Physical science Chapter 11 vocabulary

Electricity

flow of electrons

static electricity

Buildup of electrical charges.

Electrical current

Movement of electrons from one place to another.

Ampere

the unit used to describe how much electric current flows through a wire.

circuit

A path for electric current.

Closed circuit

A complete, unbroken path for electric current.

open circuit

an incomplete or broken path for electric current.

Schematic diagram

a diagram that uses symbols to show the parts of a circuit

Conductor

material through which electricity passes easily.

Insulator

material through which electricity does not pass easily.

Resistance

Measure of how easily electric current flows through a material.

Ohm

The unit used to measure resistance.

Electromotive force

the push that keeps the current (electrons) following in an electric circuit

volt

the metric unit used to measure electromotive force that tells the amount of push

Voltage

the energy that a power source gives to electrons in a circuit

Battery

a source of voltage that changes chemical energy into electrical energy.

Dry-cell battery

electric power source with a dry or paste like center.

Terminal

points were electrons leave or enter a battery

wet-cell battery

electric power source with a liquid center.

direct current

current that flow in one direction

alternating current

current that changes direction regularly

Ohm’s law

current equals voltage divided by resistance

Series Circuit

a circuit in which all current (electrons) flows through a single path

Parallel circuit

a circuit in which there is more than one path for current.

electrical power

the amount of electrical energy used in a certain amount of time.

kilowatt-hour

a unit to measure how much electric energy is used; it is 1,000 watts used in a one hour.