Current Electricity and the Spectrum of Visible Light

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts of static sparks, electric current, circuit components, and the visible light spectrum from Natural Sciences 8.

Sparks

The movement of electrons jumping across a gap from a negatively charged object to a positively charged object, accompanied by a loss of energy.

Thunder

A sound wave (thunder clap) caused when a spark heats the air around it so rapidly.

Electric Current

A flow of charge (electrons) present in a wire when electric charges move through it.

Conductor

A material or substance, such as copper wire, that allows charge to easily pass through it.

Insulator

A material or substance, such as plastic, rubber, wood, or glass, that does not allow charge to pass through it.

Electric Circuit

The path taken by a current from the power source, along a conductor, through an appliance, and then back to the power source.

Power Source

A cell or battery in an electrical circuit that supplies high energy current.

Appliance

A component in an electrical circuit, such as an iron, light bulb, stove, or fan, that uses the energy of the current.

Switch

A component that allows or stops the current (on/off) and serves as a safety mechanism to control electrical circuits.

Cells and Batteries

Chemical systems that store chemical substances (potential energy) that react together to produce an electric current when a circuit is completed.

Spectrum

A band of colours produced when refraction causes white light to disperse (spread out) upon passing through a triangular glass prism or raindrops.

Visible Light Spectrum (ROY-G-BIV)

The seven colours that make up white light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, each having a different wavelength and frequency.

Infrared (IR)

Invisible heat waves with low energy, low frequency, and long wavelength that can be detected by night vision cameras and some animals, such as snakes.

Ultra-violet (UV)

Radiation with high energy, high frequency, and short wavelength that is invisible to humans, can be seen by some birds and insects, and causes skin and eye damage in humans.

Colour of Objects

The appearance of an object determined by the wavelengths of light it reflects while absorbing others; white objects reflect all light, whereas black objects absorb all light.

Primary Colours of Light

The three colours of light—red, green, and blue (RGB)—that are required to produce all other colours of light.

Primary Paint Colours

The primary colours used in paint, which are red, yellow, and blue (RYB).