Pye 211 D
Pye 211 D
Pye 211 D
Electricity
Electric Charge
can be broken
Voltage down into:
Current
Resistance
Negative & Positive Charges
What do the effects of electricity in TV,
radio, a battery, and lightening all have in
common?
Basic particles of electric charge with
opposite polarities.
Electrons
The smallest amount of electrical charge
having the quality called negative polarity.
Electrons orbit the center of atoms.
Protons
The proton is a basic particle with positive
polarity.
Protons are located in the nucleus of
atoms along with neutrons, particles which
have neutral polarity.
Electrically, all materials fall
into 1 of 3 classifications:
Conductors
Insulators
Semi-Conductors
Conductors
Have 1 valence electron
Materials in which electrons can move
freely from atom to atom are called
conductors.
In general all metals are good conductors.
The purpose of conductors is to allow
electrical current to flow with minimum
resistance.
Insulators
Have 8 valence electrons
Materials in which electrons tend to stay put and
do not flow easily from atom to atom are termed
insulators.
Insulators are used to prevent the flow of
electricity.
Insulating materials such as glass, rubber, or
plastic are also called dielectrics, meaning they
can store charges.
Dielectric materials are used in components like
capacitors which must store electric charges.
Semi-Conductors
Have 4 valence electrons
Materials which are neither conductors nor
insulators
Common semi conductor materials are carbon,
germanium and silicone.
Used in components like transistors
The Symbol for Charge
The symbol for charge is Q which stands
for quantity.
The practical unit of charge is called the
coulomb (C).
One coulomb is equal to the amount of
charge of 6.25X1018 electrons or protons
stored in a dielectric.
Voltage
Potential refers to the the possibility of doing
work.
Any charge has the potential to do the work of
attracting a similar charge or repulsing an
opposite charge.
The symbol for potential difference is E (for
electromotive force)
The practical unit of potential difference is the
volt (V)
1 volt is a measure of the amount of work
required to move 1C of charge
Current
When a charge is forced to move because
of a potential difference (voltage) current is
produced.
In conductors - free electrons can be
forced to move with relative ease, since
they require little work to be moved.
So current is charge in motion.
The more electrons in motion the greater
the current.
Amperes