Electricity - Energy and Voltage in Circuits Flashcards
what are the advantages of parallel circuits?
- Components may be switched on/off independently
- If one component breaks, current can still flow through the other parts of the circuit.
- Bulbs maintain a similar brightness.
what are the advantages of series circuits?
- Fewer wires, cheaper and easier to assemble.
- Uses less power
what does current in a series circuit depend on?
the applied voltage and the number and nature of other components
what happens when you increase resistance in a circuit?
as you increase the resistance in a circuit, the current will decrease
what happens as illumination increases in an LDR?
as illumination increases, resistance decreases
what happens as temperature increases in a thermistor?
As temperature increases, resistance decreases
what can be used to indicate the presence of a current in a circuit?
A lamp/LED can be added to a circuit to check for a current.
If the current is flowing, the lamp will light up.
what is the relationship between voltage, current and resistance?
potential difference/voltage (V) = current (A) x resistance (Ω)
what is current?
the rate of flow of charge
what is the relationship between charge, current and time?
charge (C) = current (A) x time (s)
what is electric current in solid metallic conductors?
a flow of negatively charged electrons
what happens at a junction in a circuit?
- at a junction current ‘splits’ to take both paths
- it comes back together when the paths meet again
what is the voltage across two components connected in parallel?
equal
what is the total current in a series circuit?
IT = I1 = I2
what is the total voltage in a series circuit?
VT = V1 + V2
