Electricity Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a renewable resource

A

Resource that replenishes itself at the rate it’s being used

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2
Q

What are some renewable energy sources

A

Solar, wind, wave, tidal, hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal

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3
Q

What are some non-renewable energy sources

A

Coal, oil, nuclear, natural gas

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4
Q

What is a circuit

A

A never-ending looped pathway for charged carriers

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5
Q

What is a series circuit

A
  • single loop
  • different devices have different voltages across them
  • Same current flows through each device
  • If one device is broken, the whole circuit fails
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6
Q

What is a parallel circuit

A
  • single source supplies voltage to separate loops of wire
  • Voltage in every device is the same
  • different devices, different currents
  • each device will work if one fails
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7
Q

Describe resistance of the flow of electrons in a circuit

(hint: what happens when electrons in a wire collide)

A

Electrons collide with other electrons that make up the wire, and convert some of their energy to heat

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8
Q

What does Ohm’s Law state

A

The voltage across a conductor is directly proportional to the current flowing through it, provided all physical conditions and temperature remain consistent

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9
Q

Compare renewable energy with fossil feuls

A
  • renewable will never run out, fossil fuels will
  • fossil fuels and easy to store, renewables are not
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10
Q

What is energy efficiency

A

Using less energy to perform the same task - eliminating energy waste

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11
Q

What are the benefits of energy efficiency

A
  • reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • reducing demand for energy imports
  • lowering our costs on a household and economy- wide level
  • cheapest + most immediate way of reducing fossil fuels
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12
Q

define voltage

A

measure of the electrical energy carried by the charges in a circuit. Voltmeter is connected in parallel

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13
Q

what happens to voltage in series circuit

A

voltages across components add up to the total voltage supplied by the battery

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14
Q

what happens to voltage in parallel circuit

A

the voltage across each component is the same

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15
Q

what happens to resistance in a series circuit

A
  • the resistance of components add up to the total resistance of the circuit
  • total resistance in the circuit is more than the resistance of each component
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16
Q

what happens to resistance in a parallel circuit

A
  • The reciprocal of the total resistance is found by adding the reciprocal of the resistance of each component
  • total resistance is less than the resistance of each component
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17
Q

define current

A

the flow of charges (electrons). ammeter is connected in series

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18
Q

what happens to current in series circuits

A

the current is the same evrywhere

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19
Q

what happens to current in parallel circuits

A

the current in each component adds up to the total current in the main branch containing the battery

20
Q

define resistance

A

a measure of how difficult it is for electrons to flow through part of a circuit. Conductors have little resistance, insulators have great resistance

21
Q

What is the formula for resistance

A

R = V/I

22
Q

What are the two types of transformers

A

step up, step down

23
Q

what is a step up transformer

A

increases voltage in an AC supply

24
Q

what is a step-down transformer

A

decreases voltage in an AC supply

25
Q

What are the 2 main types of current

A

AC, DC

26
Q

What is AC

A
  • alternating current
  • produces a fluctuating voltage
  • current changes direction
  • supplied by power stations
27
Q

What is AC used for

A

More efficient to distribute over large distances

28
Q

What is DC

A
  • Direct current
  • produces a constant voltage
  • current travels in one direction
  • electrons carry electrical charge from negative to positive terminal of power source
29
Q

What is work

A

forces applied on an object

30
Q

what is the equation for power

A

work/time

31
Q

what is the law of conservation of energy

A

energy cannot be created or destroyed only transferred from one object to another/ converted from one form to another

32
Q

What is energy transfer

A

energy passed from one object t another

33
Q

What is energy transformation/ conversion

A

energy being transformed from one type of energy into another type of energy

34
Q

what are the pros of solar energy

A

renewable, no carbon emissions

35
Q

what are the cons of solar energy

A

unreliable, high upfront costs, takes up surface, kills birds and bats

36
Q

what are the pros of wind energy

A

no carbon emissions, renewable

37
Q

what are the cons of wind energy

A

kills birds and bats, unreliable, many required to power large cities, ugly and noisy

38
Q

what are the pros of hydroelectricity

A

no carbon emissions, renewable, reliable

39
Q

what are the cons of hydroelectricity

A

expensive, hard to find suitable waterways, disrupts use of waterways

40
Q

what are the pros of geothermal power

A

renewable, reliable, small land footprint

41
Q

what are the cons of geothermal power

A

only available at certain locations, expensive set up of costs

42
Q

what are the pros of tidal power

A

renewable, no carbon emissions, reliable

43
Q

what are cons of tidal power

A

electricity not produced all the time

44
Q

what are the pros of biomass

A

renewable, less carbon emissions

45
Q

what are the cons of biomass

A

high cost of production, habitat destruction, crops take up a lot of space, high water use