Vocab
a basic property of atoms, can be positive or negative
electric charge
All matter is made of tiny particles called
atoms
the flow of electrons through a wire (key word flow, like a river moving)
electric current
the path that an electric current takes is called a
circuit
lets electric current flow though easily
conductors
the space in which an electric force acts
electric field
Atoms contain even smaller particles called
electrons
electrical energy must change into other forms of ___ to be useful
energy
a simple electric current has ___ main parts
4
copper wires are usually coated with plastic or rubber which makes them safe to touch, the coating is an
insulator
material that allows electric current to pass through it
conductor
Electrons have a __ charge
negative
when you switch on a light, the current flows though wires to the light bulb which causes a wire or gas inside the bulb to give off heat and _____, this is ____ energy
light, light
anything that supplies the current, like a battery, is called the
(electrical) source
most power lines do or do not have insulation around them
DO NOT
how much material resists the flow of electric current
resistance
T/F Electrons can move from atom to atom and from one object to another
true
toasters and hair dryers use electricity to produce ___ energy
heat
load
any device that uses the current
name 3 conductors
aluminum, copper, iron, steel, gold
an incomplete path for the flow of electric current
open circuit
The number of ___ on the surface of an object can make the object have a negative or positive charge.
electrons
what people call electrical current
electricity
circuit can only move in a __ circuit
closed
name 3 insulators
most plastics, rubber, glass, wood, cloth