Lesson 7 Chapter 1 - Understanding Electricity

Question 1

Electricity is a flow of negatively charged particles called ___ through matter

Answer 1

a flow of negatively charged particles called electrons

Question 2

What is the pressure of the electrons in a wire called? What unit is it measured in?

Answer 2

Voltage… measured in volts (V)

Question 3

Describe what current/amperage is

point

Answer 3

Current/Amperage is the volume (or rate) of electrons flowing past a certain point on a wire

Question 4

What is the unit that current/amperage is measured in?

Answer 4

Current/amperage is measured in amps (A)

Question 5

What is wattage (watts, W)?

Answer 5

Wattage is the total amount of electricity drawn for a device to work, calculated by multiplying volts x amps

Question 6

What’s the math equation for the correlation between Volts, Amps, and Watts?

Answer 6

V x A = W

Question 7

What is resistance to the flow of electrons from wires measured in?

Answer 7

Resistance from a conduit (like a wire) to the flow of electrons is measured in Ohms

Question 8

The thickness of a wire determines how much ____ it can handle at a time

Answer 8

The thickness of a wire determines how much current it can handle at a time (also called amps)

Question 9

What happens if you push too much current through a wire?

Answer 9

The wire will overheat and break (like an overloaded pipe will burst)

Question 10

How do you make sure you use the correct electrical wire for the job? What happens if you don’t make sure? (2)

rating, break

Answer 10

Electrical wires are labeled with total amps they can handle (amperage rating)

If you don’t make sure, the wire will break and the electrons will seek a way to return to the ground (and that might be through you!)

Question 11

What is a circuit breaker?

Answer 11

an electrical switch that is heat-sensitive or electromagnetically operated that is rated for a specific amperage

Question 12

How does a circuit breaker work?

too much, push, wire detect increase, open, stops

Answer 12

If there’s too much amperage pushed through the breaker, the wiring inside detects the increase in heat/current and the switch automatically opens which stops the flow of electricity before the wiring overheats and breaks.

Question 13

What does a ground wire provide for electrons?

provides, least, resistance

Answer 13

It provides a path of least resistance for electrons to flow back to ground in case of accidental overflow

Question 14

Electricians used to use fuses but stopped because they had to be replaced. What are they?

small, tiny, break

Answer 14

Fuses are small devices with tiny filaments that are designed to break when overrun with too much current

Question 15

How can you tell an outlet is grounded? (has a ground wire)

Answer 15

It has a small hole in the outlet

Question 16

What’s the difference between alternating and direct currents?

Answer 16

AC = Electrons flow in both directions, constantly alternates direction (flows more efficiently over long distances)
DC = flows in one direction around a continuous circuit