Electricity

Protons

Positive electric charge

Electrons

Negative electric charge

Neutrons

No electrical charge

electrically neutral atom

number of protons = number of electrons (neither attract nor repel)

static charge

an unbalanced negative or positive electric charge on an object

Electic force

A force between charged objects which can still happen even when they are not touching

Coulomb's Law

Electric force and electric charge are directly related and electric force and distance are inversely related

electric insulator

A material in which electric charges cannot easily move (higher the resistance the better it is)

electric conductor

A material in which electric charges can easily move (lower the resistance the better it is)

Conduction

the transfer of electric charge by a simple touch when electric charges flow from one conductor to another

Induction

the transfer of electric charge by scrambling electrons in conducting materials. A charged object scrambles the electrons in two conducting materials it is brought near by repelling the electrons in the conductors so that more electrons are on the far object. When the conductors are separated, the charges are trapped and can't return to where they were before

Friction

charge by rubbing. One object scrapes electrons off of another object, and both become charged in the process.

polarized

when electrons concentrate at one end of an object

electric discharge

the process of an unbalanced electric charge becoming balanced (lightning is a large electric discharge of static electricity

grounding

providing a path for electric charges to flow safely into the ground

electric current

The movement of electrically charged particles (electrons)

electric circuit

A closed, complete path in which an electric current can travel

Coulomb

How scientists count the number of electrons (electric charge)

Ampere

SI unit of electric current

1 amp =

1 coulomb of charge flows the wire per second

Resistance

a measure of how difficult it is for electrons to flow through a material

Ohm

A unit of electric resistance

Ohm's Law

the relationship among current, voltage and resistance in a circuit

Ohm's Law Eqation

V=I•R, R=V÷I, I=V÷R (V=voltage, I=current, R=resistance)

Voltage and Current

directly related

Resistance and Current

inversely related

Voltage

the amount of energy the source uses to move electrons through an electric circuit

The 3 parts of an electric circuit

1. Source of electric energy
2. Electrical devices that transform electrical energy
3. Conductors such as wires that connect everything

appliances

convert electrical energy to other forms of energy

Series circuits

A circuit that has only one path for the electric current to follow.

Parallel circuits

An electric circuit with two or more paths through which energy can flow

Fuse Box

A piece of metal that melts to break the circuit when there is too much thermal energy

circut breaker

a switch that opens the circuit if the current is too high

GFCI

Senses if not all of the current is flowing and opens the circuit

short circuit

Any complete circuit with no resistance (it's connected to a battery, but not to any light sources or appliances)

Electric shock

occurs when electric current flows through your body (0.01 A causes a shock but 0.1 A can kill you)