Vocabulary
flow of electric current through a conductor.
Electricity
opposition that a conducting material or device offers to resist the flow of current.
Resistance
Instrument used to measure voltage.
Voltmeter
Insulator
material that is a poor conductor of electric current.
device that transforms or converts chemical energy into electrical energy or electric current
Battery
measure of the strength of a magnetic field through an area.
Flux
electric circuit with a break that prevents electricity from flowing through it
Open Circuit
electrical device that has a complete or continuous path that electricity can flow through.
Electric Circuit
electric circuit where the electric current has only one path.
Series Circuit
Magnetism
The force exerted by magnets when they attract or repel each other.
Conductor
an object or type of material that allows the flow of electrical current in one or more directions.
buildup of electrical charge, either positive or negative, on the surface of an insulating material.
Static
Parallel Circuit
electric circuit where the electric current can take more than one path.
Magnetize
to develop a magnetic field in an object in response to applying an external magnetic field.
two regions in a magnetic field that produce the strongest magnetic force.
Poles
Induction
Production of an electric current by changing the magnetic field enclosed by an electrical circuit.
Electrostatics
study of electric charges at rest.
Transformers
Device that increases or decreases voltage in AC circuits in order to minimize energy lost during transmission.
Polarity
condition of a system that describes opposing physical characteristics.
Friction
The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another.
Solenoid
coil of wire, usually cylindrical, that uses electric current to create a magnetic field.
Armature
rotating part of an electric motor containing electromagnets.
device attached to the armature of a motor that provides an electrical connection and allows the direction of current to be changed periodically during the rotation of the motor.
Commutator
Galvanometer
instrument used to detect very small electric currents by detecting the magnetic force on a loop of wire.
Alternating
An electric current that reverses its direction many times a second at regular intervals, typically used in power supplies.