Energy in circuits

Question 1

Voltage

Answer 1

measure of the difference in potential energy between two points in a circuit.
symbol (v) and unit volt
higher voltages have more energy and can do more work.
circuit components in circuit causes a drop in voltage
higher the voltage battery, the brighter the light bulbs glow.
energy source with high voltage supplies more energy into the circuit which is then carried by current and current flows from high to low potential areas.

Question 2

Current

Answer 2

measure of how fast charge moves within a circuit per second.
symbol (I) and unit ampere (amp/A).
coloumbs describe quantity of charge and amperes describe strength of current.
electric current moves in the opposite direction to conventional current (direction of positivie flow)

Question 3

Resistance

Answer 3

measure of how much the materials resist flow of charge. symbol (R) and unit ohm (Ω)
resistance consumes electrical energy and converts it into other forms of energy such as heat.
resistors allow specific amounts of resistance into circuits.

Question 4

Wires

Answer 4

if wire longer, resistance increases cos more electrons have to travel further, losing more energy.
if wire is wider, resistance decreases cos more electrons fit in a wider wire, losing less energy.

Question 5

voltage drop

Answer 5

loss of electrical potential (voltage) as current flows through a circuit. happens cos wires and materials resist. higher voltage drops = higher resistance

Question 6

Ohm’s Law

Answer 6

Describes the relationship between voltage, current and resistance. V = IR

Question 7

Voltmeter

Answer 7

device that measures potential difference or voltage across two points.
add voltmeter externally to the circuit component that we are measuring the voltage across.

Question 8

Ammeter

Answer 8

a device that measures current. needs to be connected in line with other circuit components.

Question 9

Circuits

Answer 9

a loop of wire which connects an energy to an energy user with other circuit components.
energy user is the object that needs the energy such as light bulbs. energy source provides electrons with energy they need to flow around the circuit. energy used to push electrons around the circuit.

Question 10

Series Circuits

Answer 10

a circuit with only one path for the current to flow through where all components are connected like a chain.
one component stops workingm, other components stop working.

Question 11

Parallel Circuits

Answer 11

a circuit with all its components connected on different branches so current has more than one path to take. branches in parallel circuits mean that if a component breaks, circuit can still be complete through connections in other branches.

Question 12

DC and AC

Answer 12

DC stands for direct current meaning current flows in one direction only.
AC stands for alternating current meaning the current oscillates back and forth.

Question 13

Series

Answer 13

Voltage total = V1 + V2
Current total = I1 = I2
Resistance total = R1 + R2

Question 14

Parallel

Answer 14

Voltage total = V1 = V2
Current total = I1 + I2
Resistance total = (1/R1 + 1/R2) to the power of -1

Question 15

Society

Answer 15

We still use conventional current which is an old theory that scientists once believed that current flows from positive to negative even though electrons flow the other way. We still use it through saying that electron flow is opposite to conventional current.