Electricity Flashcards
(27 cards)
definition of current
the rate of flow of charge around the circuit
equation linking charge, current and time
Q = I x T
charge = current x time
what is the unit for charge
Coulombs, C
what is the unit for current
Amps, A
what is the unit for time
Seconds, s
definition of voltage/potential difference
the energy transferred per coulomb of charge
equation linking voltage, energy and charge
V = E/Q
voltage = energy / charge
unit for voltage
Volts, V
unit for energy
Joules, J
definition of resistance
the opposition to the flow of electric current through a material or component
equation linking Resistance, voltage and current
V = I x R
Voltage = current x resistance
unit for resistance
ohms, Ω
definition of series circuit
a circuit with only one path for the current to flow through
what happens if one component breaks or is disconnected from a series circuit and why
the whole circuit breaks.
there’s no complete path for the charge to flow
describe the voltage in a series circuit
the voltage is shared across all the components
In a series circuit which component gets the greater voltage. the one with greater resistance or less.
the component with greater resistance.
because it needs more energy for the charges to flow through without changing the current
describe the current in a series circuit
it is the same everywhere in the circuit
describe the resistance in a series circuit
the individual resistances of each components adds up to the total resistance of the circuit
what does adding components do to a series circuit
increases the total resistance, therefore less current
definition of parallel circuits
a circuit which has two or more paths for current to fly through
describe the voltage in a parallel circuit
the voltage is the same across each branch of the circuit
describe the current in a parallel circuit
the current is shared between the branches of the circuit
what does the size of the current in each branch depend on
the size of the resistance
describe the resistance in a parallel circuit
the total resistance is less than the resistance of any single branch
