Physical Sciences, Part 8

Question 1: Explain the following: direction of charge in circuits and temperature of amps in current.

Answer 1: The direction of current is the direction in which the positive charge is pushed. For example, charge is pushed from the positive to the negative terminal of a battery. The electrons that carry a negative charge in wires actually move in the opposite direction, toward the positive charge. Charge carriers in other circuits can be positive charges, negative charges, or both. In semiconductors and fluorescent lamps, for example, charge carriers are both positive and negative charges traveling at the same time in opposite directions. To put the concept of the temperature of amps in a current into perspective, it takes a current of about 10 amps to heat a wire. The maximum current for a house circuit is about 22 amps, and currents measuring above 25 amps can start fires.

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Question 2: Compare and contrast series and parallel circuits.

Answer 2: As they relate to electric current, series circuits are circuits in which there is only one path through which electrons can flow. If a load in this type of circuit is removed, disabled, or switched off, the circuit is open and electricity does not flow. A parallel circuit is one in which there is more than one path through which electrons can travel. In a series circuit, the same current flows through all components. In a parallel circuit, on the other hand, the same voltage exists across all parallel paths, though the current may be vastly different among them. An example of a series circuit is a string of old-fashioned Christmas tree lights. If one bulb breaks or comes loose, the entire string will not work.

Question 3: Briefly define volt, current, load, capacitors, Ohms, and Ohm’s law.

Answer 3: Volt (V): This is the measurement of the rate at which energy is drawn from a source in order to produce a flow of electric charge in a circuit. It is used to express the difference between high and low points of electric potential (also known as electric potential difference).Current: This is the flow of electricity measured in amperes (amps or A).Load: In electricity terms, a load is an electric device that uses the useful electric charge from a circuit.Capacitor: A capacitor is a component that stores electric charge. Capacitance, measured in Farads (F), refers to how much charge is stored per volt of charging potential. Ohm (O): An Ohm is a measurement unit of electric resistance. The symbol is the Greek letter omega.Ohm’s Law: This law is expressed as I = V/R. It states that current (in amps) is equal to the potential difference (in volts) divided by resistance (measured in Ohms). A graph with a straight line through the origin would depict Ohm’s law for a conductor with constant resistance.

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