Electrical Circuits and Components: Key Concepts and Definitions

Source

provider of electrons or other charged particles

Insulator

element whose electrons are held very tightly by the nucleus; they resist/block the flow of the current.

Valence

the outermost shell of an atom

Voltmeter

device that measures the force with which electrons are flowing.

Load

something that consumes electrical energy in a circuit

Ohm

unit of resistance

Breadboard

a prototyping tool for making electrical circuits

Electrons

have negative charges

Protons

have positive charges

Electron Flow

charges flow from negative to positive

Electricity

is briefly defined as a form of energy caused by charged particles

Schematic Diagrams

represent an electronic circuit in symbolic form

Generator

converts rotational kinetic energy to electricity.

Volt

unit of electrical voltage

Circuit

closed loop taken by electrons that contains a source, load, and conductor

Ampere

unit of electrical current

Ohmmeter

device that measures the resistance across a circuit.

Electrical Grid

network of transmission/distribution lines between provider and consumer.

Static Charge

build up of charge on a surface

Voltage

a force that pushes the current through the circuit

Multimeter

device that combines a voltmeter, ammeter, and ohmmeter in one

Ohm's Law

equation describing the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance

Resistance

friction that impedes flow of current through the circuit

Direct Current

current that travels in only one direction

Pictoral Diagram

represent an electronic circuit using images/drawings/clipart

Conventional Flow

charges flow from positive to negative

Alternating Current

current that is constantly changing directions

Ammeter

device that measures the current flowing in a circuit.

Conductors

elements which have very mobile electrons; they allow current to flow easily

Watt

unit of electrical power

Parallel

circuit that has more than one path for the electrons to flow; each path is called a branch; voltage across branches is the same; current in branches sums to the total.

Turbine

converts linear kinetic energy into rotational kinetic energy

Series

circuit that only has one path for the electrons to flow; voltage drops across elements in series; current is the same through all elements in series.

Current

the flow of electrons through a circuit