| A | B |
|---|
| potential energy | stored energy a body has due to its position, chemical state, or condition |
| kinetic energy | energy of motion, such as falling water, a released spring, or speeding automobile |
| voltage | the amount of electrical pressure in a circuit |
| DC voltage | voltage that flows in one direction only |
| AC voltage | voltage that reverses its direction of flow at regular intervals |
| polarity | the positive or negative state of an object |
| rectifier | a device that converts AC voltage to DC voltage by allowing the voltage and current to move in only one direction |
| cycle | one complete positive and negative alternation of a wave form |
| alternation | half of a cycle |
| peak value | in a sine wave, the maximum value of either the positve or negative alternation |
| peak to peak value | in a sine wave, the value measured from the maximum positive alternation to the maximum negative alternation |
| current | amount of electrons flowing through an electrical circuit |
| ampere | measure of current |
| conventional current flow theory | current flow from positive to negative |
| electron current flow theory | current flow from negative to positive |
| power | rate of doing work or using energy |
| true power | the actual power used in an electrical circuit |
| apparent power | the product of the voltage and current in a circuit calculated without considering the phase shift that may be present between the voltage and current |
| phase shift | when voltage and current in a circuit do not reach their maximum amplitude and zero level simultaneously |
| resistive circuit | circuit that contains only resitance |
| in phase | when voltage and current reach their maximum amplitude and zero level simultaneously |
| inductance | the property of an electric device that opposes a change in current due to its ability to store energy in a magnetic field |
| capacitance | the ability to store energy in the form of an electrical charge |
| power factor | the ratio of true power used in an AC circuit to apparent power delivered to the circuit |
| resistance | the opposition to current flow |
| conductor | a material that has very little resistance and permits electrons to move through it easily |
| insulator | a material that has a very high resistance and resists the flow of electrons |
| heat | thermal energy |
| British thermal unit (Btu) | the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water 1 degree F |
| temperature | the measurement of the intensity of heat |
| thermal conductivity | the property of a material to conduct heat in the form of thermal energy |
| heat sink | a device that conducts and dissipates heat away from a component |
| light | the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum which produces radiant energy |
| lamp | output device that converts electrical energy into light |
| lumen | the unit used to measure the total amount of light produced by a light source |
