electricity facts ༊*·˚ Flashcards
what is electrical charge?
the property of subatomic particles that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.
what is the unit charge measured in?
in coulombs.
many circuits can be powered using what type of electricity?
many circuits can be powered using mains electricity.
what are portable devices powered using?
portable devices must use batteries of some kind.
for electrical charge to flow through a closed circuit, what must it include a source of?
for electrical charge to flow through a closed circuit, it must include a source of potential difference.
electrical current is the flow of what?
electrical current is the flow of charge round a circuit.
how does increasing the potential difference of the supply affect the flow of current?
increasing the potential difference of the supply causes increased flow of current.
what is potential difference?
potential difference is the difference in electrical potential between two points in a circuit.
what does resistance oppose the flow of?
resistance opposes the flow of current.
resistance is not usually measured directly, how is the value obtained?
it is calculated.
for current (charge) to flow, there must be what two things?
for current (charge) to flow there must be a complete circuit and a potential difference.
describe a series circuit.
series circuits are ones which contain only one ring (excluding voltmeters).
describe a parallel circuit.
a parallel circuit has more than one route (branches).
how is the total current divided in a parallel circuit?
the total current is divided between the branches.
how does adding branches in parallel affect the resistance and the current flow?
adding branches in parallel reduces the resistance increasing the total current flow.
