| A | B |
|---|
| Electricity | Flow of electric current in a circuit. |
| Static electricity | A buildup of either postive or negative charge; consists of isolated motionless charges, like those produced by friction. |
| Electric field | Area around a charged object is affected by its charge |
| Electrical force | The force that charged materials or objects exert on each other. |
| Conductor | Material that rearranges its electrons well. (metal, water) |
| Insulator | Type of material where it is difficult for it rearrange its electons (plastic, styrofoam, rubber) |
| Conductivity | the ease with which rearrangement (induction) happens in a material |
| Discharge | Brief flow of electrons from a charged object to the rearranged object. |
| Electroscope | An instrument that is used to detect electrical charge. |
| Circuit | The structures that provide closed paths through which electricity travels. |
| Electrical Diagram | A drawing of an electrical circuit using symbols. |
| Battery | An example of a potential difference sourcel. |
| Device | Object that transforms electrical energy in a circuit into work. (lightbulb, motor) |
| Switch | Used to open or close a circuit, depending on its position. |
| Resistor | A device in a circuit that "uses up" excess energy not needed by a device. |
| Potential Difference | The amount of potential energy that each of of electrical charge has. In other words, the electrical energy available. |
| Voltage | Another name for potential difference. |
| Voltmeter | Used to measure the voltage in an electrical circuit. |
| Dry cell | uses chemical reactions in a dry paste to make electrons; Ex.: duracell, eveready |
| Wet cell | Uses chemical reactions in an acid to make electrons. Ex: car battery |
| Generator | A machine used to produce high amounts of voltage. This is the way that the energy from wall sockets is created. |
| Current | Flow of electric charge in a closed circuit (actually number of electrons involved). |
| Ampere | Standard unit for current |
| Volt | Standard unit for potential difference. |
| Ammeter | Used to measure the current in an electrical circuit. |
| Fuse | A single-use safety device that causes a break in a circuit if it begins to overheat. Uses a metal that completely melts. Cannot reuse. |
| Circuit breaker | A safety device for an electrical circuit that causes a switch to open a circuit if it overheats to the point that the metal within it bends or warps. Protects multiple devices at the same time and can be reused. |
| Resistance | The measure of an object's ability to conduct electricity. High resistance means low conductivity. It stands for how much the material restricts the flow of electrons. |
| Ohm | Standard unit for resistance in a circuit. |
| Ohmmeter | Used to measure the amount of resistance in a component of an electrical circuit. |
| In-Series Circuit | Circuit in which the current has only one path. More than one device has to share the energy, and if one fails, so do the others. (open circuit) |
| In-Parallel Circuit | A circuit which is divided into different "branches" for current to flow. Devices do not have to share the energy, and if one fails, the other DON'T. |
| Short circuit | A path in an electrical circuit which has zero to low resistance. |
