Electricity Flashcards
How does static electricity occur?
Static electricity results from a build-up of electric charge on a surface.
Describe static electricity:
When two objects are rubbed together, electrons will move from one material to the other, resulting in two surfaces with opposite charges.
Does rubbing materials together create electric charges?
No, rubbing materials does NOT create electric charges. It just transfers electrons from one material to the other.
What charges can objects be?
Objects can be positively charged, negatively charged or neutral (no charge).
What charge is a substance that gains electrons?
A substance that gains electrons becomes negatively charged.
What charge is a substance that loses electrons?
A substance that loses electrons becomes positively charged.
What is current electricity?
Current electricity is the flow of electric charge through a wire or electrical component.
How is electric charge generated?
The flow of electric charge is generated by a power source - e.g. a battery.
How is current electricity useful?
Current electricity is useful as it can be used to power electrical devices.
What is an electric circuit?
An electric circuit is the path that electrons travel when current electricity is used to power an electrical device.
What four basic components do all electric circuits have?
- A source of electrical energy (mains electricity, batteries, generators)
- Energy using components - convert electrical energy into heat, light, sound, kinetic energy. (light bulb, speaker, motor)
- Connecting wires - generally made of metals
- Switch - opens and closes the circuit. A circuit needs to be closed so that electrons can flow through it.
What are atoms?
Atoms are the building blocks of matter.
What are the different parts of an atom and what do they do?
The nucleus is in the centre of an atom, it contains positive particles (protons) and neutral particles (neutrons). Negative particles (electrons) orbit the nucleus.
What are positive particles called?
Protons
What are negative particles called?
Electrons
What are neutral particles called?
Neutrons
What is a series circuit?
One way to connect all the components in a circuit is in series.
This means that everything is connected one after another, in a single loop.
There is only one path for the electrons to follow; the circuit only has one continuous electric flow.
What is a parallel circuit?
A parallel circuit contains components connected side-by-side, on separate loops.
There is more than one possible path for electrons to flow.
Do electrons flow through all components in a series circuit?
Yes, in series circuits, all electrons will flow through both components.
Do electrons flow through all components in a parallel circuit?
No, in parallel circuits, electron flow is divided between the components.
If one component stops working in a series circuit, will the circuit continue to function?
No, in series circuit, if one component malfunctions, then the other components will stop working.
In a series circuit, if one component goes bad, then the current stops flowing through the circuit.
In a series circuit, will adding more bulbs make the circuit dimmer?
In a series circuit, on adding more bulbs, the circuit becomes dimmer.
On adding more bulbs to a series circuit, the current in the circuit decreases and the bulbs glow less brightly.
If one component malfunctions in a parallel circuit, will the circuit continue to function?
Yes, in a parallel circuit, if one component malfunctions, then the other components continue working.
If you add more bulbs in a parallel circuit, does the circuit get hotter?
No, in a parallel circuit, on adding more bulbs, the circuit’s intensity doesn’t change.
