Electricity - Module 1 Flashcards
1. Describe the atomic structure of matter 2. Describe the units of electrical charge, current and voltage 3. Describe the factors that affect the movement of electrical charges
What are the 3 types of sub-atomic particles?
Electron Neutron Proton
What are each of the sub-atmoic particle charges?
Electron = Negative Proton = Positive Neutron = Neutral
What are the electrons on the outer shell called?
Valence electrons or valence shell
What is electrical polarity?
When there is an accumulation or lack of electrons
Lack of = positive polarity
Accumulation = negative polarity
What is a conductor and how does it work?
A conductor is a material that allows electricity to flow easily due to its valence electrons being easily detachable from the nucleus
What is conventional and electron flow?
Conventional flow is the flow of the current moving through a circuit from positive to negative
Electron flow is the opposite of conventional flow, electrons flow from negative to positive terminal
What is an insulator? Why does it do what it does?
An insulator does NOT allow electricity to flow due to having difficult valence electrons that do not conduct electrical charges
What is a semiconductor? What is their importance?
What is an example of a semiconductor?
Semiconductors are neither conductors nor insulators. They allow a specific amount of electrons to flow through them due to their structure. (4 valence electrons that create crystalline formations)
Silicon is a semiconductor
Examples of Conductors
Metals such as copper, silver, gold, etc.
Examples of insulators
Glass, Rubber, wood
How does a battery work in terms of charges?
The negative end repels electrons and the positive end attracts electrons. This is facilitated through a chemical reaction.
What form of electricity happens when you rub your feet on a carpet?
Static electricity
Unlike charges_____and like charges______
Attract, Repel
What is a coulomb? What is it equal to?
It is the unit of electrical quantity or charge
An Ampere is used to calculate Coulombs
What is the definition of Current?
Current is the flow of electrons through a circuit in a single direction
What is an Ampere? What do we use to measure this?
An ampere is the measurement of electric current through a circuit (An ampere is a measurement of the current)
An ammeter is used to measure the amperes
How is energy defined? What are the 2 types?
Energy is the capacity for performing work
Kinetic and Potential
What is the force that forces current through a wire called? What is an example?
Electromotive force (emf)
A Battery is an emf
What is the definition of Voltage?
The amount of electrical pressure that exists between two points
How many electrons are inside 1 coulomb?
6.25 x 10^18
What is the current of a wire if 150 C of charge pass by in 25 seconds?
6amps (I = Q/T) (Current = QUANTITY OF COULOMBS divided by TIME
What is an Ohm?
An Ohm measures the resistance in a circuit
The______of a conductor is directly proportional to its length
Resistance,
There are 2 factors that affect the resistance of a conductor. What are they?
Length, Type
If voltage increases, current_______
increases
If resistance decreases, current________
increases
If voltage decreases, current_______
decreases
If resistance increases, current______
decreases
If voltage increases, resistance________
stays the same
If resistance increases, voltage_______
stays the same
If resistance is halved, current is _______
doubled
If resistance is doubled, current is ______
Halved
What is direct current?
DC is the flow of electrons in one direction only, and is constant and consistent
What is Alternating Current?
AC is the direction of electrons flowing in one direction then into the other direction (polarity switches)
What is pulsating DC?
The flow of electrons in a single direction in a pulsing waveform. The polarity of the electrons do not reverse.
What is it called when a magnetic field is established around a current carrying conductor?
Electromagnetic generation
What happens to the steel bar if we were to flip the current through the coil?
The poles (North and South, negative and positive) would flip
How do rotating machines create commercial electricity? What is the process called?
The process is called electromagnetic induction
What are the 4 sources of an emf? (How can we create an emf?)
Electromagnetic Induction
Piezoelectric Sources
Photovoltaic Sources
Thermoelectric Sources
What is the electricity?
The flow of electrons from one atom to the next
What makes a material a conductor, insulator, or semiconductor?
How easy or difficult it is to dislodge the valence electrons
Silicon is a ___________
semiconductor
Glass, Rubber, plastics are examples of__________
insulators
Metals that have an abundance of free electrons are known as __________
conductors
What is the region on a conductor where magnetic properties are produced?
The magnetic field
