Electricity Terms & Formulas

Load

An object in a circuit that consumes the electrical power.

Ohm's Law

A law relating the voltage difference between two points, the electric current flowing between them, and the resistance of the path of the current. Mathematically, the law states that V = IR, where V is the voltage difference, I is the current in amperes, and R is the resistance in ohms.

Return Path

A second conductor that completes the electrical circuit.

Conductor

Any object that allows electricity to travel through it easily. Conductors have 1,2, or 3 valence electrons in their outermost shell

Insulator

Any object that does not allow electricity to travel through it easily. Insulators have 6, 7, or 8 valence electrons in their outermost shell.

Power Source

Any object that provides us with electrical power. Examples are a battery, generator, solar panel, hydrogen fuel cell, and a nuclear power plant

Volt

The potential difference between two points

Amp

a unit of electric current equal to a flow of one coulomb per second. One coulomb is the action of 6.24 10^18 electrons passing a single point. So 1 Amp = the jumping action of 6,240,000,000,000,000,000 electrons per second!

Watt

the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second, corresponding to the power in an electric circuit in which the potential difference is one volt and the current one ampere. Formula Watts = Volts x Amps