Chapter 7 Vocab

Question 1

Power supply (psu)

Answer 1

Takes electricity from the wall socket and transforms it into electricity your computer can use

Question 2

The # of electrons moving past a certain point on a wire is called the ——- which is measured in units called amperes (amps)

Answer 2

Current (amperage)

Question 3

Voltage

Answer 3

The pressure of the electrons in the wire that is measured in units called volts

Question 4

Wattage (watts or W)

Answer 4

The amps and volts needed so that a particular device will function is expressed as how much wattage that device needs.

Question 5

What is the mathematical equation for figuring out wattage?

Answer 5

Volts x amps = wattage

Question 6

Resistance

Answer 6

Is measured by ohms

Wires of all sorts whether copper, tin, gold etc have a slight resistance to the flow of electrons, just as water pipes have a slight amount of friction that resists the flow of water.

Question 7

Types of matter that allow electrons to move easily are known as _____

Answer 7

Conductors

Question 8

Types of matter that inhibit electron movement are called _____

Answer 8

Insulators

Question 9

_____ and ______ provide the basic protection from accidental overflow (pushing too much amp)

Answer 9

Circuit breakers and ground wires

Question 10

Circuit breaker

Answer 10

It will shut off before wires overheat to stop them from breaking

Question 11

Ground wires

Answer 11

Provides a path of least resistance for electrons to flow back to ground in case of an accidental overflow

Tip - an electrical outlet must have a ground wire to be suitable for PC use

Question 12

Direct current (DC)

Answer 12

The electrons flow in one direction around a continuous circuit

Question 13

Alternating current (AC)

Answer 13

The flow of electrons alternates direction back and forth in a circuit

Most electronic devices use DC power, but all power companies supply AC power because AC travels long distances much more efficiently than DC

Question 14

Testing power source

Answer 14

Before you plug any critical components into an AC outlet, take a moment to test the outlet first by using a multimeter or a device designed exclusively to test outlets.

Failure to test AC outlets properly can result in operable or destroyed equipment, as well as possible electrocution.

Question 15

Testing power source

Answer 15

Before you plug any critical components into an AC outlet, take a moment to test the outlet first by using a multimeter or a device designed exclusively to test outlets.

Failure to test AC outlets properly can result in operable or destroyed equipment, as well as possible electrocution.

Question 16

IEC-320 has 3 holes

Answer 16

1. Hot - carried electrical voltage
2. Neutral - no voltage - returns electric to local source (breaker panel normally)
3. Ground - makes it possible for excess electricity to return safely to the ground

Question 17

Check 3 things when checking AC power

Answer 17

1. hot outputs approximately 115V (or whatever proper voltage is for your part of the world)
2. That the neutral connects to ground (0 V output)
3. The ground connects to ground

Question 18

Dual voltage

Answer 18

Most of the rest of the world uses 230 VAC, so modern power supplies are designed to support both voltages

Question 19

Multimeter - aka referred to as a volt ohm meter (VOM) or digital multimeter (DMM)

Answer 19

Used to measure several aspects of electrical current

Question 20

Make sure that 3 things match before you plug an AC adaptor into a device:

Answer 20

Voltage

Amperage

Polarity

Question 21

Most multimeters offer at least 4 types of electrical tests

Answer 21

Continuity

Resistance

AC voltage (VAC)

DC voltage (VDC)

Question 22

How do you know if a wire is good?

Answer 22

A broken wire or fuse will show infinite resistance. A good wire or fuse will show no resistance.

Question 23

Large sags in electricity are also known as ______ .

Answer 23

Brown outs

Question 24

When the power cuts out completely it’s called a ????

Answer 24

Blackout

Question 25

What is sag?

Answer 25

Low voltage

Question 26

Surge

Answer 26

Surges or spikes are more dangerous than sags. Sags typically just shut off or reboots your computer. Any surge can harm your computer, a strong surge destroys components

Question 27

Surge suppressor

Answer 27

Absorbs the extra voltage from a surge to protect the pc

Question 28

Joule

Answer 28

Is a unit of electrical energy. Check this before buying a new surge suppressor. How much a surge suppressor can handle before it fails is described in joules. Minimum 2000 joules —- the more joules the better protection

Question 29

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

Answer 29

Protects your computer (and more importantly your data) in the event of a power sag or power outage.

Question 30

What are the two main types of UPS? (Uninterruptible power supply)

Answer 30

Online: Where devices are constantly powered through the UPSs battery Standby: Where devices connected to the UPS receive battery power only when the AC sags below 80-90V

Question 31

Volt amps (VA)

Answer 31

Is the amount of power the UPS(Uninterruptible power supply) could provide if the devices took power from the UPS in a perfect way.

Question 32

Battery back up

Answer 32

We use in our personal computers, laptops, and tablets. These devices have integrated battery technology that charges the device with DC power

Question 33

What two things does UPS always have?

Answer 33

Surge suppression and power conditioning, look for the joule and UL 1449 ratings