Electricity Is The Presence and Flow of Electric Charges Flashcards
What is an electrostatic charge?
An electric charge that can be positive or negative.
What are electrostatic charges comprised of?
Subatomic particles(parts of atoms) such as electrons(negatively-charged) or protons(positively-charged).
Are objects charged or uncharged?
Uncharged as objects usually have an equal number of protons and electrons.
What happens when 2 objects are rubbed together?
Electrons may be transferred from one object to another.
When the 2 objects are rubbed together which object becomes positively charged and which object becomes negatively charged?
Object with fewer electrons becomes positively charged and object with extra electrons becomes negatively charged.
What is a electrical conductor?
A material through which charged particles are able to move.
What is a electrical insulator?
A material that doesn’t allow the movement of charged particles.
Why do most wires have a copper inside and plastic outside?
Copper is a cheap material that conducts electricity well and resists corrosion(deterioration). Plastic is an excellent insulator that will prevent the loss of electrical charge.
What is an electric current?
The flow of an electrical charge.
What does an electrical current come from?
The movement of electrons along a pathway called an electric current.
What is the direction of an electrical current?
The flow of positive charges come from the positive terminal and eventually reach the negative terminal.
What is the direction of a conventional current?
Positive terminal to negative.
What is carried from an energy source to a device that needs energy on an electrical circuit?
Electrons.
What must an electrical circuit have?
An energy source, a wire to carry the charges, a load to transform energy into heat, light or kinetic energy.
What is the purpose of a switch?
To control the flow of electricity in a circuit.
