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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 9 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. What claim does this record support?
  2. 2. Why did the bulb light with the foil strip but not the lolly stick?
  3. 3. Why did the buzzer go silent when the bulb was taken out?
  4. 4. What would a steel key across the gap probably do?
2.Which shows electric current turning into sound?
  • A.A heater warming a room
  • B.A buzzer sounding when the switch closes
  • C.A bulb glowing
3.A buzzer and a bulb are in the same loop. The wire breaks. What happens?
  • A.Only the buzzer stops
  • B.Both get louder and brighter
  • C.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete
4.A bulb lights at the far end of a long wire. What does that show?
  • A.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
  • B.The bulb stored the energy beforehand
  • C.The wire made its own light
5.A flashlight will not light, but the bulb is fine. What should you check first?
  • A.The color of the flashlight
  • B.Whether every part of the loop is joined
  • C.How heavy the flashlight is
6.A battery, a switch and a small motor are joined in a loop. What happens when the switch closes?
  • A.The battery turns instead
  • B.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
  • C.Nothing, motors need no energy
7.A thin heater wire glows red. What has the current carried to it?
  • A.Water
  • B.Nothing at all
  • C.Energy, given out as heat and light

LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The battery sends energy around a complete loop, and the bulb gives it out as light and heat. 2. The foil carried the current across the gap and completed the loop; the wooden lolly stick did not. 3. Taking the bulb out broke the loop, so nothing could reach the buzzer. 4. Light the bulb, like the steel paperclip did.
  2. 2.A buzzer sounding when the switch closes
  3. 3.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete
  4. 4.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
  5. 5.Whether every part of the loop is joined
  6. 6.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
  7. 7.Energy, given out as heat and light

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