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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 4 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Will the Bulb Light?

4-PS3-2

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Will the Bulb Light?

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. 1. Why did the buzzer go silent when the bulb was taken out?
  2. 2. What would a steel key across the gap probably do?
  3. 3. The lit bulb felt warm. Where did that energy come from?
  4. 4. What happened with the plastic ruler across the gap?
2.A thin heater wire glows red. What has the current carried to it?
  • A.Nothing at all
  • B.Water
  • C.Energy, given out as heat and light
3.A doorbell rings when its button is pressed. What does pressing it do?
  • A.It makes the battery bigger
  • B.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
  • C.It winds up a spring
4.Which shows electric current turning into sound?
  • A.A heater warming a room
  • B.A bulb glowing
  • C.A buzzer sounding when the switch closes
5.A flashlight will not light, but the bulb is fine. What should you check first?
  • A.How heavy the flashlight is
  • B.Whether every part of the loop is joined
  • C.The color of the flashlight
6.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.Only the buzzer stops
  • C.Both get louder and brighter
7.A bulb lights at the far end of a long wire. What does that show?
  • A.The wire made its own light
  • B.The bulb stored the energy beforehand
  • C.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery

LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Taking the bulb out broke the loop, so nothing could reach the buzzer. 2. Light the bulb, like the steel paperclip did. 3. From the battery, carried along the wires to the bulb. 4. The bulb stayed off.
  2. 2.Energy, given out as heat and light
  3. 3.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
  4. 4.A buzzer sounding when the switch closes
  5. 5.Whether every part of the loop is joined
  6. 6.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete
  7. 7.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-PS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.