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GCSE Physics > Electricity > Flashcards

Electricity Flashcards

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1
Q

Which side of the cell/battery is positive and which side is negative?

A

The longer side is positive and the shorter side is negative

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2
Q

What is Ohm’s law?

A

V = IR

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3
Q

What is the unit of charge?

A

Coulombs (C)

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4
Q

What is the circuit symbolf for a fixed resistor?

A

a rectangle

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5
Q

What is a property of voltage in a series circuit?

A

The voltage of the power source is shared across all the components

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6
Q

What is current measured in?

A

Amperes

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7
Q

How do you work out the resistance if given the current and voltage?

A

Resistance = Voltage / Current

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8
Q

What does the IV graph look like for a resistor?

A

A straight diagonal line

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9
Q

What is the circuit symbol for a diode?

A

a circle with a triangle and a vertical line

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10
Q

What is the circuit symbol for a fuse?

A

a rectangle with a line through it

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11
Q

What is the unit for Resistance?

A

Ohms

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12
Q

What is the connection between current and voltage in a circuit with a constant resistance?

A

The voltage is proportionately bigger than the current

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13
Q

Why does the IV graph for a diode look like it does?

A

Diodes only allow the current to flow in one direction, so almost no current can flow in the other direction due to the high resistance

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14
Q

What is the circuit symbol for an LED?

A

a circle with a triangle and a vertical line with 2 arrows pointing off to the top right

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15
Q

What 2 components take meausrement in the circuit?

A

Ammeters and Voltmeters

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16
Q

What are the 4 types or resistors?

A

Fixed, Variable, LDR, Thermistor

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17
Q

What is the circuit symbol for a LDR?

A

a rectangle with a circle around it with arrows pointing towards it from the top left

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18
Q

What 2 products can LDRs be used in?

A

Automatic night lamps, and Burgular alarms

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19
Q

What is a property of current in a series circuit?

A

It is the same everywhere in a circuit

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20
Q

How do you work out the total resistance of a series circuit?

A

Add up the resistance of each component

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21
Q

What is a property of voltage in parallel circuits?

A

It is the same in each loop

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22
Q

Which way does current actually flow?

A

Negative terminal to Positive terminal

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23
Q

What does the IV graph look like for a filament lamp?

A

curve towards the origin then curve away from the origin

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24
Q

What does the IV graph look like for a Diode?

A

curve upwards from the x axis just after the origin

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25
Q

What is the circuit symbol for a thermistor?

A

a rectangle with a small horizontal line which becomes diagonal and crosses the rectangle

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26
Q

How is the resistance affected by light in an LDR?

A

If the light intensity is high, the resistance is low, but if the light intensity is low, the resistance is high.

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27
Q

How does the resistance change which the temperature in a thermistor?

A

The higher the temperature, the lower the resistance and the lower the temperature, the higher the resistance

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28
Q

How do you show the repulsion of 2 positive particles as a diagram?

A

lines curves away from the 2 positive particles

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29
Q

What is ionisation of air?

A

When the air particles lose electrons and become postively charged

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30
Q

Why does the IV graph look like it does for a filament lamp?

A

As the filament heats up in the bulb, the resistance increases, which means that the graph flattens as there is a higher resistance

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31
Q

How are sparks able to travel between objects?

A

The ionised air can conduct electricity, so sparks can be seen to travel between objects

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32
Q

What is resistance?

A

Everything that resists or opposes the flow of electrons

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33
Q

Which way does conventional current flow?

A

Positive terminal to negative terminal

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34
Q

How do you work out the voltage if given the current and resistance?

A

Voltage = Current * Resistance

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35
Q

What is the circuit symbolf for a variable resistor?

A

rectangle with a diagonal arrow pointing top right across it

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36
Q

What is the main difference between series and parallel circuits?

A

There is only 1 loop in a series circuit, but there are multiple loops in a parallel circuit.

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37
Q

What is a disadvantage of a series cicuit?

A

If one component stops working or one part of the cicruit breaks, the whole cicuit will stop working

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38
Q

Why is a parallel circuit better than a series circuit?

A

If a component breaks, other components in other loops will still work

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39
Q

If there are more components in parallel, will the total resistance be higher or lower?

A

Lower

40
Q

What is direct current?

A

Its current that flows in only one direction, so either positive or negative

41
Q

What device can we use to see whether the current is AC or DC?

A

Oscilloscope

42
Q

In the UK, the mains supply has a frequency of _____ Hz, and a voltage of _____ V.

A

50, 240

43
Q

What is a 3 core cable?

A

A cable with 3 wires inside of it

44
Q

What is a surge?

A

a sudden increase in current

45
Q

What do fuses and circuit breakers do to control a surge?

A

They both break the circuit when the current gets too high

46
Q

How do circuit breakers work?

A

Whenever the current gets too high, they trip and turn off the current.

47
Q

What is a pro and a con of circuit breakers?

A

pro: They don’t have to be replaced, they can be reset
con: they are more expensive than fuses

48
Q

What is earthing?

A

When an earth wire is provided to take away the electricity from the casing to prevent electric shocks

49
Q

Why is it uncommon for charge to build up on conducting materials through friction?

A

Because the electrons are free to move, when they are rubbed off onto the other material, they flow back to the original one

50
Q

What is the voltage of any earthed object?

A

0V

51
Q

How does an electric field around a positive particle look like?

A

arrows pointing away from the positive particle in a circle

52
Q

How do you show the repulsion of 2 negative particles as a diagram?

A

curved arrows pointing towards the negative particles

53
Q

How does air become ionised?

A

When an object with a very stong electric field is present, the field causes the air particles to lose electrons and become positively charged.

54
Q

what is a circle with an X in it?

A

filament lamp

55
Q

What is the potential difference?

A

The force driving the flow of electrons

56
Q

What is the unit for potential difference?

A

Volts (V)

57
Q

Give 2 places where thermistors can be used.

A

Temperature receptors in car engines and electronic thermostats

58
Q

What is a property of current in parallel circuits?

A

Current is shared between all the loops

59
Q

What are the 2 ways to work out power?

A

Power = Current * Voltage
Power = Current2 * Resistance

60
Q

What are the 2 types of current?

A

Alternating, Direct

61
Q

Where can you find AC?

A

Mains supply in the UK

62
Q

What 3 wires are found inside of a 3 core cable?

A

Neutral, Live, Earth

63
Q

What colour is each of these wires: neutral, live, earth?

A

neutral = blue
Live = Brown
Earth = Yellow and green striped

64
Q

What is the role of the live wire?

A

To carry the current from the mains supply to the appliance

65
Q

What is the role of the neutral wire?

A

To complete the circuit by carrying the current back to the mains supply from the appliance

66
Q

What is the voltage of the neutral and earth wires?

A

0 V

67
Q

What can cause a surge?

A

When you turn an appliance on or off
A fault in the circuit, or appliance

68
Q

What are 4 safety precautions for surges?

A

Fuses, Earth wires, Double Insulation, Circuit Breakers

69
Q

What is a pro and a con of Fuses?

A

pro: They are simple and cheap
con: They have to be replaced everytime they are blown

70
Q

What is double insulation?

A

When the appliance is coated in an insulator like plastic and has no exposed metal parts. This means that you can’t get an electric shock by touching it.

71
Q

What is static electricity?

A

The build up of charge on insulating materials

72
Q

What happens when 2 materials are rubbed against each other?

A

The electrons in one material are rubbed of onto the other material leaving one of them negatively charged and the other positively

73
Q

Can a charge build up on a conductor?

A

yes, but it is much less common

74
Q

Which ways do arrows point in an electrical field?

A

Positive to negative

75
Q

Where is the electrical field the strongest?

A

Close to the particle, and it gets weaker the further away you get

76
Q

What is the force between 2 oppositely charged particles?

A

Electrostatic force

77
Q

How do you show the attraction between 2 particles as a diagram?

A

curved lines from the positive particle to the negative particle

78
Q

How are sparks able to travel between objects?

A

The ionised air can conduct electricity, so sparks can be seen to travel between objects

79
Q

How does a fuse work?

A

Fuses have a very thin wire inside them. When the current gets too high, the wire melts, which breaks the circuit

80
Q

How does an alternating current work?

A

The direction of the current constantly changes back and forth.

81
Q

If something is double insulated, will it need an earth wire and why?

A

No because an electric shock cannot be given by the casing as it is coated in an insulator

82
Q

What are the wires made of in 3 core cable?

A

Copper

83
Q

What formula links Energy, Voltage, Current and Time?

A

E = ItV

84
Q

What formula links Energy, Power and Time?

A

E = P*t

85
Q

What formula links Power, Current and Resistance?

A

P = I^2 * R

86
Q

What happens if the size of the negative static charge on an object builds up?

A

a potential difference is created between the object and any earthed object

87
Q

What happens when 2 materials are rubbed against each other?

A

The electrons in one material are rubbed of onto the other material leaving one of them negatively charged and the other positively

88
Q

What happens when the potential difference is big enough between a static charged obhject and an earthed object?

A

The electrons can jump across the gap, which causes a spark

89
Q

What is charge?

A

a measure of the total current that flowed withing a certain period of time

90
Q

What is the role of the earth wire?

A

If the live wire came lose and touched the casing, the casing would become live and if we were to touch it, we would get an electric shock. The earth wire provides an alternative pathway for the current to return, so we do not get shocked if the live wire becomes lose and touches the casing

91
Q

What risks come from surges?

A

Damage to the appliance
Fires
Electric Shocks

92
Q

Where can you find DC?

A

In cells or batteries

93
Q

Which of the 2 materials gets a positive charge and which one gets a negative charge?

A

The one that loses the electrons has a positive static charge and the one that gains the electrons has a negative static charge. It depends on the materials, which way the electrons move

94
Q

Why is it uncommon for charge to build up on conducting materials through friction?

A

Because the electrons are free to move, when they are rubbed off onto the other material, they flow back to the original one

95
Q

Will loops with higher resistances have a lower or higher share of the current?

A

Lower share

GCSE Physics (9 decks)

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