Section 2 - Electricity Flashcards
Three types of wire in a plug?
- Live wire(brown)
- Neutral wire(blue)
- Earth wire(green/yellow)
- p18
Metal parts are made of…
Copper or brass(good conductors)
The rest of the plug is made of…
rubber or plastic(good insulators and flexible)
The live wire
-Alternates between high +VE and -VE voltage of about 230V
The neutral wire
-Is always at 0V
The earth wire
- Earths the appliance
- Carries the current away if a fault develops
- An earthed conductor can never become live
Normal flow of electricity in a plug
In through the live wire and out through the neutral wire
How the earth wire and the fuse works
- A fault develops where the live wire touches the metal case
- A large current flows through the live, through the case, then out down the earth wire
- The surge melts the fuse(or trips the circuit breaker)
- This isolates the appliance, making it impossible to get an electric shock
Advantage of a surface breaker
- It opens a switch when a surge is detected
- This breaks the the circuit
- Can be easily reset
Resistors
- Heat up when there is an electric current
- Heat increases the resistance of a resistor
- Therefore less current will flow
- This can cause components to melt
Formula for electrical power
P = I*V
What is electrical power?
Electrical power is the rate at which an appliance transfers energy
What does a higher power rating mean?
More energy is transferred in a short time; thus the appliance will draw a large current from the supply
Unit for power
watts(W)
Rating of fuses
Fuses should be rated as near as possible, but slightly higher than the normal operating current