Electricity & Circuits Concepts & Vocab

Electricity

a form of energy caused by a flow of particles called electrons in a conductor

Electric Current

the flow of electric charges in a circuit 

Battery

a device made with two metals in an electrolyte solution that transforms chemical energy into electrical energy

Ampere

the unit used to measure electric current 

Voltage

the electric potential difference supplied by a battery, generator, or other charge pump

Electric Circuit

an electrical device that provides a path for current to flow

Resistance

use of energy for current to resist the flow of electric current (measured in Ohms)

Resistor

a device in a circuit that uses the electric current to do work 

Ohm’s Law

the scientific principle that shows the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance

Coulomb’s Law

the force between two particles; the product of the charges divided by the square of their distance

Volt

the unit to measure voltage

Ohm

the unit that measures resistance 

Series Circuit

a circuit in which one path for the current exists 

Parallel circuit

an electric circuit with more than one pathway for the current to flow 

Circuit Breaker

an automatic device for stopping the flow of current in unsafe situations 

Separation of Charges

electric charges are distributed unevenly, leading to areas of positive and negative charge (creates an electric field)

Equivalent Resistance

the total amount of resistance that affects the amount of current in a circuit

Electric Potential Difference

the difference in EPE per unit charge between two points in a circuit, also known as voltage

Why does a separation of charges have to be created before an electric current can be produced?

a separation of charges requires the use of energy which is stored as electric potential energy; creating a positive and negative side will make the charges move to produce an electric current

How is a separation of charges produced?

energy is used to create the force that will make the particles separate (work); the energy used to do work becomes the battery’s potential energy; then, when the oppositely charged ends are connected, the electrons will move from the negative terminal toward the positive terminal

The work done to create the voltage will become ______

the battery’s potential energy

The law of conservation of energy and the work-energy theorem relate to electric fields, voltage, and work because _______

energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed; the work done to separate charges results in EPE (voltage) that can be converted into electrical energy

Which property of a circuit drops across a resistor in a series circuit?

voltage (decreases as the current moves through the components of a circuit)

Why will a series circuit shut down if any resistor doesn’t work?

the current flows through each component of the circuit and is interrupted if one fails to function

In a parallel circuit, multiple paths exist for the various resistors. Why will 9 out of 10 work even if one doesn’t function?

each resistor is connected to the voltage source; if one resistor fails, current can still flow through the other path

What happens in a circuit if the switch is open? Why?

the circuit is incomplete; an open switch creates a break in the path, stopping the current

TRUE or FALSE: If left alone, positive and negative charges would mingle together and form an arrangement where positives and negatives were evenly distributed.

true; positive and negative charges naturally move to minimize potential energy, resulting in uniform distribution

Is this a parallel or series circuit?

parallel

Is this a parallel or series circuit?

series

Is this a parallel or series circuit?

parallel

Is this a parallel or series circuit?

series

Conventional Current

current flows from positive to negative (before the electron was discovered)

For current to exist, _____

there must be voltage

Schematic

a diagram of the components of an electric circuit 

TRUE or FALSE: In nature, positive and negative charges are repelled by each other and will separate into sections of all positive and all negatives on their own. 

false

TRUE or FALSE: Resistors in a parallel circuit receive the amount of voltage necessary to make their devices work.  

true

TRUE or FALSE: In a parallel circuit, the voltage is the same for every branch of the circuit.

true

TRUE or FALSE: In a parallel circuit with multiple resistors, every resistor must work or the entire circuit shuts down. 

false

TRUE or FALSE: The electric potential difference of a source is measured in volts. 

true

TRUE or FALSE: The voltage supplies energy that allows the device to work. 

true

TRUE or FALSE: A “voltage drop” occurs when some of the energy in the conductors is used to make a resistor function. 

true

Why must batteries be arranged in positive-negative-positive-negative order? 

there must be an attraction between oppositely charged particles to cause the charges to move; it creates the current

Why do scientists still use the ideas concerning “conventional current”? 

the concept of conventional current, which is the flow of positive charges towards negatives, has been established for many years before the electron was discovered.

Separating charges requires _____

doing work to push electrons away from where they naturally want to be

Separation is created when _____

some energy source (chemical reactions or friction) does work to move electrons

Work done to create the voltage becomes _____

stored electrical potential energy

Ohm’s Law states that _____

if resistance goes up, current goes down

In a series circuit, the current is _____

the same everywhere

In a series circuit, the voltage is _____

shared between components

In a series circuit, the resistance of the components is ______

combined (all added together)

In a parallel circuit, the current is _____

shared between components

In a parallel circuit, the voltage is _____

the same everywhere

In a parallel circuit, the resistance of the components is _____

not combined

Which property of a circuit drops across a resistor in a parallel circuit?

current