Electrical Circuits
battery
DC voltage source that converts chemical energy to electrical energy
series circuit
a circuit with only one path for current flow
relay
an electromechanical switching device with a coil and one or more sets of contacts
ammeter
an instrument for measuring electrical current
matter
anything that has mass and occupies space
ohm
basic unit of measurement for resistance
nucleus
center of an atom
voltage drop
change in voltage across a component caused by the current flowing through it and the amount of resistance opposing it
circuit
complete path for current flow
resistor
component that normally opposes current flow in a DC circuit
transformer
device consisting of one or more coils of wire wrapped around a common core that is used to step voltage up or down
resistance
electrical property that opposed the flow of current through a circuit and measured in ohm's
neutrons
electrically neutral particles in atoms
protons
electrically positive particles in atoms
solenoid
electromagnetic coil used to control a mechanical device such as a valve
current
flow of electrons in a circuit and measured in amperes
volt
force required to produce a current of one ampere through a resistance of one ohm
ohmmeter
instrument used to measure resistance
insulator
material through which it is difficult to conduct an electric current
conductor
material through which it is relatively easy to maintain an electric current
electrons
negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus of an atom
mega
one million
kilo
one thousand
ampere
one volt applied across one ohm of resistance causes a current flow of one of these
joule of work
one volt is the potential difference between two points for which one coulomb of electricity will do one of these
power
rate of doing electrical work and measured in watts
electrical power
rate of doing work or the rate at which energy is used or dissipated
ohm's law
statement of the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance in and electrical circuit
watt
the basic unit of measurement for electrical power
coulomb
the common unit used for specifying the size of a given charge
voltage
the driving force that makes current flow in a circuit
valence shell
the outermost ring of electrons orbiting the nucleus of an atom
atom
the smallest particle of an element that will still retain the properties of that element
schematic
type of drawing in which symbols are used