Grade 10 Electric Circuits Vocabulary

This flashcard set covers the fundamental vocabulary for Grade 10 Electric Circuits, including charge, current, voltage, resistance, and the characteristics of series and parallel circuits as detailed in the lesson notes.

Electrical charge

A basic property of matter that explains how objects interact using electrical forces.

Protons

Particles within an atom that carry a positive charge.

Electrons

Particles within an atom that carry a negative charge.

Neutrons

Particles within an atom that have no charge.

Coulomb ($C$)

The unit of measurement for electrical charge.

Electrical current ($I$)

The rate of flow of charge through a conductor.

Conventional Current

The flow of positive charge from the positive terminal, through the circuit, to the negative terminal.

Electron Flow

The flow of electrons from the negative terminal, through the circuit, to the positive terminal.

Ammeter

A device used to measure the current in a circuit, connected in series with very little resistance.

Ampere ($A$)

The unit of electric current; an alternative unit is the coulomb per second ($1\,A = 1\,C\cdot s^{-1}$).

Potential difference ($V$)

The work done per unit positive charge, measured in volts ($V$).

emf ($\epsilon$)

The total energy supplied per coulomb of charge by the cell.

Cell

A device that converts stored chemical potential energy into electrical energy.

Battery

A collection of cells providing an emf ($\epsilon$).

Terminal potential difference

The amount of energy available per coulomb of charge to the external circuit, measured when current is flowing.

Voltmeter

A device used to measure the potential difference across a component, connected in parallel with a very high resistance.

Volt ($V$)

The unit of potential difference, equivalent to joules per coulomb ($1\,V = 1\,J\cdot C^{-1}$).

Resistance ($R$)

A material’s opposition to the flow of electric charge.

Ohm ($\Omega$)

The unit of resistance; defined as $1\,V\cdot A^{-1}$.

Rheostat

A variable resistor used in a circuit to change the resistance, thereby affecting current and potential difference.

Ohm’s Law

States that the current flowing through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across the conductor at constant temperature ($V \propto I$).

Ohmic Resistor

A resistor that obeys Ohm's Law, meaning potential difference and current are directly proportional and the resistance remains constant.

Non-Ohmic Resistor

A conductor whose resistance changes with temperature or voltage, such as a filament lamp or diode, and does not obey Ohm's Law.

Series Circuit

A circuit arrangement where resistors are connected one after the other, acting as voltage dividers where current remains the same throughout.

Parallel Circuit

A circuit arrangement where resistors are connected to different branches, acting as current dividers where voltage remains the same across every branch.

Equivalent Resistance ($R_{s}$)

In a series circuit, it is the sum of individual resistances: $R_{s} = R_{1} + R_{2} + R_{3} + \dots$.

Equivalent Resistance ($R_{p}$)

In a parallel circuit, it is calculated using the reciprocal formula: $\frac{1}{R_{p}} = \frac{1}{R_{1}} + \frac{1}{R_{2}} + \frac{1}{R_{3}} + \dots$.