Electrical Engineering Final Vocab Words

Voltage

The difference in electric potential between two nodes

Current

The flow of electrons

Resistor

A device that resists the flow of current

Ohm’s Law

Current is proportional to voltage

Kirchoff’s Voltage Law

The sum of voltages around a loop is equal to zero

Kirchoff’s Current Law

The sum of the currents into a node equals the sum of the current of the node

Capacitor

A device that stores energy in an electric field my accumulating charge on two parallel plates

Inductor

A device that stores energy in a magnetic field when a current flows through the coils

Direct Current

An electric current flowing in one direction only

Alternating Current

An electric current that reverses its direction many times a second at regular intervals

Transformer

Two coils of wire places near each other such that when one coil has a current flowing through it, a second current will be induced in the second coil

Generator

Converts mechanical energy into electrical energy

Motor

Converts electrical energy into mechanical energy

Commutator

A segmented device commonly found in DC motors that are used with brushes to reverse the direction of the applied current on the rotor

Lorentz Force Law

Magnetic field created by a current carrying wire interacts with an existing magnetic field to exert a developed force on the wire

Faraday’s Law

Movement of a conductor in magnetic field that will induce a voltage

Circuit Breakers

A device designed to trip when overcurrent o high currents are reached

Bus

A heavy gauge conductor that connect multiple or loads to a common voltage supply

Equipment Reliability

The main reason an ungrounded system is used on Navy ships

Personnel Safety

A critical downside of using an ungrounded system on Navy ships