| A | B |
|---|
| energy | ability to do work |
| kinetic energy | energy of motion |
| potential energy | stored energy |
| mechanical energy | energy in moving things |
| electromagnetic energy | moving electrons (electricity and light are both forms of this) |
| heat energy | energy of moving particles of matter |
| chemical energy | energy that holds particles of matter together |
| nuclear energy | energy stored in the nucleus of the atom |
| law of conservation of energy | energy cannot be made or destroyed, but only changed in form |
| joule | unit of measure for potential energy |
| electricity | form of energy caused by moving electrons |
| electron | atomic particle with a negative electric charge |
| neutron | atomic particle with neither a negative nor a positive electric charge |
| proton | atomic particle with a positive charge |
| friction | how neutral objects can gain an electric charge |
| repel | objects with the same charge do this |
| attract | objects with different charges do this |
| conductors | materials that allow electric charges to flow through them easily |
| insulators | materials that prevent electric charges from flowing through them easily |
| rubber | an insulator |
| copper | a very good conductor |
| short circuit | when an electric current follows the easiest path |
| closed circuit | when an electric current is flowing |
| open circuit | when an electric current is not flowing |
| alternating current | current in which electrons change direction at a regular rate |
| direct current | current in which electrons always flow in the same direction |
| electric current | flow of electrons through a conductor |
| gets hot | what happens to wires when direct current is supplied through them |
| a battery is a source of this | a source of direct current |
| a power plant is a source of this | a source of alternating current |
| negative pole to positive pole | the direction of current flow in a battery |
| a battery | series of electrochemical cells connected together |
| electrochemical cell | device that changes chemical energy to electrical energy |
| electrode | positive or negative pole of an electrochemical cell |
| electrolyte | substance that dissolves in water to form a conducting solution |
| zinc | negative electrode in a wet cell |
| copper | positive electrode in a wet cell |
| car battery | example of a series of wet cells |
| electric circuit | path that an electric current follows |
| series circuit | circuit in which electric current follows only one path |
| load, conductor, and a source | an entire system in an electric circuit |
| parallel circuit | circuit in which electric current can follow more than one path |
| ampere | unit used to measure electric current |
| electromotive force | force that makes electrons move |
| ohm | unit used to measure resistance |
| resistance | opposition to the flow of electric current |
| volt | unit used to measure electromotive force |
| affects resistance in a wire | length, width, material, and temperature |
| Ohm's Law | current is equal to voltage divided by resistance |
| circuit breaker | switch that opens a circuit if too much current is flowing |
| fuse | wire that melts and breaks a circuit if too much current is flowing |
