Physics Key Words Essay Example for Free

Physics Key Words Essay Capacitance: ratio of charge stored per increase in potential difference. Capacitor: electrical device used to store charge and energy in the electrical field. Charged : object that has an unbalance of positive and negative electrical charges. Charging by conduction: process of charging by touching neutral object to a charged object. Charging by induction: process of charging by bringing neutral object near charged object, then removing part of resulting separated charge. Effective current: DC current that would produce the same heating effects. Effective voltage: DC potential difference that would produce the same heating effects. Electrical charge pump: device, often a battery or generator, that increase potential of electrical charge. Electrical circuit: continuous path through which electrical charges can flow. Electrical current: flow of charged particles. Electrical field: property of space around a charged object that causes forces on other charged objects. Electric field lines: lines representing the direction of electric field. Electric field strength: ratio of force exerted by field on a tiny test charge to that change. Electric generator: device converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Electric potential: ratio of electric potential energy to charge. Electric potential difference: difference in electric potential between two points. Electric potential energy: energy of a charged body in an electrical field. Electron gas model: description of current flow through conductors. Electroscope: device to detect electric charges. Electrostatics: study of properties and results of electric charges at rest. Equivalent resistance: single resistance that could replace several resistors. Galvanometer: device used to measure very small currents. Ohm: SI unit of resistance; one volt per ampere. Â  Ohm’s law: resistance of object is constant, independent of voltage across it. Piezoelectricity: electric potential produced by deforming material. Potential difference: difference in electric potential between two points. Potential energy: energy of object due to its position or state. Potentiometer: electrical device with variable resistance; rheostat. Power: rate of doing work; rate of energy conversion. Resistance: ratio of potential difference across device to current through it. Resistance force: force exerted by a machine. Resistor: device designed to have a specific resistance. Resultant: vector sum of two or more vectors. Semiconductor: material in which electrical conduction is smaller than that in a conductor, but more than in insulator. Series circuit: circuit in which electrical current flows through each component, one after another. Series connection: arrangement of electrical devices so that there is only one path through which current can flow. Short circuit: low resistance connection between two points, often accidental. Watt: unit of power, one joule per second.