Current Flashcards
What is a charge carrier?
A charge carrier is a charged particles moving in a conductor. This could be an electron in a metal conductor or ions in a salt solution.
What is electric current?
Electric current is the movement of charged particles from one place to the other. There must be a net movement of charge in one direction for a current to exist.
What is conventional current?
Conventional current is the movement of positive charges from the positive terminal of a cell through a conductor to the negative terminal of a cell.
What is electron current?
Electron current is the term used when dealing with the mechanisms for the movement of electrons.
What is direct current?
Direct current is when the net flow of charge is one direction. The current is provided by a battery, which usually flows at a steady rate.
What is alternating current?
Alternating current refers to circuits where charge carriers move backwards and forwards periodically.
What is electric current measuring?
Electric current is a measure of the rate of flow of charge in a circuit.
How can the rate of flow of charge around a circuit, electric current, be expressed mathematically?
The equation I=Q/t, where I is current, Q is charge flowing, and t is the time interval.
What is the unit of current?
The SI unit for current is the ampere (A). Named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère.
What is the unit for charge?
The unit for charge is a coulomb (C), named after French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb..
How many electrons charges equal to 1 coulomb?
6.24 x 10^18 electrons.
How much charge is carried by a single electron?
-1.602 x 10^-19 C.
What is the current in a conductor when 1 coulomb of charge passes a point in the conductor every second?
1 ampere.
How is electric current measured?
Electric current is measured with an ammeter. Ammeters are placed in series with the circuit, and are designed so that they do not significantly affect the size of the current.
How do you calculate how rapidly electrons travel through a conductor?
The time taken equals the distance travelled divided by the drift velocity: t=d/v.
