Electricity Chapter 9,10, 11 vocabulary

Terms in this set (44)

Charged
The state of electricity when there is an imbalance of protons and electrons
Static Electricity
An accumulation of electric charge on an insulated body.
Electrostatics
The study of stationary electric charges.
Neutral
Same number of protons and neutrons
Insulator
A material that does not allow electrons to move through it because of its high resistance
Law of Attraction
Opposite charges attract
Law of Repulsion
Same charges repel
Positive charge
More protons than electrons
Negative charge
More electrons than protons
Conduction
Energy is passed from atom to atom through direct contact
Induction
Charging of an object without direct contact, by variations in current
Spark
An electrostatic discharge
Ground
Considered to have zero voltage
Lightning
An electric discharge between the clouds and ground
Partical Model of Electricity
When two objects are rubbed together, electrons move from one object to the other
Series circuit
A circuit that contains only one path for current flow.
Parallel circuit
A closed circuit in which the current divides into two or more paths before recombining to complete the circuit
Kilowatt hour
The product of the power in kilowatts and the time in hours
Fuse
A safety device with a thin metal strip that will melt if too much current passes through a circuit
Circuit breaker
A switch that opens when current in a circuit is too high.
Electrical outlet
A place in a wiring system where current can be taken to run electrical devices
Electrical appliance
An appliance that runs on electricity
Energy/Power consumption
How much energy/power is used
Positive terminal
The terminal of a battery marked by a plus (+) symbol
Negative terminal
The terminal of a battery marked by a (-) symbol
Circuit
A path that connects the negative terminal of a battery to the positive terminal
Switch
A mechanical device used to connect or disconnect a component or circuit.
Circuit diagram
a diagram showing the path over which an electric current flows
Battery/cell
A device that creates energy through chemical reactions
Load
A device which converts electrical energy into sound, motion, heat, or light
Current
A flow of electric charge, measured in amperes
Coulomb
SI unit used to measure electric charge
Ampere
SI unit used to measure current
Ammeter
A device used to measure current
Potential difference
Also called Voltage (ΔV). Difference in electric potential between two points in an electric field
Volt
SI unit used measure potential difference
Voltmeter
A device used to measure potential difference
Resistance
A material's opposition to the flow of electric current
Ohm
Expresses the relationship between voltage, current and resistance, symbolized by the Greek letter "Omega."
Power
A quantity that measures the rate at which work is done or energy is transformed
Watt
SI unit used to measure power
Energy
The capacity of a physical system to do work
Charge
Current x Time
Joule
SI unit used to measure energy
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