Electricity Flashcards
Define electricity. (1)
Describes phenomena arising from the presence and flow of electric charge.
What are the two types of electricity?
- Static
- Current
What two laws explain most electrical phenomena?
- Opposite charges attract and like charges repel
- Only electrons (negative charges) can move
Describe static electricity. (2)
- Build-up of static electricity requires insulators
- Discharge or static electricity requires conductors
Define grounding.
The discharging of electrons.
* Named this because excess charge ultimately ends up in the ground
What are the three methods to charge objects?
- Friction
- Induction
- Conduction
Describe charging with friction.
- Physical contact or rubbing two objects cause one to steal electrons from the other
- Occurs with 2 neutral-charge objects
Describe charging with induction.
- Even without charging, charges in different objects affect each other. So, one can induce a charge on a neutral object
- Occurs between a negatively/positively charged object and a neutral object.
Describe current electricity. (2)
- Moving electricity, or the flow of electrons
- We control the flow of electricity through paths called circuits
What 4 components are in a complete circuit?
- Source of electricity
- Electrical load
- Control device
- Connectors
What are the two types of circuits?
- Series
- Parallel
What is the difference between series and parallel circuits?
In a series circuit, one break anywhere shuts down everything. In a parallel circuit, one break may not shut down everything, depending on where it is.
What is the purpose of the source of electricity in a circuit? List examples. (3)
- Pushes electrons through the circuit
- Works by separating charge (i.e producing voltage)
- e.g., generator, solar panel, cells, batteries
What is the purpose of the electrical load in a circuit? (3)
- Consumes electricity
- Converts electricity into the desired energy (heat, light, motion)
- Any electrical device or appliance
What is the purpose of a control device in a circuit? (2)
- Allows you to turn a device on/off
- Not necessary but convenient
What is the purpose of connectors in a circuit? (2)
- Connect parts together
- Any breaks will stop the flow of electricity
Define / describe cells (batteries).
- Use a combination of two different metals and a chemical to separate charge
- When you submerge two metals in the chemical, a chemical reaction occurs which forces one to steal electrons
- One metal becomes negatively charged while the other is positive
- This produces a voltage, which them pushes electrons through the circuit
What kind of environment does static electricity occur more often in?
Dry environments. Wet environments assist in discharging static build up.
What is another name for voltage?
Potential Difference
