Will the Bulb Light? is a free printable Grade 4 science worksheet on evidence that an electric current carries energy only around a complete loop, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 4-PS3-2. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Results from one battery, one bulb and some wires, set up eight different ways.
ONE BATTERY, ONE BULB, EIGHT SET-UPS
All the wires joined in a loop ............ bulb lit
One wire left loose ....................... bulb off
A foil strip across the gap ............... bulb lit
A wooden lolly stick across the gap ....... bulb off
A steel paperclip across the gap .......... bulb lit
A plastic ruler across the gap ............ bulb off
A buzzer added into the loop .............. bulb lit dimly, buzzer sounded
Bulb taken out, buzzer still in the loop .. buzzer silent
After a minute, the lit bulb felt warm.
Same battery, same bulb, same wires every time.
1. What happened when the foil strip was put across the gap?
2. The lit bulb felt warm. Where did that energy come from?
3. What happened with the plastic ruler across the gap?
4. What claim does this record support?
2.A buzzer and a bulb are in the same loop. The wire breaks. What happens?
A.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete
B.Both get louder and brighter
C.Only the buzzer stops
3.Why is the metal in a wire covered in plastic?
A.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
B.To make it brighter
C.To make it carry more energy
4.Why are electrical wires made of metal inside?
A.Metal is the cheapest material
B.Metal lets the current through, so energy can travel along it
C.Metal makes the wire heavier
5.What does a switch do in a circuit?
A.It makes the battery stronger
B.It stores the energy
C.It opens or closes a gap in the loop
6.A battery, a switch and a small motor are joined in a loop. What happens when the switch closes?
A.Nothing, motors need no energy
B.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
C.The battery turns instead
7.A thin heater wire glows red. What has the current carried to it?
A.Energy, given out as heat and light
B.Water
C.Nothing at all
LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The bulb lit. 2. From the battery, carried along the wires to the bulb. 3. The bulb stayed off. 4. The battery sends energy around a complete loop, and the bulb gives it out as light and heat.
2.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete
3.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
4.Metal lets the current through, so energy can travel along it
5.It opens or closes a gap in the loop
6.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
7.Energy, given out as heat and light
Questions about Will the Bulb Light?
What does the Will the Bulb Light? worksheet cover?
It practices evidence that an electric current carries energy only around a complete loop — 7 questions for Grade 4, all on NGSS 4-PS3-2: Show that energy travels by sound, light, heat and electric current. The instruction to students is “Read the record, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does Will the Bulb Light? practice?
4-PS3-2, under Physical Science for Grade 4. The published performance expectation reads: “Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Will the Bulb Light? is written for Grade 4, typically ages 9-10. It is one of the sheets on 4-PS3-2, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Will the Bulb Light? come with an answer key?
Yes. All 7 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Will the Bulb Light? can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Will the Bulb Light? free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Will the Bulb Light?, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for 4-PS3-2
Show that energy travels by sound, light, heat and electric current.