Electricity and Heat Energy Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Electricity and Heat Energy unit transcripts.

Electrical Circuit

A closed, continuous loop of conductive material that provides a pathway for electrical energy to travel.

Electrostatic Force

The force operating between charges, also called Coulomb's law, where like charges repel, unlike charges attract, and charged objects attract neutral objects.

Static Electricity

The build-up of electric charge on the surface of a material where charges remain at rest.

Current Electricity

The movement of electric charge through a conductive pathway, functioning as a form of kinetic energy.

Electrical Conductor

A material, such as copper, that contains free electrons and allows charged particles to move through it easily.

Electrical Insulator

A material, such as plastic or wood, that lacks free electrons and prevents the movement of charged particles.

Open Circuit

An electrical circuit that contains a break, preventing electric current from flowing through the path.

Cell

A device that stores chemical energy and transfers it to electrical energy when connected to a circuit.

Battery

A combination of three or more cells connected together in an electrical circuit.

Series Circuit

An electrical circuit in which components are connected end-to-end in a single continuous loop.

Parallel Circuit

An electrical circuit in which components are connected across separate branches, creating multiple pathways for current.

Electric Current

A measure of the amount of electric charge passing a particular point in a circuit every second, measured in amperes ($A$).

Ammeter

An instrument with very low resistance connected in series within a circuit to measure electric current.

Voltage

The measure of electrical potential energy available to push charges around a circuit, also called potential difference and measured in volts ($V$).

Voltmeter

An instrument with very high resistance connected in parallel to measure the potential difference across a component.

Electrical Resistance

A measure of the difficulty encountered by an electric current in passing through a conductor, measured in ohms ($\Omega$).

Resistor

A component deliberately placed in a circuit to control or reduce the magnitude of current and voltage.

Variable Resistor

A resistor whose resistance value can be adjusted to control current flow, used in devices such as light dimmers and volume controls.

Ohm's Law

The scientific law describing the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance, represented by the formula $V = I \times R$.

Potential Energy

Energy stored within an object due to its position or shape, giving it the potential to do work.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Stored energy in an object derived from its weight and its height above the ground.

Chemical Potential Energy

Stored energy contained within the atoms of an object and the chemical bonds between them.

Elastic Potential Energy

Stored energy resulting from an object being stretched or compressed.

Kinetic Energy

The energy possessed by an object due to its motion, depending on the object's mass and velocity.

Conduction

The transfer of heat through direct particle-to-particle collisions within a material, transferring thermal energy from hotter to cooler regions.

Thermal Conductor

A material, such as a metal, that permits thermal energy to flow easily through it due to closely packed vibrating particles.

Thermal Insulator

A material, such as glass, wood, rubber, or plastic, that slows down thermal energy transfer.

Convection

The transfer of heat in liquids and gases caused by the actual flow of warmer, less dense fluid rising and cooler, denser fluid sinking.

Convection Current

The continuous movement cycle in liquids or gases where heated fluid expands and rises while cooler fluid sinks to replace it.

Thermal Radiation

The transfer of heat energy via electromagnetic waves, which does not require particles and can travel through a vacuum.

Absorbed Radiant Heat

Radiant thermal energy taken in by dark-coloured objects, leading to a rapid increase in temperature.

Transmitted Radiant Heat

Radiant thermal energy that passes directly through clear materials, such as glass, without rapidly raising their temperature.

Reflected Radiant Heat

Radiant thermal energy bounced away by shiny or light-coloured surfaces, preventing rapid temperature increases.

Double Glazing

A window construction featuring two glass panes separated by a narrow air gap to reduce heat loss via conduction and convection.

Radiant Insulation

Heat loss by radiation