Chapter 2 - DC Electricity Flashcards
Is an electrical receptacle with nothing connected to it an open (incomplete) circuit or a closed (complete) circuit?
Open circuit.
When you connect a device to an electrical receptacle, how does that allow current to return to its source?
Allows current to flow through the conductor, to the load, back to the supply.
What would happen if a circuit had so little resistance that it was effectively no resistance at all, and voltage was applied to it?
A huge amount of current would flow through it and would likely damage components of the circuit.
True or false: current takes the path of least resistance.
False - current takes every available path, but divides in proportion to the amount of resistance in each path (more resistance, less current)
What does a battery do?
Supplies voltage that makes current flow, as long as there is a conductive path from one terminal of the battery to the other.
What does a resistor do?
Limits the amount of current flowing through a circuit.
What factors limit current?
Resistors, size of the wire, resistance of the load, and voltage of the power supply.
What does current always try to do?
Return to its source.
What is a fault?
A normal circuit that becomes shorted when resistance is low and too much current flows.
What is a ground fault?
A supply that is shorted to the ground.
What happens when there is a short and the ground is intact?
The ground will carry the faulty current back to the supply and cause the circuit breaker to interrupt the circuit.
Current divides according to?
The resistance of each path.
Total voltage equals?
-V1-V2-V3
What is the ground?
A solid connection to the earth, which forces one side of the supply to take the voltage of the earth, which is 0 Volts.
Ohm’s Law: Volts=?
V(Volts)=I(current)*R(resistance)
