| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| charge | A fundamental property of matter that causes objects to experience forces in electric fields; can be positive or negative. |
| charge carrier | Particles, typically electrons, that carry electric charge and constitute electric current in a conductor. |
| conductor | A material that allows electric charge to move through it, with resistivity that typically increases with temperature. |
| conventional current | The direction of current defined as the direction in which positive charge would move through a circuit. |
| current | The flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured as the amount of charge passing through a cross-section per unit time. |
| current density | The amount of electric current flowing per unit cross-sectional area of a conductor; a vector quantity. |
| drift velocity | The average velocity at which charge carriers move through a conductor in response to an applied electric field. |
| electric field | A vector field that represents the force per unit charge exerted on a test charge at any point in space due to a charge distribution. |
| electric potential difference | The difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit, measured in volts. |
| electromotive force | The energy per unit charge provided by a source to move charge through a circuit; also called emf. |
| electron | Negatively charged particles that are the primary charge carriers in most common electrical circuits. |
| resistivity | A fundamental property of a material that quantifies how strongly the material opposes the motion of electric charge, depending on the material's atomic and molecular structure. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| circuit schematic | A diagram representation used to describe and analyze electric circuits using standardized symbols. |
| closed circuit | A circuit in which charges are able to flow through a complete path. |
| conventional current | The direction of current defined as the direction in which positive charge would move through a circuit. |
| electric potential difference | The difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit, measured in volts. |
| electrical loop | A closed path in a circuit through which electric charge can flow. |
| open circuit | A circuit in which charges are not able to flow due to a break in the path. |
| short circuit | A circuit in which charges are able to flow with no change in potential difference. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| conductor | A material that allows electric charge to move through it, with resistivity that typically increases with temperature. |
| cross-sectional area | The area of the surface perpendicular to the direction of current flow through a conductor. |
| current | The flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured as the amount of charge passing through a cross-section per unit time. |
| electric potential difference | The difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit, measured in volts. |
| Ohm's law | A fundamental relationship stating that current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it and inversely proportional to its resistance, expressed as I = ΔV/R. |
| ohmic materials | Materials that obey Ohm's law and maintain constant resistance regardless of the current flowing through them. |
| resistance | The opposition to the flow of electric current in a circuit, measured in ohms (Ω). |
| resistivity | A fundamental property of a material that quantifies how strongly the material opposes the motion of electric charge, depending on the material's atomic and molecular structure. |
| resistor | A circuit element that dissipates electrical energy and opposes the flow of current, characterized by resistance R. |
| thermal energy | Energy dissipated in the form of heat when electrical energy is converted within a circuit element. |
| uniform geometry | A resistor with constant cross-sectional area and composition throughout its length. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| circuit element | A component in an electric circuit, such as a resistor or lightbulb, through which current flows and across which a potential difference exists. |
| current | The flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured as the amount of charge passing through a cross-section per unit time. |
| electric potential difference | The difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit, measured in volts. |
| energy transfer | The movement of energy from one location, system, or form to another within an electric circuit. |
| power | The rate at which energy is transferred, converted, or dissipated by a circuit element, measured in watts. |
| resistance | The opposition to the flow of electric current in a circuit, measured in ohms (Ω). |
| thermal energy | Energy dissipated in the form of heat when electrical energy is converted within a circuit element. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ammeter | An instrument used to measure electric current at a specific point in a circuit. |
| current | The flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured as the amount of charge passing through a cross-section per unit time. |
| electric potential difference | The difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit, measured in volts. |
| emf | The electromotive force; the potential difference a battery would supply if it were ideal, measured across the terminals when there is no current flowing. |
| equivalent resistance | The single resistance value that can replace a combination of resistors in a circuit, producing the same effect on current and voltage. |
| ideal ammeter | A theoretical ammeter with zero resistance that measures current without affecting the circuit. |
| ideal battery | A theoretical battery with negligible internal resistance that maintains a constant potential difference regardless of the current flowing through it. |
| ideal voltmeter | A theoretical voltmeter with infinite resistance that measures potential difference without allowing charge to flow through it. |
| ideal wires | Theoretical wires with negligible resistance that do not affect the potential difference in a circuit. |
| internal resistance | The resistance within a battery that reduces the potential difference available to the external circuit when current flows through the battery. |
| nonideal ammeter | A real ammeter with some resistance that can alter the properties of the circuit being measured. |
| nonideal battery | A real battery that has internal resistance and therefore experiences a reduction in terminal voltage when current flows through it. |
| nonideal voltmeter | A real voltmeter with finite resistance that can alter the properties of the circuit being measured. |
| parallel connection | A circuit configuration in which circuit elements are connected along multiple paths, allowing charge to flow through more than one route with the same potential difference across each path. |
| resistance | The opposition to the flow of electric current in a circuit, measured in ohms (Ω). |
| resistive wires | Wires in a circuit that have measurable resistance and can affect the overall circuit behavior. |
| series connection | A circuit configuration in which circuit elements are connected one after another, so that charge must pass through each element sequentially with no alternative paths available. |
| terminal voltage | The potential difference measured across the terminals of a battery, which equals the emf minus the voltage drop due to internal resistance when current is flowing. |
| voltmeter | An instrument used to measure the electric potential difference between two points in a circuit. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| circuit element | A component in an electric circuit, such as a resistor or lightbulb, through which current flows and across which a potential difference exists. |
| closed loop | A complete path in a circuit that starts and ends at the same point, allowing current to flow continuously. |
| conservation of energy | The principle that the total energy in an isolated system remains constant, with energy transforming between different forms but never being created or destroyed. |
| electric potential | The electric potential energy per unit charge at a point in space, describing the work done per unit charge to move a test charge from a reference point to that location. |
| electric potential difference | The difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit, measured in volts. |
| Kirchhoff's loop rule | A principle stating that the sum of potential differences across all circuit elements in a single closed loop must equal zero, based on conservation of energy. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| conservation of electric charge | The principle that the total electric charge in an isolated system remains constant over time. |
| current | The flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured as the amount of charge passing through a cross-section per unit time. |
| junction | A point in a circuit where two or more conductors meet, allowing current to split or combine. |
| Kirchhoff's junction rule | A principle stating that the total amount of electric charge entering a junction per unit time must equal the total amount of charge exiting that junction per unit time, based on conservation of electric charge. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| asymptotic approach | The behavior of a quantity that approaches a final value over time but never quite reaches it, as seen in RC circuit charging and discharging. |
| capacitor in parallel | Capacitors connected with their plates connected together, where each capacitor experiences the same voltage. |
| capacitor in series | Capacitors connected end-to-end in a single path, where the same charge accumulates on each capacitor plate. |
| charging capacitor | A capacitor in a circuit that is accumulating charge, with its charge increasing from zero toward a maximum value over time. |
| conservation of electric charge | The principle that the total electric charge in an isolated system remains constant over time. |
| differential equation | A mathematical equation that relates a function to its derivatives, used to describe how quantities change over time. |
| discharging capacitor | A capacitor in a circuit that is losing charge, with its charge decreasing from a maximum value toward zero over time. |
| electric potential energy stored in the capacitor | The energy stored in the electric field between the capacitor plates, which changes as the capacitor charges or discharges. |
| equivalent capacitance | The single capacitance value that can replace a combination of capacitors in a circuit while maintaining the same electrical behavior. |
| Kirchhoff's loop rule | A principle stating that the sum of potential differences across all circuit elements in a single closed loop must equal zero, based on conservation of energy. |
| potential difference across a capacitor | The voltage between the plates of a capacitor, which changes over time during charging and discharging and reaches a constant value at steady state. |
| RC circuit | A circuit containing a resistor and capacitor in combination, where the charge and current change over time as the capacitor charges or discharges. |
| steady state | A condition reached after a long time interval where circuit quantities no longer change with time. |
| time constant | A characteristic parameter that measures how quickly a circuit reaches steady state, calculated differently for RC and LR circuits. |