Module 4 - Charge and current (Charge) Flashcards
What is electrical current
The rate of flow of charge.
What is the base equation for current
I = Q/t
What is the unit for current
Amps (A)
True of False - Amperes is one of the S.I. Base units
True
What is 1 amp equivalent to
1 amp = 1 Coulomb of charge passing a point in 1 second
What is electrical charge
A physical property that measures how “charged” a particle or object is
What is a charge carrier
Any body that carries an overall charge.
What are the 2 base charges
Protons - positive
Electrons - negative
What is meant by a neutral object
An object that has no overall charge
What is the unit for charge
Coulomb (C)
What is the smallest measurable charge
e: 1.60 x 10^-19 C
What does it mean for other charges to be quantised by e
All (overall) charges on particles and objects are an integer multiple of e and can never be a non-integer
What is the equation for charge with respects to e
Q= +- ne
What is the charge of a proton
e: 1.60 x 10^-19 C
What is the charge of an electron
-e: -1.60 x 10^-19 C
What is the current in metals
The movement of electrons
What is the current in electrolytes
The movement of ions
In what system is the movement of ions a current
In electrolytes
In what system is the movement of electrons a current
In metals
What is the conventional current
The idea that current was positive and so flowed from the positive terminal to the negative terminal
What is the electron flow in metals
The flow of electrons from the negative terminal to the positive terminal because it attracts the + ive and repels the - ive
Which terminal has a higher electrical potential energy
The positive terminal
What is Kirchoff’s first Law and what physical property is being conserved
At any given point in a circuit the sum of the current entering the junction is equal to the sum of the current leaving the junction. The property being conserved is Charge
