AMT Basic Electricity Study Guide

A series of flashcards covering fundamental concepts of electricity and basic electrical theory.

Electricity

The flow of matter/charge in an electrical circuit.

Coulomb

Unit of measurement equal to the electric charge delivered by a 1 ampere current in 1 second.

Alternating Current (AC)

Current that changes in both magnitude and direction.

Direct Current (DC)

Current that changes in magnitude but not direction.

Resistance

The total opposition to the flow of current in a circuit.

Power

The rate of energy consumption or conversion within a system.

Voltage

The amount of electromotive force (EMF) produced by the power source that pushes electrons through the circuit.

Kirchhoff's Law

A law that defines how current and voltage behave in a circuit, stating that the total current entering a junction equals the total current leaving.

Ohm's Law

Current in an AC or DC circuit is directly proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to resistance (E=IR).

Rectification

The process of converting AC to DC current using a diode.

Transistor

A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals.

Rheostat

A variable resistor used to control current.

Potentiometer

A three-terminal resistor with an adjustable center terminal used to divide voltage.

Signal

Information in electrical form.

Analog Signal

A continuous signal that represents physical measurements.

Digital Signal

A discrete signal representing data as a sequence of values.

P-type material

Material that has an excess of holes (positive charge carriers).

N-type material

Material that has an excess of electrons (negative charge carriers).

Electromagnetic Force (EMF)

The potential difference across any two points in an electrical circuit.

Current Electricity

Electricity in motion with a direction of flow.

Static Electricity

Electricity not in motion; it is not working.

Scientific Notation

A method of writing numbers as a product of a coefficient and a power of ten.

Resistance Measurement Method

A measurement made with power removed from the circuit.

Safety of Resistance Measurement

Resistance measurements are considered safe because the power is off.

Measurement Categories of Multimeters

Analog & Digital.

Voltage Rating for Aviation Quality Wire

The minimum voltage rating for aviation quality wire is 600V.