Definitions Flashcards
Series Circuit
A circuit with the components joined one after the other in a single continuous loop
Parallel Circuit
A circuit that has more than one path for electricity to flow through. If one of the paths has a break in it, the others will still work.
Electron
Negatively charged, very light particles in an atom. Electrons move around the nucleus of the atom.
Current Electricity
A form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current.
Conductor
A material that allows the flow of charge in one or more directions
Insulator
Material that does not allow heat to move through it
Current
A flow of electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or electron-deficient atoms
Voltage
The pressure from an electrical circuit’s power source that pushes charged electrons (current) through a conducting loop, enabling them to do work such as illuminating a light.
Resistance
Measure of the electrical energy required for an electric current to pass through an object. The energy is changed to heat.
Ohm’s Law
Statement relating the change in voltage across a conductor to the change in current. It states that the voltage across a particular conductor divided by the current through it is constant.
Volt
The SI unit of electromotive force, the difference of potential that would carry one ampere of current against one ohm resistance.
Ampere
A unit of measure of the rate of electron flow or current in an electrical conductor
Ohm
The SI unit of electrical resistance, transmitting a current of one ampere when subjected to a potential difference of one volt.
Ohmic Resistor
The conductors which obey ohm’s law are called the ohmic resistors or linear resistances. If as voltage across the resistor is increased, a graph of voltage versus current shows a straight line (indicating a constant resistance)
Alternating Current (AC)
Current that changes direction along a wire a number of times per second. The alternating current (AC) supplied to homes changes direction 50 times every second.
