Unit 6 Apex Flascards: It's Electric!

Front 1

atom

Back 1

The smallest particle of an element that still retains the properties of that element.

Front 2

charging by conduction

Back 2

The process of transferring charge through contact between two materials.

Front 3

charging by induction

Back 3

The process of rearranging an object's electrons by bringing a charged object near it.

Front 4

conductor

Back 4

A material that allows its electrons to move freely.

Front 5

Coulomb's Law

Back 5

A law that states that like charges repel while opposite charges attract, and that the closer two charges are together, the larger the force between them.

Front 6

current

Back 6

The movement of electric charge.

Front 7

electric field

Back 7

A force field produced by electrically charged objects.

Front 8

electron

Back 8

A tiny, negatively charged particle that orbits an atom's nucleus.

Front 9

insulator

Back 9

A material that holds tightly to its electrons.

Front 10

inverse square law

Back 10

A law in which the denominator has a value that's squared.

Front 11

law of conservation of charge

Back 11

A law that says that the total amount of charge in the universe doesn't change.

Front 12

model

Back 12

A simplified representation used to explain the workings of a real-world system or event.

Front 13

neutron

Back 13

A particle with no charge that lives inside an atom's nucleus.

Front 14

proton

Back 14

A positively charged particle that lives inside an atom's nucleus.

Front 15

semiconductor

Back 15

A material that acts like a conductor under special circumstances.

Front 16

static

Back 16

Stationary, or fixed in place.

Front 17

static electricity

Back 17

The accumulation of excess electrical charge.

Front 18

superconductor

Back 18

A substance that has no resistance to conducting an electric current.

Front 19

ampere

Back 19

The unit of current.

Front 20

circuit

Back 20

A closed path where electric current can flow.

Front 21

circuit board

Back 21

A board on which electronic components and their interconnecting circuits are mounted.

Front 22

circuit breaker

Back 22

A piece of flexible metal that, when it carries too much current, flips and shuts down its circuit.

Front 23

conventional current

Back 23

The accepted direction of current flow, from positive to negative.

Front 24

electric power

Back 24

The amount of energy an electrical device uses in one second.

Front 25

filament

Back 25

The tiny wire that connects the two larger wires in a light bulb. This tiny wire is what glows to give off light.

Front 26

fuse

Back 26

A safety device placed in an electric circuit that melts and breaks the circuit whenever it gets too hot.

Front 27

hydroelectric power

Back 27

Electric power produced by water falling over a dam in a river.

Front 28

ohm

Back 28

The unit of resistance.

Front 29

Ohm's Law

Back 29

Current is proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance. Also known as V = I x R.

Front 30

open circuit

Back 30

A circuit that has an opening that prevents current from completing a complete loop.

Front 31

parallel circuit

Back 31

A circuit in which multiple paths exist for current to flow.

Front 32

resistance

Back 32

The tendency for a material to oppose the flow of electrons.

Front 33

resistor

Back 33

A device that resists the flow of current through a circuit.

Front 34

series circuit

Back 34

A circuit in which resistors are arranged one after the other, in series, and current has a single path it can follow.

Front 35

short circuit

Back 35

A case in which two conductors accidentally touch and all resistance in a circuit is bypassed. It causes a very high current and can produce hazardous conditions.

Front 36

switch

Back 36

A lever used to open and close a circuit, turning it off or on.

Front 37

voltage

Back 37

A quantity related to electric fields that makes electric charges want to move. Also known as potential difference.

Front 38

anatomist

Back 38

An expert in the study of anatomy.

Front 39

electric motor

Back 39

A device that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy.

Front 40

electromagnet

Back 40

An object that becomes magnetized only when electricity flows through it.

Front 41

electron domains

Back 41

Atoms whose magnetic poles can align with those around them.

Front 42

generators

Back 42

Devices that convert mechanical or heat energy to electric energy.

Front 43

magnetic

Back 43

Having the ability to attract iron or steel.

Front 44

magnetic field

Back 44

A region of space that interacts with magnets and produces forces of attraction and repulsion.

Front 45

north pole

Back 45

The end of a magnet out of which magnetic field lines point.

Front 46

permanent magnet

Back 46

A material that always stays magnetized.

Front 47

serendipitous

Back 47

Discovered by accident.

Front 48

south pole

Back 48

The end of a magnet into which magnetic field lines point.

Front 49

temporary magnet

Back 49

A metallic object whose electron domains temporarily align due to an external magnetic field.