Electricity, Magnetism, and Electromagnetism Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the study guide on electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetism.

Electrostatics

The study of stationary electric charges.

Electrodynamics

The study of electric charges in motion, also known as electricity or electric current.

Electrification

The process of giving an object a net electric charge by adding or removing electrons.

Coulomb's Law

The electrostatic force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Voltage

Also known as electric potential, it represents the potential energy per unit of charge and is the force that causes electrons to move.

Conductor

A material that allows electrons to flow easily, such as copper or aluminum.

Insulator

A material that opposes or inhibits the flow of electrons, like rubber or glass.

Superconductor

A material that allows electrons to flow with zero resistance at very low temperatures.

Ohm's Law

Describes the relationship between Voltage (V), Current (I), and Resistance (R) in the formula V = IR.

Series Circuit

A circuit that provides only one path for current where amperage is constant throughout.

Parallel Circuit

A circuit that provides two or more paths for current, with constant voltage across all branches.

Electric Power

The rate at which electric energy is used, measured in Watts (W).

AC

Alternating Current; electrons flow back and forth, changing direction periodically.

DC

Direct Current; electrons flow continuously in one direction only.

Magnetism

The ability of a material to attract iron.

Magnetic Domain

A region where the magnetic fields of atoms are aligned in the same direction.

Permanent Magnet

Materials that are always magnetic, such as lodestone.

Electromagnet

A temporary magnet created by an electric current flowing through a coil of wire.

Ferromagnetic materials

Materials strongly attracted to magnets and that can be easily magnetized.

Faraday's Law

States that the induced current's magnitude depends on the strength of the magnetic field, speed of motion, angle of conductor, and number of turns in the coil.

Generator

A device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.

Transformer

A device that changes voltage and current in an AC circuit using mutual induction.

Step-Up Transformer

Increases voltage and decreases current.

Step-Down Transformer

Decreases voltage and increases current.