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Physics Paper 2 > Circuits > Flashcards

Circuits Flashcards

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1
Q

what 2 components can be used to provide a potential difference to a circuit

A

cell and battery

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2
Q

what does a voltmeter measure

A

volts and PD

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3
Q

what does an ammeter measure

A

amps and current

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4
Q

what are the 2 types of resistors

A

fixed and variable

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5
Q

what does a filament lamp do

A

converts electrical energy to light energy

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6
Q

what does a motor do

A

converts electrical energy to kinetic energy

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7
Q

what does a diode do

A

allows current to flow in only one direction

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8
Q

what 2 components allow resistance to be changed in relation to the environment

A

thermistor
LDR

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9
Q

what does a thermistor

A

decreases resistance when temperature increases

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10
Q

what does an LDR

A

decreases resistance when light intensity increases

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11
Q

what is an LED

A

a diode that gives out light when current flows through it

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12
Q

what are the 2 types of circuits

A

series circuits
parallel circuits

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13
Q

what is a series circuit

A

a circuit that contains only one loop

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14
Q

what is a parallel circuit

A

a circuit that contains more than one loop

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15
Q

describe the current and PD in a series circuit

A
  • the size of the current is always the same throughout the circuit
  • the potential difference is split up between components and will add up to make PD of the whole circuit
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16
Q

describe the current and PD in a parallel circuit

A

the current is split between the different branches and will add up to give the total current
the PD is the same at every point

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17
Q

what is an electric current

A

the flow of electrons

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18
Q

what is charge

A

total current transferred over a certain period of time

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19
Q

what is the formula of charge

A

current * time

20
Q

what is charge measured in

A

Columbus

21
Q

what is the formula for total energy transferred in a circuit

A

PD * charge

22
Q

what is ohms law

A

states that the size of a current flowing through components is directly proportional to the PD

23
Q

what is resistance

A

a measure of how hard it is for electricity to flow through it

24
Q

what is resistance measure in

A

Ohms

25
Q

what is the formula for ohms law

A

PD = resistance * current

26
Q

describe resistance in a series circuit

A

the resistance will add up to the total resistance of the circuit

27
Q

what is the purpose of an IV graph

A

shows how the current flowing through a component caries as the potential difference across it varies

28
Q

what does the IV graph of a fixed resistor look like

A

a straight line

29
Q

what does the IV graph of a filament lamp look like

A

an S shape

30
Q

why does the shape of a filament lamp look like that

A

as the potential difference increases, the filament get hotter and the atomic vibrations increase which leads to a greater resistance so the slope of the gradient decreases since the resistance is increasing

31
Q

what does IV graph of a diode look like

A

the current only flows in one direction. there is a threshold in the forward direction, so the graph is initially flat as there will be a very high resistance in the reverse direction. after that, the resistance does not change.

32
Q

how does the current heating effect work

A

where there is an electric current flowing energy is dissipated and lost as heat. this is because the elctrons flow through a metal lattice which leads to collisions between the electrons and the metal ions which causes the kinetic energy of electrons to be dissipated as thermal energy

33
Q

what is an advantage of the current heating effect?

A

some appliances are designed to transfer energy to thermal energy using the current heating effect

34
Q

what are 3 disadvantages of the current heating effect

A

could lead to appliances catching fire
earthing and circuit breakers need to be placed
energy is wasted

35
Q

what are the 3 equations for power

A

power = current * PD
power = energy transferred / time
power = current squared * resistance

36
Q

what are the 2 ways a current can flow

A

AC
DC

37
Q

what is an AC current

A

a current that alternates. this is where the electrical current changes direction regularly which causes the PD also to be changing

38
Q

what is a DC current

A

where electrons flow in the same direction

39
Q

what is the voltage and frequency of mains electricity

A

230V at 50Hz

40
Q

what are the 3 wires in a plug and their colours

A

earth - yellow and green striped
live - brown
neutral - blue

41
Q

what is the purpose of the earth wire

A

it is a safety feature. If the live wire comes loose and touches a metal part of the device, it will cause the casing to carry a charge, so anybody who touches it gets electrocuted. however, the heart wire will be connected to the metal casing all allowing the current to flow out through the earth wire

42
Q

what does the live wire do

A

carries the electrical supply to the appliance

43
Q

what does the neutral wire do

A

completes the circuit

44
Q

what are 3 safety features of a plug

A

earthing
fuses circuit breaker

45
Q

what is a fuse

A

a wire that will melt if too large of a current flows through it and heats it which will break the circuit

46
Q

what is the difference between a fuse and a circuit breaker

A

circuit breakers can be reused

47
Q

how does a circuit work

A

will detect when the current is too high and will use magnetic fields to open a switch and break the current

Physics Paper 2 (10 decks)

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