Question | Answer |
The unit used to measure the amount of current that flows past a point in one second. | ampere |
A modern charge-storage device used in electrical and electronic circuits, consisting of two or more conductive plates or sheets separated by an insulator. | capacitor |
The SI unit of electrical charge. | coulomb |
A continuous flow of electrical charges. | Current electrical |
Charging an object by shifting the paths of its electrons. | electrical induction |
Like charges repel; unlike charges attract. | law of charges |
The SI unit used to measure electrical resistance. | ohms |
An electrical circuit or portion of a circuit with multiple parallel paths so that the current must split up to flow through each load in the circuit. | parallel circuit |
A material that allows limited electron flow, so it can act as either a conductor or an insulator depending on the circumstances. | Semiconductors |
A circuit with a single path for all the electrons in it to follow. | series circuit |
A location (usually a fault) in an electrical circuit where current bypasses a circuit’s load to take a low-resistance path back to the current’s source. | short circuit |
All electrical phenomena relating to stationary electrical charges and the forces they exert. | static electricity |
The amount of work required to move a unit charge between two points in a circuit or field; the SI derived unit for potential difference; 1 equals 1 J/C. | volt |
The SI units of power; 1 joule of energy per second. | watt |
A material through which heat and electricity easily flow. Good conductors are usually materials that contain mobile electrons, such as most metals. | electrical conductor |
The field force exerted by electrical charges. It may be repulsive or attractive depending on the kinds of charges interacting. | electrostatic force |
A material that does not easily conduct thermal energy or electricity. Insulators are poor conductors with tightly bound valence electrons. | Electrical insulator |
An early charge-storage device that consisted of a jar lined and coated with lead and used electrical induction and grounding to greatly increase its storage capacity. | Leyden jar |
The energy or work that can be done
by charges moving between two points of different voltages. | electrical potential energy |
The flow of positive charges through a
conductor or electrolytic solution. This flow is opposite to the flow of electrons in a wire. | conventional current |
Electrical current that flows in only one direction. | direct current |
A complete path for an electrical current. It includes a current source, such as a battery or a generator; a conductor; an electrical load; and a point at which the current returns to the current source. | electrical circuit |
Any device that purposely converts electrical energy to another form of energy in an electrical circuit. | electrical load |
A source of electrical potential consisting of one or more voltaic cells (electrochemical cells) connected in series. | battery |
The property of all electrical circuit elements that impedes the flow of current to some extent. It is measured in ohms. | electrical resistance |
Law stating that in a DC-circuit component of resistance R, the current (I) through the component is directly proportional to the potential difference (voltage; V) | Ohm's law |