Electric Currents Overview and Concepts

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to electric currents, their applications, and underlying principles.

Electric current

The flow of electric charge through a conductor, responsible for powering devices and enabling biological processes.

Ohm's law

The principle stating that the current (I) through a resistor is directly proportional to the voltage (V) across it and inversely proportional to the resistance (R): ΔV = IR.

Resistor

A component that opposes the flow of current, resulting in a drop in voltage when current passes through.

Voltage

The electric potential difference between two points, which drives the flow of electric current.

Capacitance

The ability of a system to store charge, typically measured in Farads.

Kirchhoff's flow rule

In an electrical network, the total current entering a junction equals the total current leaving it.

Current density (J)

The amount of electric current flowing per unit area, given by J = qnv, where q is charge, n is charge density, and v is the drift velocity.

Drift velocity

The average velocity of charge carriers in a conductor due to an electric field.

Superconductivity

A phenomenon where certain materials exhibit zero electrical resistance when cooled to very low temperatures.

Conventional current

The flow of positive charge, which is used for circuit analysis; it assumes that electric current flows from positive to negative.

Current (I)

The rate at which charge flows through a conductor, measured in Amperes (Coulombs/second).

Potential difference (ΔV)

The difference in electric potential between two points, which causes current to flow when a circuit is closed.