries.
  • Always make sure battery packs are in the OFF position when not in use. Batteries and circuits can get hot and cause fires. 
  • Never connect a LED directly to the battery. The voltage will be too much for the little LED and it will pop.
  • LEDs have pointy legs and can be sharp. 
1

Prepare the dough

Roll out the dough into two pieces roughly the same size.

2

Connect to the battery pack

  • Place the red wire from the battery pack into one dough roll.
  • Place the black wire into the remaining dough roll.

Things to know

The red wire connects to the positive end of the battery. The black wire connects to the negative end of the battery. 

3

Test the circuit

  • Take one LED and separate the legs.
  • Place the longer leg of the LED into the dough roll connected to red wire. 
  • Place the shorter leg of the LED into the dough roll connected to the black wire.
  • Turn ON the battery pack and watch your LED light up.

Things to know

LEDs must always be placed in a circuit with the long leg connected to the positive end of the battery.

4

Break the circuit

  • Divide the dough roll connected to the black wire into two equal sections.
  • Create a small gap between the two sections.
5

Test for conductivity

  • Your conductor tester is now ready to go.
  • Place your first item between the two dough sections connected to the black wire.
  • Press the item into both dough sections to ensure you make a complete circuit.
  • If the LED lights up, the object is a conductor.
  • If the LED does not light up, the object is an insulator.

Things to know

A conductor is a material that allows electricity to pass through it.

An insulator is a material that does not allow electricity to pass through it.

6

Keep experimenting

Try the test on other objects (with permission from grown-ups) around the house.

Do any surprise you?

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