Voltage
- A force that pushes the current through
- Measured in volts
Resistance
- Friction that impedes the flow of current through the circuit
- Measured in Ohms
- Lower the resistance the easier it is for the electrons to pass through a material
- Can be used to convert electrical energy into useful light energy and wasted heat energy (voltage drop)
- Factors of resistance
- Material of wire
- Length of wire
- Thickness of wire
Electric Circuit
- Path travelled by the electrons to deliver the energy is called an electric circuit
- And break in the circuit will stop the flow of electrons
- The current goes from the negative to positive end of the battery and the circuit should start and end at the battery
- Circuit symbols are used to show an electric circuit
Simple Circuit
- Series Circuit
- All resistors are placed in a row
- 1 path for electricity
- 1 light goes out and the circuit is broken
- Parallel circuit
- Many paths for electricity
- 1 light goes out and the others stay on
Series Circuit
- Current flowing through each resistor is the same
- Current =
- Voltage across each resistor is different
- Resistance =
Parallel circuit
- Voltage across each resister is same
- Voltage =
- To calculate total resistance in parallel circuit,
Cell and Battery
Cell | Battery |
---|---|
- Single Unit Device - Typical Cell has voltage of 1.5 V | - Group of cells - Voltage can be calculated by adding voltage of individual cells |