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What is electricity?
A form of energy that results from the interaction of charged particles, such as electrons or protons.
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What is static electricity?
An electric charge that tends to stay on the surface of an object, rather than flowing away quickly.
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What is charging by friction?
A process in which objects made from different materials rub against each other, producing a net static charge on each object.
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What is the electrostatic series?
A list of materials that have been arranged according to their ability to hold in to electrons.
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What is an insulator?
A material in which electrons cannot move easily from one atom to another.
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What is a conductor?
A material in which electrons can move easily from one atom to another.
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What is a semiconductor?
A material in which electrons can move fairly easily between atoms.
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What is a ground?
An object that can supply a large amount of electrons to, or can remove a very large amount of electrons from, a charged object; thus neutralizing the object.
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What is an electroscope?
A device for detecting the presence of an electric charge.
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What is charging by contact?
Generating a net charge on a neutral object by touching it with a charged object.
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What are laws of electric charge?
Laws that describe how two objects interact with each other when one or both are charged.
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What is an electric field?
A property of the space around a charged object, where the effects of its charge can be felt by other objects.
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What is induced charge separation?
The movement of electrons in a substance, caused by the electric field of a nearby object that is not in direct contact with the substance.
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What is an ion?
A positively or negatively charged atom or groups of atoms.
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What is a lightening rod?
A metal sphere or point that is attached to rhe highest part part of a building and connected to ground.
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What is an electrostatic precipitator?
A type of cleaner that removes unwanted particles and liquid droplets from a flow of gas.
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What is a Van de Graaff generator?
A device that accumulates very large charges.
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What is a radiation dosimeter?
A small device that detects and measures exposure to radiation.
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What is an electric circuit?
A closed path along which electrons that are powered by an energy source can flow.
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What is a voltaic cell?
A source of energy that generates an electric current by chemical reactions involving two different metals or metal compounds separated by a conducting solution.
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What is a battery?
A connection of two or more cells.
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What is an electrode?
One of two metal terminals in a cell or battery.
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What is an electrolyte?
A solution or paste that conducts charge.
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What is a dry cell?
A cell that contains an electrolyte made of paste.
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What is a wet cell?
A cell that contains a liquid electrolyte.
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What is a primary cell?
A cell that can only be used once.
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What is a secondary cell?
A cell that can be recharged.
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What is a fuel cell?
A cell that generates electricity through the chemical reactions of fuel that is stored outside the cell.
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What is a terminal?
A position on a cell that must be connected to other components to form a circuit.
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What is a switch?
A control device that can complete or break the circuit to which it is connected.
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What is an electric current?
A measure of the number of charged particles that pass by a point in an electric circuit every second.
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What is a coulomb(C)?
The quantity of charge that is equal to the charge of 6.25 x 10 to the 18 electrons.
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What is an ampere(A)?
The unit of electric current, equivalent to 1 coulomb per second.
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What is electrical resistance?
The property of a substance that hinders electric current and converts electrical energy to other forms of energy.
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What is a resistor?
A device used in an electric circuit to decrease the current through a component by a specific amount.
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What is a load?
A resistor or any other device that transforms electrical energy into heat, motion, sound or light.
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What is potential difference (voltage)?
The difference between the electric potential energy per unit of charge at two points in a circuit.
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What is a volt?
The unit for the potential difference; equivalent to one Joule (J) per coulomb.
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What is a circuit diagram?
A diagram that uses standard symbols to represent the components in an electric circuit and their connections.
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What is a series circuit?
A circuit in which there is only one path in which electrons can move along.
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What is a parallel circuit?
A circuit in which there is more then one path along which electrons can flow.
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What is an Ohm (Ω)?
The unit for resistance, equivalent to one volt per ampere (V/A).
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What is a superconductor?
A material through which electric charge can flow with no resistance.
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What is non-ohmic?
Not following Ohm's law.
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What is direct current (DC)?
Current in which charged particles travel through a circuit in only one direction.
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What is alternating current (AC)?
A current in which electrons move back and forth in a circuit.
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What is a transformer?
An electrical device that changes the size of the potential difference of an alternating current.
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What is a circuit breaker?
A safety device that is placed in series with other circuits that lead to appliances and outlets.
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What is a fuse?
A safety device that is found in older buildings and some appliances; like a circuit breaker, it is placed in series with other circuits that lead to appliances and outlets.
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What is electrical power?
The rate at which an appliance uses electrical energy.
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What is a watt (W)?
A unit of electrical power; 1 kilowatt= 1000 W.
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What is a kilowatt (kW)?
A practical unit of electrical power; 1 kW= 1000 W
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What is electrical energy?
The energy that is used by an appliance at a given setting; is determined by multiplying its power rating by the length of time it is used.
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What is a kilowatt-hour (kW•h)?
The practical unit of electrical energy.
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What is a smart meter?
A meter that records the total electrical energy used hour by hour and sends this information to the utility company automatically.
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What is time of use pricing?
A system of pricing in which the cost of each kW•h of energy used is different at different times of the day.
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What is a phantom load?
The electricity that is consumed by an appliance or device when it is turned off.
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What is efficiency?
The ratio of useful energy output to total energy input; expressed as a percentage.
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What is a base load?
The continuous minimum demand for electrical power.
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What is hydroelectrical power energy?
The production of electricity using a source of moving water.
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What is an intermediate load?
A demand for electricity that is greater than the base load that is met by burning coal and natural gas.
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What is a peak load?
The greatest demand for electricity, which is met by using hyrdoelectrical power and natural gas.
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What is a renewable energy source?
A source of energy that can be replaced in a relatively brief period of time.
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What is a non-renewable energy source?
A source of energy that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used.
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What is a wind farm?
Many large wind turbines at one location.
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What is solar energy?
Energy that is directly converted from the from the energy of the sun into electricity.
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What is the photovoltaic effect?
The generation of a direct current when certain materials are exposed to light.
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What is biomass energy?
Biomass Energy is defined by any organic materials that can be burned and used as a source of fuel.
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