Nature Example
🛡️
Insulators
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
An insulator is a material that stops or blocks electricity from flowing through it.
Examples:
Plastic, rubber, wood, and glass are all good insulators.
💡 Fun Facts
- Insulators are used to keep us safe. The plastic coating on wires and the plastic case on a plug stop you from getting an electric shock.
- Nature's Insulator: The wires in your body (your nerves) have their own insulator! They are coated in a fatty layer called a 'myelin sheath', which works just like the plastic on a wire, keeping the electrical signal trapped inside.
- The plastic used for wires is made from oil. This oil is a fossil fuel, which was formed from the bodies of tiny sea creatures like plankton that lived and died millions of years ago!