P2 Flashcards
What are in circuits?
- Switches (open or closed)
- Cell
- Battery
- Diode
- Resistor
- Variable resistor
- LED
- Lamp
- Fuse
- Voltmeter
- Ammeter
- Thermistor
- LDR
(NOTE see page 179 for how they look as symbols)
What is needed for an electrical charge to flow through a closed circuit?
The circuit must include a source of potential difference
What is electric current?
Electric current is a flow of electrical charge
When will an electric charge only flow?
- Electrical charge will only flow round a complete (closed) circuit if there is a potential difference
- So a current can only flow if there’s a source of potential difference
What is the unit of current?
The unit of current is the ampere, A
What is the equation for charge flow?
Charge flow (C) = Current (A) x Time (s)
Q = It
No matter what, what does a current always have?
The same value at any point in a single closed loop
What does the current depend on?
- The current (1) through a component depends on both the resistance (R) of the component and the potential difference (V) across the component
- The greater the resistance of the component the smaller the current for a given potential difference (p) across the component
State the equation for potential difference
Potential difference (V) = Current(A) x Resistance(Ω)
Practical 15:
Give three examples for resistors
- Ohmic conductor
- Filament lamp
- Diode
State how the ohmic resistors work
- The resistance of ohmic conductors (e.g. a wire or a resistor) doesn’t change with the current
- At a constant temperature, the current flowing through an ohmic conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it
State how the filament lamps work
- When an electrical charge flows through a filament lamp, it transfers some energy to the thermal energy store of the filament, which is designed to heat up
- Resistance increases with temperature, so as the current increases, the filament lamp heats up more and the resistance increases
State how diode works
- For diodes, the resistance depends on the direction of the current
- They will happily let current flow in one direction, but have a very high resistance if it is reversed
Out of ohmic conductors,filament lamps and diodes which ones have a constant resistance and which change
Stay constant : Ohmic conductors
Change : Diode and filament lamp
From the graph of ohmic conductor, what can you see
The current through an ohmic conductor (at a constant temperature) is directly proportional to the potential difference so you get a straight line
From the graph of filament lamp, what can you see?
- As the current increases, the temperature of the filament increases, so the resistance increases
- This means that the less current can flow per unit PD,so the graph get shallower - hence the curve
From the graph of diode, what can you see?
- Call Roni flow for a diode in one direction, as shown
- The diode has a very high resistance in the reverse direction
Why does the resistance of a thermistor decrease?
Because the temperature decreases
What is required in a circuit?
The applications of thermistors e.g a thermostat
Why does the resistance of an LDR decrease?
Because the light intensity increases
Note:
The application of LDRs in circuits, e.g. switching lights on when it gets dark as required
What is an LDR
A resistor that is dependent on the intensity of light
What is the use and design of a circuit?
- To measure the resistance of a component by measuring the current through, and potential difference across, the component
- The circuit is shown in a diagram with symbols
Note:
AQA may ask to draw a circuit diagram using correct circuit symbols