Electricity and Circuits Concepts

Flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to electricity and circuits.

Current

The rate of flow of charge at a point in the circuit, measured in amperes (A).

Voltage

The potential difference measured in volts (V), indicating the work done per unit charge in moving between two points in a circuit.

Resistance

Measured in ohms (Ω), it is the potential difference across a component divided by the current through it, indicating how difficult it is for current to flow.

Ohmic conductor

A conductor that follows Ohm's law, where the current is directly proportional to the voltage at a constant temperature.

Non-ohmic conductor

A conductor whose resistance changes with the voltage and current, such as a filament lamp.

Thermistor

A resistor whose resistance decreases as the temperature increases.

Light dependent resistor

A resistor whose resistance decreases as light intensity increases.

Series circuit

A circuit where components are connected end to end in one loop, with the same current flowing through every component.

Parallel circuit

A circuit where components are connected to the power supply in separate branches, and the potential difference is the same across each branch.

Fuse

A thin piece of wire that melts if the current is too high, protecting the circuit.

Circuit breaker

An automatic switch that breaks the circuit if the current rises over a certain value, and can be reset for reuse.

Earth wire

A wire that provides a safe route for current to flow in case of a short circuit, preventing electric shocks.

Static electricity

Electric charge that builds up on the surface of insulators due to the transfer of electrons.

Electrostatic discharge

The release of accumulated static electricity when the charge becomes large enough.

Charging by friction

The process by which electrons are transferred between two insulators when they are rubbed together.

Electrostatic phenomena

Effects caused by the movement of electric charges, which can be both useful and hazardous.