Electricity Flashcards
What happens when two insulating materials are rubbed together
A charge is induced
What does a flow of electrons cause
A current
What happens if electrons ‘jump’ between an object and a metal
Sparks are created
How does an aircraft get a charge
Either from air molecules rubbing during flight or through the fuel flowing through the fuel pipe
How does charge help to evenly distribute things like paint, ink in printers, pesticides etc
- The like charges repel so the droplets push away from each other, ensuring there are no clumps of the substances
- The droplets are electrostatically attracted to the surface they are being dispensed on, so the adhesion and coverage is better, especially on uneven surfaces
What is the equation linking power, current and voltage
Power (W) = current (A) x voltage (V)
P=IV
What is the equation linking current, charge and time
Current (amperes(A))= charge(coulombs(C)) x time (seconds)
What is the definition of current
The rate of flow of charge
What is the definition of voltage
The energy produced per unit time
What is a fuse
A small thin piece of wire that will melt if too much current passes through e.g. if more than 3 amps is passed through a 3 amp fuse, it will melt, so the circuit is broken. It is a safety measure
What is the live wire
The brown one - carries the electricity. You will shit yourself if you touch it
What is the neutral wire
It is the blue one, which completes the circuit
What is the earth wire
It is green and yellow - it provides the path of least resistance to the ground
How does the temperature of water affect the resistance of a thermistor
As the temperature goes down, the resistance increases
What is a thermistor used for in real life and why
Fire alarms - high temperature = low resistance, which allows the current to flow through the circuit, so the alarm rings
What is the circuit symbol for a thermistor
A rectangle with a diagonal L shape (see google for better representation)
What are the I-V characteristics of a wire
Directly proportional = straight line
What are the I-V characteristics of a wire
Directly proportional = straight line y=x
What is the I-V graph of a diode
Stays on the x axis until the origin, then goes exponential (see Series and Parallel Circuits note for better representation)
What is the I-V graph of a light bulb
(see Series and Parallel Circuits note for better representation)
What is the I-V graph for a fixed resistor
(see Series and Parallel Circuits note for better representation)
What is the I-V graph for a fixed resistor
(see Series and Parallel Circuits note for better representation)
What is the I-V graph for a fixed resistor
(see Series and Parallel Circuits note for better representation)
What are ohmic conductors
Components that have an I-V graph that follow Ohm’s Law (V is proportionate to V) (wires and fixed resistors)
Describe an experiment to investigate the I-V characteristics of a fixed resistor/wire/light bulb/diode. Use a diagram to aid explaination.
- Set up a circuit containing a variable resistor, a battery, an ammeter and the set component (e.g. a light bulb).
- Record the current and voltage
- Adjust the variable resistor to change the. Ur Trent and voltage through the lamp. Record the new values
- Repeat step 3 until you have several pairs of values
- Swap the connections on the battery. The current and voltage through the lamp should now be negative
- Repeat step 3
- Repeat step 6 until you have many pairs of values
- Repeat the experiment for reliability
- Start again but with another set component (e.g. a wire)
- Draw the diagram on note: Series and Parallel Circuits
What is an LDR
A light dependent resistor
What is intensity
A measure of the power per unit area. It is measured in Watts/square meter
How does an LDR work
As light intensity increases, resistance decreases
What is the current in a series circuit when the same component are used
The same all over, because the charges per second in every section is the same