(8th Ap Science) Chapter 20 Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms for Chapter 20: Electricity

Electric Charge

a property that causes subatomic particles such as protons and electrons to attract or repel one another

Electric Force

the attraction or repulsion between electrically charged objects

Electric Field

a field in a region of space that exerts electric forces on charged particles; a field produced by electric charges or by changing magnetic fields

Static Electricity

the study of the behavior of electric charges, including how charge is transferred between objects

Law of Conservation

law stating that the total electric charge in an isolated system is constant; electric charge is never created or destroyed

Induction

the transfer of charge without contact between materials

Electric Current

a continuous flow of electric charge

Direct Current (DC)

a flow of electric charge in only one direction

Alternating Current (AC)

a flow of electric charge that regularly reverses its direction

Electrical Conductor

a material through which electric charge can flow easily

Electrical Insulator

a material through which charge cannot flow easily

Resistance

the opposition to the flow of electric charges in a material

Superconductor

a material that has almost zero resistance when it is cooled to low temperatures

Potential Difference

voltage, or the difference in electrical potential energy between two places in an electric field

Voltage

potential difference, the difference in electrical potential energy between two places in an electric field

Battery

a device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy

Ohm’s Law

the relationship of voltage, current, and resistance: V = IR

Electric Circuit

a complete path through which electric charge can flow

Series Circuit

an electric circuit with only one path through which charge can flow

Parallel Circuit

an electric circuit with two or more paths through which charge can flow

Electric Power

the rate at which electrical energy is converted to another form of energy

Fuse

a device that prevents overheating due to current overload in a circuit

Circuit Breaker

a switch that opens when the current in a circuit is too high

Grounding

the transfer of excess charge through a conductor to Earth

Electronics

the science of using electric currents to process or transmit information

Electronic Signal

information sent as patterns in the controlled flow of electrons through a circuit

Analog Signal

a smoothly varying signal produced by continuously changing the voltage or current in a circuit

Digital Signal

a signal that encodes information as a string of 1’s and 0’s

Semiconductor

a crystalline solid that conducts electric current only under certain conditions

Diode

a solid-state component with an n-type semiconductor joined to a p-type semiconductor

Transistor

a solid-state component with three layers of semiconductor material, used to turn current on or off or to increase the strength of electronic signals

Integrated Circuit

a thin slice of silicon that contains many solid-state components; a microchip

Computer

a programmable device that can store and process information