Electricity Flashcards
what’s an electric current?
rate of flow of charge
negative to positive
measured in amps
define coulomb
one coulomb is the charge which passes a point when a current of 1A flows for 1s
what does the equation Q = It mean
give units
charge = current X time
charge - coulombs
current - amps
time - seconds
what’s an electrolyte
a solution which conducts electricity. it contains positive and negative ions
Ions move in opposite directions when connected to a cell
what are charge carriers
any particle with electric charge. particles which contribute to an electric current
what is the elementary charge
1.6 X 10^-19 C
the charge of an electron
what is the difference between electric current in a metal and an electrolyte
Electric current is the net flow of charged particles. In a metal, the charge carriers are free/delocalised electrons. In an electrolyte the charge carriers are ions. Positive ions move to the cathode, negative ions move to the anode, both contributing to electric current.
define potential difference
Energy transferred across a component per unit charge (energy lost per unit charge by charges passing through a component).
define volt
Two points in a circuit differ in potential by 1 volt if 1 joule of energy is needed to move 1 coulomb of charge between them.
what is electromotive force
The EMF of a battery or cell is the energy transferred per unit charge (energy gained per unit charge passing through a supply)
what is the difference between the EMF and PD in terms of energy transfer
PD is transferring electrical energy into other forms (heat, light, sound).
EMF is transferring other forms of energy (chemical in a battery) into electrical energy.
Energy is lost in potential difference but gained in EMF.
define an ammeter
a meter that measures the flow of electric current in amperes. must be connected in series
define voltmeter
a meter that measures the electrical potential difference between two points in an electric current. must be connected in parallel. if places across the power supply it measures emf of the supply. if placed across a resistor it will measure the pd
series circuit facts
current flowing is the same at all points pd shared between components of a circuit
parallel circuit facts
current shared between branches in circuit pd across each branch is same as the supply voltage or emf
define conventional current
flow of electrical charge from positive to negative
name some components in a circuit and draw their symbol
open switch closed switch bulb cell battery resistor ammeter voltmeter variable resistor LED diode thermistor LDR capacitor fuse
define resistance
opposition to the passage of current within a component
define ohm
the resistance of a component when a potential difference of 1 volt is produce per amp
whats the equation for resistance
voltage / current
R = V / I
a conductor that obeys ohm’s law is called a…
ohmic conductor
give and example of an ohmic component and then an example of a non-ohmic component
ohmic - fixed resistor & wire at constant temp
non-ohmic - bulb, diode & LED
if an I-V graph is straight what does it mean
component obeys ohm’s law - ohmic conductor
if an I-V graph is not a straight line what does it mean
non-ohmic conductor
describe a graph for an I-V graph with a diode
on the negative side of the graph it is a straight line as resistance is very high
Then PD increases the resistance gradually starts to drop - called threshold pd
Then the resistance drops sharply for every small increase pd
what are the benefits and uses of using a LED
lights up when current flows - used as indicators on appliances
efficient source of light - long-lasting
how do find out the total resistance in a series circuit
each resistance added together
how do you find out the total resistance in a parallel circuit
1 over each resistance added together
then 1 over that to get the total resistance