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Physics (My deck) > Topic 9) Electricity & Circuits > Flashcards

Topic 9) Electricity & Circuits Flashcards

(61 cards)

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1
Q

what is current

A

the flow of electrons around a circuit

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2
Q

what are the units for current?

A

amps, A

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3
Q

what is potential difference?

A

the force driving the flow of electrons around a circuit

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4
Q

what is another name for potential difference?

A

voltage

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5
Q

what are the units for potential difference?

A

volts, V

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6
Q

what is resistance?

A

everything that resists or opposes the flow of electrons in a circuit

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7
Q

what are the units for resistance?

A

ohms

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8
Q

which way does current flow around a circuit?

A

positive terminal –> negative terminal

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9
Q

what does a diode do?

A

only allow current to flow one way around a circuit

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10
Q

for wires and resistors, how does temperature affect resistance?

A

increasing the temperature will increase the resistance

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11
Q

why does increasing the temperature of a wire increase its resistance?

A

at higher temperatures, the particles in the wire vibrate faster, which slows the flow of electrons, increasing the resistance

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12
Q

what does a light emitting diode do?

A

LED will emit light when current flows through it, and only allow current to flow in one direction

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13
Q

what does an ammeter do?

A

measure the current in a circuit

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14
Q

where should an ammeter be placed?

A

in series with components

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15
Q

what does a voltmeter do?

A

measures the potential difference across a component

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16
Q

where should voltmeters be placed?

A

in parallel across the component

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17
Q

what is a thermistor?

A

a resistor whose resistance decreases as temperature increases

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18
Q

what is a thermistor used for?

A

to measure the temperature

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19
Q

what is a light dependent resistor?

A

a resistor whose resistance decreases as light intensity increases

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20
Q

what is a light dependent resistor used for?

A

to measure light intensity

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21
Q

what is a variable resistor?

A

a resistor whose resistance can easily be changed by moving a slider

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22
Q

what is a fixed resistor?

A

a resistor that has a fixed resistance that cannot be changed

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23
Q

what is a series circuit?

A

a circuit in which all the components are in the same loop

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24
Q

what happens to the potential difference in a series circuit?

A

it is shared across all the components

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25
how do you find the total resistance of a series circuit?
add together the resistance of each component in the circuit
26
what happens to current in a series circuit?
current is the same for every component in a series circuit
27
what is the main advantage of a series circuit?
simple to set up
28
what is the main disadvantage of a series circuit?
if any single component breaks, the whole circuit will stop working
29
what is a parallel circuit?
a circuit in which each component has its own loop
30
how does potential difference work in a parallel circuit?
all the components in a parallel circuit have the same potential difference
31
what happens to current in a parallel circuit?
the total current is shared between all of the parallel loops
32
what happens to resistance in a parallel circuit?
the more loops you have in a parallel circuit, the lower the total resistance will be
33
what is the main advantage of a parallel circuit?
if one component breaks, the circuit as a whole will continue to work
34
what is alternating current?
a current that periodically reverses its direction -it keeps changing its direction
35
what is direct current?
a current that always travels in the same direction around a circuit
36
what creates an alternating current?
an alternating voltage, for example from mains electricity
37
what creates a direct current?
a current that always travels in the same direction around a circuit
38
what creates an alternating current?
an alternating voltage
39
what creates a direct current?
a direct voltage
40
what is mains electricity?
the electricity generated by power stations and delivered to homes via the national grid -wall sockets
41
what is the frequency of mains electricity?
50 Hz
42
what is the voltage of mains electricity?
230-240 volts
43
what is a 3 core cable?
the wire that attaches a device ti the mains supply
44
what are the names of the 3 wires in a plug?
live wire neutral wire earth wire
45
what is wrapped around each wire, and why?
insulated plastic, so it doesn't conduct electricity to things it touches
46
what colour is the plastic wrapped around the live wire?
brown
47
what colour is the plastic wrapped around the neutral wire?
blue
48
what colour is the plastic wrapped around the earth wire?
stripes of yellow and green
49
what is the function of live wire?
to carry the alternating potential difference from the mains supply
50
what is the function of neutral wire?
to complete the circuit
51
what is the function of earth wire?
it is the safety wire to stop the appliance becoming live
52
what is the potential between the live wire and earth wire?
230 V
53
what is the potential difference between the neutral wire and earth wire?
0 V
54
which wire can be dangerous to touch?
live wire
55
what does surge mean and why is it dangerous?
a surge is a sudden increase in current this can damage an appliance, and cause fire
56
name 4 safety mechanism that can be used in electrical circuits?
fuses circuit breakers earth wires double insulation
57
how does a fuse work?
fuses have a thin wire which melts and blows the circuit when the current is too high
58
how do you decide which fuse rating to use for a given electrical circuit?
a few amps above the recommended current
59
how do circuit breakers work?
they act like a switch that will trip when there is a surge they can be reset electrically
60
how do earth wires protect us from electric shocks?
-the earth wire is connected to the casing of the appliance -if the live wire touches the appliance casing -the earth wire provides an alternating pathway for electricity to flow
61
how does double insulation work?
where an appliance is covered in a layer of plastic, plastic doesn't conduct electricity, even if the appliance is live

Physics (My deck) (17 decks)

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