Electrostatics
The study of electric charges at rest
Electric forces
Forces caused by the interaction between two or more electric charges. Like charges cause a repelling charge, unlike charges cause an attractive force
Charge
The fundamental electrical property to which the electrical forces are attributed
Proton
fundamental positive (+) charge carrier existing in the nucleus of an atom
Conservation of charge
The idea that net electric charge (sum of all charges) is not created nor destroyed, but in transferable from one material to another
Coulomb
The unit for electric charge, 1 Coulomb of (-) charge would contain 6.25x10^30 electrons, 1 Coulomb of (+) would contain 6.25x10^30 protons
Conductor
A material that allows charge to flow through it, usually metallic in nature due to loosely held outside valence shell electrons
Insulator
A material that does not allow charge to flow through it, usually non-metallic in nature due to tightly held outside shell electrons
Induced
i) the redistribution of charge on an object due to the presence of a charged object nearby
ii) the creation of an electric field or magnetic field due to the interaction of electric charges and magnetic fields
Induction
the charging of objects without direct contact
Grounding
allowing charges to move freely back and forth between the ground and a conductor
Electrically polarized
The term applied to an atom or molecule where one side is slightly more positive or negatively charged
Monopole
the existence of one side of polar opposites without the existence of another
Electric field
and area of space around an electric charge, where another electric charge will feel a force
Electric field direction
the direction of an electric field is the direction that a (+) electric charge would move if it were in the field
Electrical potential energy
the energy that a charge has due to its position in an electric field
Electric potential
Electrical potential energy per charge at a specific location in an electric field
Volt
(V) - Unit for electrical potential energy 1 volt is a Joule per Coulomb or J/C
Potential difference
a difference in electrical from one position in an electric field to another
Voltage
(V) - commonly used term when referring to either electric potential, or potential difference
Electric current
(I) - The flow of electric charge per time
Ampere
(A) - the unit for electric current 1 amp is a Coulomb per second or 1A = 1C/s
Voltage source
A source of electrical potential energy which when introduced in a circuit causes the flow of electric current
Battery
A voltage source that uses chemicals reactions to separate electrical charges, placing an excess of electrons on the (-) terminal and leaving an excess of protons on the (+) terminal. Batteries provide the electrical energy or voltage to force direct curr
Generator
A voltage source that uses relative motion between a magnetic field and a wire coil to generate changing electric fields. Generators transform mechanical energy into electrical energy. Generators provide the electrical energy or changing voltage to push a
Electric resistance
(R) - A measure of the resistance that a material has to the flow of electric current
Ohm
(?) - the unit for electrical resistance
Ohm's Law
V=IxR, or C=V/R, R=V/I
Ammeter
an electric current measuring tool that is placed directly into a circuit to ensure that the current being measured travels through the ammeter
Direct current
(DC) - is current that flows in one direction, an example is the current that flows when connected to a battery
Alternating current
(AC) - is current that alternates the direction of its flow, an example is current that is created by a generator, AC is used in homes and buildings
Electric power
Power is energy per second so electric power is the amount of energy per second provided by a voltage source or used by an electrical device. P=IV=V^2/R=I^2R
Circuit
any complete path of conductors along which charge can flow
Resistor
an element of a circuit with two terminals used to manipulate the resulting in only one path for current to flow.
Parallel circuit
A circuit where the resistors are connected to the same two junction points, so that any single resistor completes the circuit independently of the others
Schematic diagram
A drawing of the elements contained in a ciruit
Equivalent resistance
the resulting resistance of a circuit, after all component resistors are taken into account
Voltage drop
When current flows through a resistor the potential energy per charge (V) is decreased by a value equal to I x R. This decrease in electrical potential is referred to as a voltage drop
Magnetic field
An area around a magnet where magnetic forces can be detected
Magnetic field direction
magnetic field lines leave the north pole of a magnet and enter the south pole of a magnet
Magnetic domain
A clump of magnetically aligned atoms, found primarily in the metals iron, nickel, and cobalt
Electromadnet
A device that contains and iron core with conducting coils wrapped around it, which when current flows through the conductor, a large magnetic field can be induced
Right hand rules
using the right hand to model the direction of magnetic fields, direction of electric current, and direction of the force on a conductor
Motor
A device that changes electrical energy into mechanical energy
Mechanical energy
Energy due to the position of movement of something (KE or PE)
Transformer
a device that provides an output voltage that is different from the input voltage
Input voltage
(Vp) - the magnitude of the voltage that is supplied to a transformer (put in)
Output Voltage
(Vs) - the magnitude of the voltage that is supplied by a transformer (taken out)
Primary coil
(Np) - The transformer coil that holds the input voltage
Secondary coil
(Ns) - The transformer coil that holds the output voltage
Faraday's Law
the induced voltage in a coil of wire is proportional to the product of the number of coils in the loop and the rate at which the magnetic field changes within the loop
Electromagnetic induction
inducing a voltage in a conductor by changing the magnetic field around the conductor