conductor
a material, such as copper, through which a charge will move easily
Insulator
a material, such as glass, through which a charge won’t move easily
charging by induction
the process of charging an object w/o touching it, which can be accomplished by bringing a charged object close to a neutral object, causing a separation of charges, then separating the object to be charged, trapping opp. but = charges
grounding
the process of removing excess charge by touching an object to Earth
volt
the unit equal to one joule per coulomb. ( 1 J/C )
electric current
a flow of charged particles
capacitor
an electric device used to store charge that is made up of 2 conductors separated by an insulator
battery
a device made up of several galvanic cells connected together that converts chemical energy to electric energy
electric circuit
a closed loop or pathway that allows electric charges to flow
resistance
a property that determines how much current will flow; is = to voltage divided by a current
parallel circuit
a type of connection in which the circuit component and the voltmeter are aligned parallel to one another in the circuit; the potential difference across the circuit element; &there are 2 or more current paths to follow
short circuit
occurs when a very low resistance e circuit is formed, causing a very large current that could easily start a fire from overheated wires
series circuit
a type of electric circuit in which all current travels through each device and is the same everywhere
fuse
a short piece of metal that acts as a safety device in an electric circuit by melting &stopping the current from flowing if a dangerously high current passes through the circuit
circuit breaker
an automatic switch that acts as a safety device in an electric circuit by opening &stopping the current flow when too much current flows through a circuit
ground-fault interrupter
a device that contains an electronic circuit that detects small current differences caused by an extra current path
resistor
a device w/ a specific resistance; may be made of long thin wires; graphite; or semiconductors and often is used to control the current in circuits or parts of circuits
