Electricity

Question 1

What is an atom?

Answer 1

All substances are made up of atoms, which are the smallest indivisible particles that make up matter.

Question 2

What three things are atoms made up of?

Answer 2

Protons, neutrons and electrons.

Question 3

What charge do protons have?

Answer 3

Positive charge.

Question 4

What charge do electrons have?

Answer 4

Negative charge.

Question 5

What charge do neutrons have?

Answer 5

Neutrons have no overall charge.

Question 6

What overall charge does an atom have?

Answer 6

It normally has no overall charge because the protons cancel out the electrons.

Question 7

What is the centre of an atom called?

Answer 7

The nucleus.

Question 8

What is in the nucleus?

Answer 8

The protons and neutrons.

Question 9

What overall charge does the nucleus alone have?

Answer 9

Positive

Question 10

How many electrons are there in relation to protons?

Answer 10

There are the same amount of protons and electrons.

Question 11

What is electrical charge?

Answer 11

A flow of Electrons

Question 12

What do you use an ammeter for?

Answer 12

To measure electrical current.

Question 13

What is electrical current?

Answer 13

How many electrons per second go through the circuit

Question 14

What do you use a voltmeter for?

Answer 14

To measure voltage and potential difference.

Question 15

What is potential difference?

Answer 15

How much energy a component or components use up.

Question 16

What is voltage?

Answer 16

How much energy each electron carries.

Question 17

What are the 5 rules of drawing circuit diagrams?

Answer 17

1. Use a ruler and a sharp pencil
2. Don’t draw a component in the corner
3. Always make sure the component is actually connected into the circuit by the wires
4. Draw large clear diagrams
5. Draw them as a square or rectangle not a trapezium or circle

Question 18

What is static electricity?

Answer 18

Static electricity is a build-up of electrical charge on an object. Some of the electrons are transferred across by friction.

Question 19

What happens when OPPOSITE charges are together?

Answer 19

They attract to one another.

Question 20

What happens when SIMILAR charges are together?

Answer 20

They repel each other.

Question 21

What does a battery do?

Answer 21

Provides protons and electrons for electricity. It’s a store of chemical energy.

Question 22

How is a battery drawn?

Answer 22

As a small vertical line next to a slightly larger horizontal line.

Question 23

What does a wire do?

Answer 23

It Conducts electricity and connects a circuit’s components.

Question 24

How is a wire drawn?

Answer 24

As a straight line.

Question 25

What does a switch do?

Answer 25

Breaks or connects a circuit. E.g. a light switch lets power either flow or not flow to the lights.

Question 26

How is a closed switch drawn?

Answer 26

Two small circles connect by a horizontal line.

Question 27

How is an open switch drawn?

Answer 27

Two small circles with a diagonal line going from one to just above the other one.

Question 28

What does a voltmeter do?

Answer 28

It measures a circuit or component’s voltage or potential difference.

Question 29

How do you draw a voltmeter?

Answer 29

A circle with a V in it.

Question 30

What does an ammeter do?

Answer 30

It measures the electrical current (in amps) flowing through a circuit.

Question 31

How is an ammeter drawn?

Answer 31

It is a circle with an A in it.

Question 32

What does a resistor do?

Answer 32

to reduce the current flow and to lower the voltage in any particular portion of the circuit.

Question 33

What does a variable resistor do?

Answer 33

It allows you to reduce the current flow and to lower the voltage in any particular portion of the circuit, and change it.

Question 34

What is an electromagnet?

Answer 34

A metal that has been magnetised by copper coils and the electrical current flowing through the coils.