Electricity Theory and Fundamentals

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the history, theories, laws, and components of electricity based on the lecture notes.

Electricity

A form of energy tied to the existence of electrical charge and related to magnetism; it is a physical phenomenon involving the behavior of positively and negatively charged elementary particles of an atom.

Thales

A Greek mathematician who studied static electricity in $600\text{ B.C.E.}$

Electricus

A Latin term coined by William Gilbert in $1600$ meaning "produce from amber by friction".

Elektor

A Greek term meaning "beaming sun".

Otto von Guericke

A German experimenter who built the first electric generating machine in $1660$.

Stephen Gray

An Englishman who, in $1729$, distinguished between materials that were conductors and nonconductors.

Leyden jar

An electrical storage device invented in $1746$ by Ewald Georg von Kleist and Pieter van Musschenbroek, consisting of a glass jar coated inside and outside with tin foil.

Benjamin Franklin

American inventor who surmised electric charge was made of attractive and repulsive forces and conducted a famous kite experiment in $1752$.

Voltaic pile

An early type of electric cell or battery built by Alessandro Volta.

Hans Christian Oersted

A Danish physicist who observed in $1820$ that a magnetic field surrounds a current-carrying wire by watching its effect on a compass needle.

Joseph Henry

An American who demonstrated an electromagnetic device capable of lifting over $1000\text{ pounds}$, and independently invented the electric generator.

Michael Faraday

An Englishman who developed a crude electric motor in $1831$ and independently invented the electric generator.

Morse Code

A code of electrical impulses identified as dots and dashes used for sending messages over wires via the electromagnetic telegraph.

What hath God wrought

The first message sent by the electric telegraph on May 24, 1884, from the U.S. Capitol to Baltimore.

Ohm’s Law

A formulated relationship between volts, amps, and resistance, expressed as $E = IR$.

Incandescent lamp

A practical lighting device developed independently by Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan; Edison was the first to patent the commercially feasible version.

Nikola Tesla

An American of Croatian descent who invented three-phase power distribution, the alternating current motor, and wireless transmission.

Transformer

A device used in electrical systems first announced by Lucien Caulard and John Dixon Gibbs in $1883$.

Classical Theory (Flow of Electrons)

The theory that electricity consists of the flow of electrons, which are building blocks of matter composed of protons, electrons, and neutrons.

Law of Charges

The principle that opposite charges attract and like charges repel, where negatively charged electrons are attracted to positively charged protons.

Ions

Charged atoms, categorized as a Positive Ion (positively charged) or a Negative Ion (negatively charged).

Valence Shell

The outermost orbital shell of an atom that contains valence electrons.

Electromagnetic Force

The force between two charged particles that is greater than the gravitational force, driving the flow of charged subatomic particles.

Conductors

Materials that carry electrical current with low resistance; Silver is the best natural conductor, followed by copper, gold, and aluminum.

Insulators

Materials that resist the flow of electricity, such as ceramics, glass, rubber, and plastics.

Semiconductors

Materials used in solid-state devices like diodes and transistors that are neither good conductors nor good insulators.

Thermoelectricity

Electricity produced from heat using a device called a thermocouple, created when two dissimilar metals are joined and heated.

Piezoelectricity

Electricity produced from pressure when a force deforms or strains certain crystalline materials.

Photoelectricity

Electricity produced from light when photons strike a material, causing atoms to release electrons.

Magnetoelectricity

Electricity produced from magnetism; the force of a magnetic field drives electron flow through moving conductors.

Voltage (E or EMF)

The electromotive force or driving force behind current flow, measured in volts $(V)$.

Amperage (I)

The rate of current flow (inductive flow) in a closed electrical system, measured in amperes $(A)$.

Ohm

The unit of electrical resistance established as that resistance allowing $1\text{ amp}$ to flow when pushed by a pressure of $1\text{ volt}$.

Horsepower (hp)

A unit of power where $1\text{ hp} = 746\text{ watts}$.

Joule’s Law

The DC power equation showing the relationship between power, voltage, and amperage: $P = EI$.

Energy Consumption Equation

The expression $Q = Pt$, where energy consumption is determined by power multiplied by time in hours.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

The standard billing unit for energy consumption, equivalent to $1000\text{ watt-hours (Wh)}$.

Short Circuit

An inadvertent shortcut in a circuit that permits current flow through an unintentional path.

Series Circuits

A circuit configuration where current passes through each component sequentially without branching off.

Parallel Circuits

A circuit configuration where current branches off to individual components.

Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law

Also known as Law No. 1, it states that the sum of the potential differences (voltages) in a complete circuit must be zero.

Kirchhoff’s Current Law

Also known as Law No. 2, it states that the total current (amperage) flowing into a junction is the same as the total current leaving it.

Electromagnet

A magnet created by coiling insulated wire around an iron core and running current through the wire.

Induction

The phenomenon where a voltage and current flow are produced in a conductor when it moves through a magnetic field or vice versa.