| Term | Definition |
|---|
| electric charge | property that causes subatomic particles such as protons and electrons to attract or repel each other |
| electric force | the force of attraction or repulsion between electrically charged objects |
| electric field | the effect an electric charge has on other charges in the space around it |
| static electricity | the study of the behavior of electric charges, including how charge is transferred between objects |
| law of conservation of charge | states that the total electric charge in an isolated system is constant; electric charge is never created or destroyed |
| induction | a transfer of charge without contact between materials |
| electric current | the continuous flow of electric charge |
| direct current | when charge flows only in one direction |
| alternating current | a flow of electric charge that regularly reverses its direction |
| electric conductor | a material through which charge can flow easily |
| electric insulator | a material through which charge cannot flow easily |
| resistance | opposition to the flow of charges in a material |
| potential difference | the difference in electrical potential energy between two places in an electric field |
| voltage | potential difference |
| battery | a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy |
| Ohm's law | the voltage in a circuit equals the product of the current and the resistance |
| electric circuits | complete paths through which charge can flow |
| series circuits | when charge has only one path through which it can flow |
| parallel circuits | electric circuits with two or more paths through which charges can flow |
| electric power | the rate at which electrical energy is converted to another form of energy. P=IV |
| fuse | something that prevents current overload in a circuit |
| circuit breaker | a switch that opens when current in a circuit is too high |
| grounding | the transfer of excess charge through a conductor to Earth |
| magnetic force | the force a magnet exerts on another magnet, on iron or a similar metal, or on moving charges |
| magnetic pole | a region where the magnet's force is strongest |
| magnetic field | surrounds a magnet and can exert magnetic forces |
| magnetosphere | the area surrounding Earth that is influenced by the magnetic field of Earth |
| ferromagnetic material | can be magnetized because it contains magnetic domains, ex.:iron |
| electromagnetism | responsible for interactions between charged particles that occur because of their charge, and for the emission and absorption of photons |
| electromagnet | a solenoid, a coil of current-carrying wire that produces a magnetic field, with a ferromagnetic core |
| electromagnetic induction | the process of generating a current by moving an electrical conductor relative to a magnetic field |
| generator | a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by rotating a coil of wire in a magnetic field |
| transformer | a device that increases or decreases the voltage and current of two linked AC circuits |
Combine with other sets
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