Notes: Meters and Electric Circuits

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts of current, voltage, meters (ammeters and voltmeters), and battery configurations in series and parallel circuits.

Current

The amount of electric charge passing a point each second.

Direct Current (DC) Circuit

A circuit in which electrical current flows in one direction.

Electrical Current

The charge flow that results when an electrical energy source is connected in a closed circuit.

Voltage

A measure of the electrical potential of a battery combination.

Ammeter

An instrument that measures the current through it and is always placed in series in a circuit.

Amperes

The unit of measurement for the amount of current flowing through a circuit.

Voltmeter

An instrument that detects the amount of potential energy (voltage) passing between two points and must be connected in parallel to a device.

Series Batteries

A configuration where charges must pass through each battery to gain energy; the total voltage increases as batteries are added (for example, three $1.5\text{-V}$ batteries yield a total potential gain of $4.5\text{-V}$).

Parallel Batteries

A configuration where charges have multiple paths to follow and current is split equally between the batteries; the voltage does not change as identical batteries are added (for example, three $1.5\text{-V}$ batteries yield a total potential gain of $1.5\text{-V}$).