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physics gcse > Electricity > Flashcards

Electricity Flashcards

1
Q

1 MW = how many W?

A

1, 000, 000 W

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2
Q

1 kW = how many W?

A

1, 000 W

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3
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a switch?

A

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/open-closed-switch-symbol-260nw-2084069083.jpg

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4
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a lamp?

A

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480x270/p0dzbrn3.png

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5
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a fuse?

A

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Fuse_symbol_Europe.svg/320px-Fuse_symbol_Europe.svg.png

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6
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a cell?

A

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0dzbkgc.png

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7
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a voltmeter?

A

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Voltmeter_symbol.png

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8
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a battery?

A

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976xn/p0dzbbj0.png

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9
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a ammeter?

A

https://i.sstatic.net/sTYoJ.png

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10
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a diode?

A

https://keystagewiki.com/images/thumb/7/75/DiodeSymbol.png/300px-DiodeSymbol.png

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11
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a thermistor?

A

https://res.cloudinary.com/rspoc/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1682074329/RS%20CONTENTFUL/Discovery/Other%20image%20assets/07_thermistors_Illustration_Guides_Assets.png

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12
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a resistor?

A

https://www.iso.org/obp/graphics/grs/4d93d14e-708c-4937-aa30-b3c41d47c048_200.png

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13
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a variable resistor?

A

https://keystagewiki.com/images/thumb/1/1d/VariableResistorSymbol.png/300px-VariableResistorSymbol.png

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14
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a LED?

A

https://keystagewiki.com/images/thumb/4/4f/LightEmittingDiodeSymbol.png/300px-LightEmittingDiodeSymbol.png

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15
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a LDR?

A

https://bam.files.bbci.co.uk/bam/live/content/zwn7ng8/small

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16
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a buzzer?

A

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976xn/p0dz3rjj.png

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17
Q

what is the circuit symbol for a motor?

A

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976xn/p0dz3s7v.png

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18
Q

define electricity

A

the flow of electric charge around a circuit carried by electrons

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19
Q

define current

A

rate of flow of charge around a circuit

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20
Q

what does an ammeter measure?

A

current

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21
Q

is an ammeter connected in series or parallel?

A

series

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22
Q

what does a voltmeter measure?

A

voltage or potential difference

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23
Q

is a voltmeter connected in series or parallel?

A

parallel

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24
Q

define potential difference

A

energy supplied to each part of charge by energy source - the source does not supply electrons, but starts them flowing

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25
Q

is current in series equal the whole way round, or split?

A

equal the whole way round

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26
Q

is potential difference in series equal the whole way round, or split?

A

split

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27
Q

is current in parallel equal the whole way round, or split?

A

split

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28
Q

is potential difference in parallel equal the whole way round, or split?

A

equal the whole way round

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29
Q

when components are added in series, does the resistance increase or decrease?

A

increase - you add resistance of each component to find total resistance

30
Q

when components are added in parallel, does the resistance increase or decrease?

A

decrease - total resistance is less than the smallest resistor

31
Q

does mains electricity use direct or alternating current?

A

alternating

32
Q

what is the frequency of mains electricity?

33
Q

what does 50 Hz mean?

A

current changes direction 50 times a second

34
Q

what is the outer insulation of a 3-pin plug?

A

All three wires in the cable are bundled together and there is extra plastic insulation wrapped round them all for safety

35
Q

what is the cable grip in 3-pin plug used for?

A

holds the cable tightly in place so that wires do not become loose

36
Q

what is a fuse?

A

A glass or ceramic canister containing a thin wire that melts if the current gets too high

37
Q

what are the 3 types of fuse and how do you decide which to use?

A

3A, 5A, 13A - a fuse is chosen just higher than working current

38
Q

what are the wires in 3-pin plugs made of?

39
Q

what colour is the live wire in a 3-pin plug?

40
Q

where is the live wire in a 3-pin plug?

A

on the right

41
Q

what does the live wire in a 3-pin plug do?

A
  • connects appliance to mains
  • if this wire touches the outer casing of an object, the object will become live
42
Q

what colour is the neutral wire in a 3-pin plug?

43
Q

where is the neutral wire in a 3-pin plug?

A

on the left

44
Q

what does the neutral wire in a 3-pin plug do?

A

connects appliance to mains (electrons oscillate back and forth through live and neutral wire, transferring electrical energy)

45
Q

what colour is the earth wire in a 3-pin plug?

A

yellow and green striped

46
Q

where is the earth wire in a 3-pin plug?

A

in the centre

47
Q

what does the earth wire in a 3-pin plug do?

A

provides a path for current to flow (very low resistance) from the case of the device to the ground if live wire touches casing

48
Q

how does a circuit breaker work?

A

checks there is no difference in current in live and neutral wires - if there is, it stops the flow of electricity

49
Q

why are circuit breakers used?

A

faster than a fuse

50
Q

what is the national grid?

A

system of cables and transformers linking power cables to consumers

51
Q

what are transformers used for?

A

used to change voltages and currents in transmission lines

52
Q

what are transformers made of?

A

formed from two coils of wire around a magnetic core.

53
Q

why are transformers used in the national grid?

A
  • high current = high temperature = more energy loss
  • increasing voltage decreases current as power transferred will stay the same
  • changing current reduces energy losses in overhead wires
54
Q

describe the process of gaining static electricity

A
  • insulating materials rub against each other and the electrons move as they are on the outside
  • friction when rubbing materials causes electrons to gain energy - enough to leave the atom so the materials become electrically charged, as electrons rub off one material and onto the other
  • the material which gains electrons is negatively charged
  • the insulating materials prevent electrons from moving so charge remains static
  • conductors cannot hold charge as electrons can move through
55
Q

what do the arrowheads on electric field diagrams show?

A

the way another positive charge would move

56
Q

What does ‘direct potential difference’ mean?

A

the polarity of the supply does not change

57
Q

what is electric charge measured in?

A

coulombs (C)

58
Q

why is the current in series equal the whole way round?

A

the current is in a single, closed loop so it has nowhere else to go, so must be the same at all points

59
Q

what is the resistance of a component?

A

the measure of how it resists the flow of charge

60
Q

what does a higher resistance mean?

A
  • the more difficult it is for charge to flow
  • the lower the current
61
Q

what does a bigger potential difference across a component mean?

A
  • the greater the flow of charge through the component
  • the bigger the current
62
Q

what does a steep gradient on an I-V graph mean?

A

low resistance, as a large current will flow for a small potential difference

63
Q

what does a shallow gradient on an I-V graph mean?

A

high resistance, as a large potential difference is needed to produce a small current

64
Q

why is the total resistance in series circuits the sum of the resistance of each component?

A

the current has to travel through each component in turn

65
Q

why is the total resistance in parallel circuits less than the resistance of the smallest resistor?

A

there are more paths for the current to take, allowing it to flow more easily

66
Q

what does the power of a device depend on?

A

the p.d across it and the current flowing through it

67
Q

what potential difference is mains electricity?

68
Q

why is using a small number of large power stations more efficient than using many small, local power stations?

A

large stations can be built to be made more efficient eg most power plants use steam turbines which are more efficient at higher steam temperatures and the bigger the plant, the bigger the boiler, so the higher the steam temperature

69
Q

how do electrical sparks occur?

A
  • as the charge on an isolated object increases, the p.d between the object and the earth increases
  • when the p.d become high enough, a spark may jump across the gap, from the object to any earthed conductor near it
  • the spark discharges the charged object and could be felt as an electric shock
70
Q

what does the strength of an electric field at any point depend on?

A
  • the distance from the object as the further away from the object, the weaker the field
  • the amount of charge, as the higher the charge, the stronger the field

physics gcse (13 decks)

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