Electrical Energy and Circuits Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of electricity, circuits, Ohm's Law, and Kirchhoff's Rules based on lecture notes.

Conductor

A material that allows electric charges to flow easily.

Insulator

A material that does not allow electric charges to flow easily.

Electrostatics

The study of electric charges at rest.

Voltaic cell

A cell containing two different metals, called electrodes, placed in an electrolytic solution that produces an electric charge on the electrodes.

Alessandro Volta

The scientist credited with creating the first voltaic cell.

Battery

A combination of two or more voltaic cells.

Electrodes

An electrical conductor through which a current enters or leaves an electrical device.

Anode

The positive pole of a primary cell or battery.

Cathode

The negative electrode of a cell or battery.

Electric Potential Difference

The change in electrical energy divided by the amount of charge that passes between two points, also referred to as voltage or voltage drop ($V = \frac{\Delta E_Q}{q}$).

Electron Flow

The flow of negative charge (electrons) from the cathode ($-$) to the anode ($+$).

Conventional Current

The belief that current goes from positive ($+$) to negative ($-$), a convention still used today despite actual electron direction being different.

Resistance ($R$)

Basically the amount of friction encountered by a charge as it flows through a circuit.

Resistivity ($\rho$)

A property of a material, symbolized by the Greek letter rho, used in the resistance formula $R = \frac{\rho L}{A}$.

Ohm's Law

A principle determined in 1826 stating that the voltage across a load is equal to the current multiplied by the resistance ($V = IR$).

Direct Current (DC)

Electricity that flows in one direction only, such as in batteries or automobile electrical systems.

Alternating Current (AC)

Electricity where voltage and current flow in alternate directions, reversing 60 times a second in the US.

Ground System

A method in automobiles where the body of the vehicle acts as one large ground wire to allow electrical charge to return to the battery.

Circuit Breaker

A switch that acts as a safety device by flipping off to 'break' the circuit if too much current passes through it.

Fuse

A safety device that works on the same principle as a circuit breaker but will 'blow' if too much current passes through it.

Load

Anything that draws a current, such as resistors, light bulbs, or motors.

Open Circuit

An electrical path with a break or opening that prevents current from flowing.

Closed Circuit

An electrical path where all connections are complete, allowing current to flow.

Ammeter

A device used to measure current (amps) that must be connected in series.

Voltmeter

A device used to measure voltage that must be connected in parallel.

Series Connection

A circuit arrangement where each element is connected one after the other in a line.

Parallel Connection

A circuit arrangement where two or more elements are beside each other, providing multiple paths for current.

Kirchhoff's Junction Rule

The first rule stating that the sum of all currents entering a junction or node must equal the sum of all currents leaving it.

Kirchhoff's Loop Rule

The second rule stating that the algebraic sum of changes in potential around any closed circuit path (loop) must be zero.