Chapter 7: Circuits and Current Electricity

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions for Chapter 7: Circuits and Current Electricity.

Circuit

Path through which electric charges can move.

Electric current

Flow of electric charges in a circuit.

Conducting wires

Materials through which charges can flow.

Switch

A device that is used to control the flow of charge in a circuit.

Cell

Chemical system that stores electrical potential energy.

Battery

Two or more cells forming a chemical system that stores electrical potential energy.

Ammeter

An instrument that measures the amount of current in a circuit.

Voltmeter

A device that measures the amount of voltage in a circuit.

Rheostat

A variable resistor.

Fuse

A component in a circuit that protects the circuit against a power overload.

Resistors

A device that opposes the flow of current.

Filament

A resistant wire inside a lightbulb that glows to produce light.

Short circuit

Electric circuit that allows current to flow in an unintended circuit.

Magnetic field

Lines of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a moving charged particle.

Electromagnet

A magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of charges.