Current and Circuits Vocabulary

elementary charge

is the charge on one proton or electron

current, I

is the rate of flow of electric charge (number of Coulomb’s flowing past a point in the circuit every second)

electric potential difference, V

is the work done per unit charge to move a point charge from one point to another

electric resistance

is the potential difference across its ends divided by the current passing through it, measures how difficult it is for current to flow

Ohm’s Law

when the temperature of a metallic conductor remains constant, the current through the conductor is proportional to the potential difference across it. V=IR

electromotive force

is the work done per unit charge in moving charge from one terminal of the battery to the other

Kirchoff’s first law

the total current flowing towards a junction is equal to the total current flowing away from that junction due to the conservation of charge

power

is the amount of energy transferred by a device per second in Watts

potential divider

is a circuit which produces an output voltage as a fraction of its input voltage

potentiometer

us a variable voltage divider, where output voltage depends on the position of its slider

primary cell

is a single-use, non rechargeable electrochemical cell that generates electricity through an irreversible chemical reaction.