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Basic Principles of Electricity and Magnetism

Terms in this set (22)

What is static electricity?
A build up of an electric charge
What is the relationship between materials of opposite charges?
They attract each other
What is the relationship between materials of like charges?
They repel each other
What is current electricity?
The flow of electric charges through wires and other conductors
What is a direct current?
The electric charges flow in one direction
What is an alternating current?
The flow of the electric charges continually changes direction
What is a conductor?
A material that transfers electric charges well
What is an insulator?
A nonconductor
What are semiconductors?
neither good conductors nor good insulators
What is voltage? What is it measured in?
The push that the electrons get from the source, measured in volts
What is the relationship between voltage and current?
the greater the voltage, the greater the current
What is resistance? What is it measured in?
The tendency for a material to oppose the flow of electric charges, measured in ohms
What is the relationship between resistance and current?
if you increase the resistance, the current will decrease in a series current and increase in a parallel circuit
What is a circuit?
A closed path through which electric charges flow
What is a series circuit?
Only one path for the electric charges to follow, every part is disconnected if one part is
What is a parallel circuit?
more than one possible path for the electric charges to follow, the charges can still flow if one part is removed
What is a magnet?
An object that attracts other objects which contain iron, cobalt, or nickel
What are poles?
the ends of a magnet, north and south
What is an electromagnet?
The magnetic field around a wire containing moving electric charges, temporary magnets
How do you increase the strength of an electromagnet?
increasing the amount of wire in the coil, the size of the piece of metal, or the voltage supply
What is a motor?
Transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy (motion)
What is a generator?
Transforms mechanical energy (motion) into electrical energy
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