Electric Circuits Flashcards
The various parts of a typical house circuit include
a fuse or circuit breaker, wires, switches, wall outlets, and light sockets and bulbs.
An electric circuit consists of
the various conductors that lead from the negative to the positive terminal of a source of electricity.
A circuit generally contains
a load, a device such as a lightbulb or appliance that provides resistance in the circuit. If a current is allowed to flow from one terminal to another with very little resistance,
a short circuit exists. Unless such a current is quickly stopped by a fuse or circuit breaker, the wires may heat up enough to start a fire.
There are two basic methods of wiring a circuit:
in series and in parallel.
In the series circuit the current flows through
one device (such as a lightbulb) to reach the next.
In the parallel circuit the current
enters and leaves each device separately.
Devices connected in series each carry the same amount of
current;
devices connected in parallel are each subjected to the same
voltage.
