Electricity Glossary and Terms

• Ampere: An ampere is a unit of measurement used to measure electric current.

  • An Introduction to Amperes

  • What Is an Ampere?

• Alternating Current (AC): Alternating current is electric current that alternates directions. It's the most frequently used type of power sent through power lines.

  • What Is Alternating Current (AC)?

• Battery: A battery is a chemical cell that can store electricity. Batteries are used to power a wide array of devices, from small toys to large machinery and computers.

  • How a Battery Works

• Capacitor: Two electrical conductors with an insulator in between make up a capacitor, which stores electric charge.

  • What Is a Capacitor?

  • Capacitors

• Conductor: Conductors are materials that allow electrical charge to pass through easily. The most common conductor is copper wire.

  • What Are Conductors and Insulators?

  • Forces on Conductors

• Coulomb's Law: Charged particles exhibit an electrostatic interaction, and this law describes this interaction in detail.

  • Coulomb's Law

  • Coulomb's Law of Electric Charge

• Diode: A diode is a device that regulates the direction in which current can flow.

  • Diodes as a Circuit Element

  • The Diode Theory

• Direct Current (DC): Direct current is a type of electric current that only flows in one direction.

  • Direct Current Transmission Lines

  • The Direct Current Generator

• Electric Charge: Electric charge is determined by whether something contains more protons, which are positively charged particles, or electrons, which are negatively charged particles.

  • Electric Charge, Force, and Field Problems

  • Electric Charge

• Electric Circuit: When electronic components are connected by a wire that allows electric current to flow, it makes an electric circuit.

  • Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering

  • Electric Circuits

• Electric Current: Measured in amperes, electric current is the flow of electric charge through a material.

  • Electric Current

  • Electricity and Electric Currents in the Atmosphere

• Electric Potential: Measured in volts, the electric potential is the difference in electrical charge between two points.

  • Electric Potential and Capacitance

  • Electric Potential

• Electromagnetism: Electric currents and magnetic fields interact in different ways, and this interaction is electromagnetism.

  • Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave

• Electron: Electrons are negatively charged particles that carry electricity by jumping from one atom to the next.

  • The Equation of Motion of an Electron

• Farad: Capacitance, or the ability to store an electric charge, is measured in Farads.

  • How is Electricity Generated?

  • What Is a Farad?

• Henry: A henry is a unit of measurement of inductance.

  • Measurements of Electrical Quantities

• Inductor: An inductor resists changes in electrical current. This resistance is measured in henrys.

  • All About Inductors

• Insulator: An insulator prevents the flow of an electric current.

  • Electrical Insulators

• Magnetic Field: Electric currents and electric materials interact to create a magnetic influence known as a magnetic field.

  • Magentic Fields and How to Make Them

• Ohm: An ohm is the unit of measurement for resistance.

  • Ohms: Definition and Formula

• Ohm's Law: Known as V = IR, Ohm's law describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance.

  • Understanding Ohm's Law

  • Ohm's Law and Why We Care About Resistance

  • Ohm's Law for Beginners and Novices to the Field of Electricity

• Resistor: A resistor is something that prevents electric current from flowing.

  • What Is a Resistor?

  • Resistors

• Semiconductor: Semiconductors are in between conductors and insulators, carrying electrons well or less well depending on other variables.

  • What Are Semiconductors?

• Static Electricity: When an electric charge builds up on an object, it is known as static electricity.

  • Questions and Answers: Static Electricity

  • Static Electricity Experiments

• Transformer: A transformer moves electrical energy between two winding circuits using inductive coupling.

  • Practical Transformer Model and Calculations

  • Power Transformer Open and Short Circuit Tests

• Transistor: A transistor is a device that acts as a gate or amplifier for electric current.

  • Theory of Transistors and Other Semiconductor Devices

• Volt: Electric potential is measured in volts.

  • Electric Potential

• Watt: Electric power is measured in watts.

  • What Are Watts?