Physics week 5: Quiz 6

Resistance

The opposition to the flow of a direct current

Power

The rate at which work is done with respect to time

Volt

The ratio of the amount of work done in Joules to the amount of electric charge in Coulombs that moves between two points. (the unit used to measure potential difference)

Current

The term used to refer to a net movement of electric charge typically measured in amps

EMF (Electro-Motive Force)

The term used to refer to a potential difference at the location where some other kind of energy is being converted into electrical energy

Electron Flow

The type of current flow that is said to involve the movement of electrons from the negative terminal of the power source through the circuit to the positive terminal of the power source

Conventional Current Flow

The type of current flow that is said to involve the movement of positive charges from the positive terminal of the power source through the circuit to the negative terminal of the power source

Ohm

The unit of electrical resistance; the amount of resistance that will limit the current flow from one volt supply to one ampere

Ampere

The unit used to measure an electric current; the amount of current that is said to flow when 1 coulomb of electric charge moves past a fixed point in one second

Conductance

A measure of how easy it is to get electric charges

Rheostat

A variable resistor

Parallel circuit

An electrical circuit that has more than one path for an electric current to flow

Series Circuit

An electrical circuit that has only one path for current flow

Short Circuit

An electrical connection between two components where there should not be one

voltage drop

The voltage measured across the terminals of a device that is converting electrical energy into some other form of energy; it is the voltage that is measured across the terminals of a load in an electric circuit

Potential Difference

The work done per unit charge as a charge moves through an electrical field

Insulator

When working with electricity it refers to a material that has a high amount of resistance. When working with heat it refers to a material that provides a poor conducting path for thermal energy

Conductor

When working with electricity it refers to a material that has a low amount of resistance. When working with heat it refers to a material that provides a good conducting path fro thermal energy

Kirchhofs voltage law

if you start at any fixed point in an electric circuit and look at all of the voltages as you trace through the circuit until you get back to where you started, the sum of the voltage drops will equal the sum of the voltage rises

Kirchhoffs current law

the total amount of electric current flowing into any point in a circuit is equal to the total amount of current flowing out of that point

Watt

the unit of power in the SI system equal to one joule of work per second