Electrical Circuits Flashcards
What is electrical charge?
A physical property of matter (that causes it to experience a force when place in an electrical field)
What happens when like charges are placed next to each other?
They repel
What happens when opposite charges are placed close to each other?
They attract
What does repel mean?
A force acts on each charge to push them away from one another
What does attract mean?
A force act on each charge to pull them towards each other
State the conditions that must be present for an electrical current flow
There must be a potential difference between two points and there must be a conductive path
State the conditions that must be present for an electrical circuit to transfer energy to a component
There must be a power source
there must be a complete loop of conductive material.
The component must form part of the loop
and the loop must connect to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply.
What is an electrical conductor?
A material in which electrical charges can easily move
What is an electrical insulator?
A material in which electrical charges cannot easily move
The particles which flow in electric circuits are
Electrons
What is an electron
And negatively charged the atomic particle they orbit the nuclear of atom in electron shells and have a relative mass of 1/2000
Why are metals good conductors?
They have delocalised electrons
Give two examples of electrical insulators
Which plastics ceramic wool air
Define electric current
The rate of flow of charge
Which direction do electrons flow in a circuit?
From negative to positive
Which direction does conventional current flow?
From positive to negative
What is the symbol for charge?
Q
What is the unit of charge?
Coulomb (c)
Why is charge not measured in electrons?
Electrons are too small to measure individually
What is the symbol for current?
I
What is the unit of current?
Amps
What is the symbol for time?
T
What is the symbol for time?
T
What is the unit of time?
Seconds
