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Definition
| A flow of positive charges that move from higher potential to lower potential |
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Definition
| Any closed loop or conducting path allowing electric charges to flow |
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Definition
| A property that determines how much current will flow; equal to voltage divided by current |
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| A device with a specific resistance; may be made of long, thin wires; graphite; or semiconductors and often is used to control the current in circuits or parts of circuits |
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Definition
| A type of connection in which the circuit component and the voltmeter are aligned parallel to one another in the circuit and there are two or more current paths to follow (the potential difference across the voltmeter equals the potential difference across the circuit element) |
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Definition
| A connection with only one current path |
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| A material with zero resistance |
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Definition
| A flow of electric charge, or electric current, equal to one coulomb per second (1C/s) |
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Definition
| 1000 watts delivered continuously for one hour, or 3.6x10^6 |
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Definition
| A type of electric circuit in which there are several current paths; its total current is equal to the sum of the currents in the individual branches, and if any branch is opened, the current in the other branches remains unchanged |
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Term
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Definition
| A high-resistance device used to measure the voltage drop across any portion of a circuit and is connected in parallel with the part of the circuit being measured |
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Term
| Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) |
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Definition
| A device that contains an electronic circuit that detects small current differences caused by an extra current path; it opens the circuit, prevents electrocution, and often is required as a safety measure |
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Term
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Definition
| A short piece of metal that acts as a safety device in an electric circuit by melting and stopping the current from flowing if a dangerously high current passes through the circuit |
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Term
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Definition
| For resistors in a series, is the sum of all the individual resistances |
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Term
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Definition
| An automatic switch that acts as a safety device in an electric circuit by opening and stopping the current flow when too much current flows through a circuit |
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Definition
| A device made up of several galvanic cells connected together that converts chemical energy to electric energy |
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Term
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Definition
| A low-resistance device connected in series that is used to measure the electric current in any part of a circuit |
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Term
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Definition
| The study of electric charges that can be collected and held in one place |
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Term
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Definition
| When the positive charge of the nucleus equals the negative charge of the surrounding electrons |
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Term
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Definition
| A material through which a charge will not move easily |
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Term
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Definition
| A material that allows charges to move about easily |
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Term
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Definition
| A device used to determine charge. Consists of a metal knob connected by a metal stem to two thin pieces of metal foil, called leaves |
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Term
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Definition
| Charging a neutral body by touching it with a charged body |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of charging an object without touching it, by bringing a charged object close to a neutral object, causing a separation of charges, then separating the object to be charged, trapping opposite but equal charges |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of connecting a body to Earth to eliminate excess charge |
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Term
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Definition
| The magnitude of the force between two charges is proportional to the magnitude of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them |
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Term
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Definition
| The SI standard unit of charge; the magnitude of the charge of 6.24x10^18 electrons or protons |
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Term
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Definition
| The magnitude of the charge of an electron |
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Term
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Definition
| The field that exists around any charged object; produces forces that can do work, transferring energy from the field to another charged object |
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Term
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Definition
| Lines that provide a picture of an electric field, indicate the field's strength by the spacing between the lines, never cross, and are directed toward negative charges and away from positive charges |
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Term
| Electric Potential Difference |
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Definition
| The change in potential energy per unit charge in an electric field; change in voltage |
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Term
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Definition
| The unit equal to one joule per coulomb, 1 J/C |
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Term
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Definition
| Whenever the electric potential difference between two or more positions is zero |
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Term
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Definition
| An electric device used to store charge that is made up of two conductors separated by an insulator |
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Term
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Definition
| The ratio of an object's stored charge to its electric potential difference |
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Term
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Definition
| A flow of charged particles |
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