P4 - electric circuits Flashcards
how do you charge insulators
rub them with another insulator like a dry cloth
why does rubbing an insulator charge it
electrons are transferred from one of the materials to the other
what happens when two like charges are put near eachother
they repel
what happens when you put two unlike charges near to eachother
they attract
what is a non contact force
the force between two charged objects
what happens when a field is too strong and why
sparking happens because some electrons are pulled out of air molecules by the force of the field
what happens when you rub a polythene rod with a dry cloth (in terms of electrons)
electrons transfer from cloth to rod
rod becomes negatively charged
what happens when you rub a perspex rod with a dry cloth (in terms of electron transfer)
electrons transfer from rod to cloth
rod becomes positively charged
what is a cell used for
pushing electrons around a complete circuit
what does a switch do
enables the current in a circuit to be switched on or off
what does a bulb (indicator) do
emit light as a signal when a current passes through it
what does a diode do
allow current through in one direction only
what does a light emitting diode (LED) do
emit light when a current passes through it
what does an ammeter do
measure electric current
what does a fixed resistor do
limit current in a circuit
what does a variable resistor do
allow current to be varied
what does a fuse do
melt and ‘break’ the circuit if the current through it is higher than a certain amount
what does a heater do
transfer energy from an electric current to heat surroundings