Its Electric! Flashcards
What is an Electric current in brief? How is it related to matter?
Electric current is the moving flow of electrons. In order to travel it needs to matter, it can’t travel through empty spaces. This matter resists the flow of the current by absorbing the energy. Some materials absorb more energy than others.
What charges glow in an electric current?
Electric potential energy
What is Electric potential energy?
Electric potential energy comes from the position of a charged particle in an electric field. Electric charges always move from a position of higher potential energy to a position where they have lower potential energy. For an electric charge to move from one position to another there must be a difference in electric potential energy. A difference in electric potential energy is called voltage.
How are Electricity and Magnetic forces related?
Magnetic forces attract or repel because they have two types of magnetic poles (north and south). Gravity is always attractive cause there is only one kind of mass. Similar poles repel while opposites attract. The same can be said for electric charges (positive and negative)
what is the Electric charge? Where is it found?
Electric charge is present in all matter. It is well hidden in the atom. An atom usually has an equal amount of positive and negative charges. This is what holds it together. Outside the forces usually cancel each other out. This is because ordinary matter has zero net charges.
How is static electricity formed?
The electric charge doesn’t always cancel out. Sometimes there is always a little more positive or negative. A tiny imbalance in either can cause static electricity. When you touch something your excess charge moves to the object. if it’s metal the charge would move quickly. The moving charge makes an electric current.
What is electric current? What are the two types?
The unit of charge is a coulomb per second. A coulomb per second is also called an ampere or amp. The unit is named after Andre-Marie Ampere a French physicist. There are two types of current.
Alternating current: Usually comes from wall sockets. Is called alternating because the direction of current in constantly changing
Direct current: Produced by batteries. Travels in a one-way direction
What is resistance?
Resistance in the opposition to the electric flow. The SI unit for resistance is the ohm. Resistance occurs because moving electrons bump into particles of matter that absorb the energy.
What are the factors that affect resistance?
The factors that affect resistance are:
- Width: A wide wire has less resistance than a narrow wire of the same material.
- Length: A longer wire has more resistance than a shorter wire
- Temperature: A cooler wire has less resistance than a warmer wire. Cool particles have less kinetic energy so they move slower, therefore the atoms are less likely to bump into stuff.
What is voltage
Voltage is electrical potential energy. Potential means that the energy is stored and could be released in someplace like a battery. Their energy is a battery is released by attaching wires. A battery uses energy to make the voltage difference
How are voltage and current related?
Current flows from higher voltage to lower voltage. It’s the difference in voltage that makes the current flow. electric current and voltage are directly proportional. When there is more voltage, the electric current will increase when there is less voltage the electric current will reduce.
How do batteries work?
A battery uses stored chemical energy to create a voltage difference. The electrical current carries the energy to electrical devices that transform the energy. All batteries have positive and negative ends. Electric current flows from positive to negative. It moves because of the attraction created from the other charge. Batteries can be stacked up to create higher voltage.
What are conductors?
Conductors are objects that have low resistance and let the electric current pass through. A superconductor is an object that has no or very very little resistance to electric current.
What are insulators?
Insulators are objects that don’t let electrical current flow through. Ex: rubber, wood, and glass.
What is a circuit?
A circuit is a complete path for electric current to flow through. It needs a power source (battery), a load (bulb) and something that carry the electricity (wires). Wires are like pipes for electricity.
