Electricity Flashcards
current
the rate of flow of charge
which way does conventional current flow?
positive to negative
which way does electrons flow?
negative to positive
mean drift velocity
average distance travelled by a charge carrier per unit time
charge carrier
something which caries charge (electrons and ions)
what does charge carrier density determine?
whether a material is a conductor, insulator or semiconductor
represented by n
kirchoffs first law
the total current entering a junction is equal to the total current leaving a junction (conservation of charge)
what is the link between current and charge carrier density? and resistivity?
the ability to carry a current increases with an increase in charge carrier density
the resistivity of a material is directly proportional to charge carrier density
what is an anode?
positively charged electrode
what is a cathode?
a negatively charged electrode
what is a cation?
positively charged ions
what is an anion?
negatively charged ions
electric charge
a measure of how charged an object is
(measured in coulombs)
quantised
a unit that can only be a certain value
eg. charge will always be a multiple of 1.6x10^-19
electrolytes
liquids that can carry an electric current
conductors
materials that have a high charge carrier density
semiconductors
materials that have an intermediate charge carrier density
it also has a conductivity between a conductor and insulator (dependent on temperature)
insulators
materials that have a low charge carrier density
potential difference
the energy transferred per coulomb of charge
the work done per coulomb of charge that passes between two points
electromotive forces
energy supplied per coulomb of charge
the amount of chemical energy converted to electrical energy per coulomb of charge when passing through a power supply
thermionic emission
the emission of electrons through the action of heating
resistance
a measure of how much a component resists the flow of charge
ohms law
potential difference is directly proportional to current
how do you work out the resistance of resistors in series?
add them together