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Electricity
Term | Definition |
---|---|
electric charge | a fundamental property that leads to the electromagnetic interactions among particles that make up matter |
static electricity | electric charge at rest; generally produced by friction or induction |
electrical insulator | a material in which charges cannot move freely |
insulator | a substance or device which does not readily conduct electricity |
conductor | an object or type of material that allows the flow of charge (electrical current) in one or more directions |
semiconductor | an element or compound that conducts electric current better than an insulator does but not as well as a conductor does |
electric current | the rate at which electric charges pass a given point |
resistance | in physical science, the opposition presented to the current by a material or device |
voltage | the amount of work to move a unit electric charge between two points expressed in volts |
electric circuit | a set of electrical components connected such that they provide one or more complete paths for the movement of charges |
series circuit | a circuit in which the parts are joined one after another such that the current in each part is the same |
parallel circuit | a circuit in which the parts are joined in branches such that the voltage across each part is the same |
AC (alternating current) | an electric current that reverses its direction many times a second at regular intervals, typically used in power supplies |
DC (direct current) | an electric current flowing in one direction only |