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Electricity
a form of energy that results from the interaction of charged particles, such as electrons or protons
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Static Charge/Static Electricity
an electric charge that tends to stay on the surface of an object, rather than flowing away quickly
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Charging by friction
a process in which objects made from different materials rub against each other, producing a net static charge on each
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Electrostatic series
A list of materials that have been arranged according to their ability to hold onto electrons
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Insulator
a material in which the electrons cannot move easily from one atom to another
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Conductor
a material in which electrons can move easily between atoms
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Semiconductor
a material in which electrons can move fairly well between atoms
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Ground
An object that can supply a very large number of electrons to, or can remove a very large number of electrons from, a charged object, thus neutralizing the object
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Electroscope
a device for detecting the presence of an electric charge
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Charging by contact
generating a charge on a neutral object by touching it with a charged object
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Laws of electric charges
Laws that describe how two objects interact electrically when one or both are charged
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Electric Field
A property of the space around a charged object, where the effect of its charge can be felt by other objects
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Induced Charge Separation
The movement of electrons in a substance, caused by the electric field of a nearby charged object, without direct contact between the substance and the object
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Ion
a charged atom or group of atoms
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Lightning rod
A metal sphere or point, attached to the highest part of a building and connected to the ground
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Electrostatic precipitator
A type of cleaner that removes unwanted particles and liquid droplets from a flow of gas
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Van de Graaff Generator
a device that accumulates very large charges
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Radiation Dosimeter
A small device that detects and measures exposure to radiation
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Electric Circuit
A closed path along which electrons that are powered by an energy source can flow
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Voltaic Cell
A source of energy that generates an electric current by chemical reactions involving two different metals or middle compounds separated by a solution that is a conductor
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Battery
A collection of 2 or more cells
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Electrode
One of 2 metal terminals in a cell or battery
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Electrolyte
A solution or paste that conducts charge
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Dry cell
A cell that contains an electrolyte that is a paste
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Wet cell
A cell that contains a liquid electrolyte
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Primary Cell
A cell that can only be used once
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Secondary cell
A cell that can be recharged
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Fuel cell
A cell that generates electricity through the chemical reactions of fuel that is stored outside the cell
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Terminal
location on a cell that must be connected to other components to form a circuit
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Switch
a control device that can complete or break the circuit to which it is connected
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Open circuit
a circuit that contains a gap or break
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Electric current
The rate of movement of electric charge
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Coulomb (C)
The quantity of charge that is equal to the charge of 6.25×10 to the power of 18 electrons
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Ampere (A)
The unit of electric current, equivalent to one Coulomb per second
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Electrical Resistance
The property of a substance that hinders electric current and converts electrical energy to other forms of energy
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Resistor
A device used in an electric circuit to decrease the current through a component by a specific amount
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Load
A resistor or any other device that transforms electrical energy into heat, motion, sound, or light
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Potential Difference (voltage)
The difference between the electric potential energy per unit of charge at two points in a circuit
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Volt
The unit for potential difference, equivalent to one joule per coulomb
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Circuit diagram
A diagram that uses standard symbols to represent the components in an electric circuit and their connections
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Series circuit
a circuit in which there is only one path along which electrons can flow
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Parallel Circuit
A circuit in which there is more than one path along which electrons can flow
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Ohm's Law
The ratio of potential difference to crew is a constant called resistance
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Ohm (Ω)
The unit for resistance, equivalent to 1 V per ampere
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Superconductor
A material through which electric charge can flow with no resistance
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Non-ohmic
Not following Ohm's Law
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DC
current in which charged particles travel through a circuit in only one direction
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AC
current in which electrons move back and forth in a circuit
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Transformer
an electrical device that changes the size of the potential difference of an alternating current
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Circuit Breaker
A safety device that is placed in series with other circuits, which lead to appliances and outlets
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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 which lead to appliances and outlets
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Electrical Power
The rate at which an appliance uses electrical energy
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Watt (W)
A unit of electrical power
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Kilowatt (kW)
A practical unit of electrical power (1kW=1000W
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Electrical energy
The energy that is used by an appliance at a given setting determined by multiplying the power rating of an appliance by the length of time it is used
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Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
The practical unit of electrical energy
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EnerGuide Label
A label that gives details about how much energy an appliance uses in one year of normal use
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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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Time of Use pricing
A system of pricing in which the cost of each kWh of energy used is different at different times of the day
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Phantom Load
The electricity that is consumed by an appliance or device when it is turned off
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Efficiency
The ratio of useful energy output to total energy input, expressed as a percentage
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Base Load
The continuous minimum demand for electrical power
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Hydroelectric power generation
The generation of electrical power using a source of moving water
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Intermediate Load
A demand for electricity that is greater than the baseload and is met by burning coal and natural gas
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Peak Load
The greatest demand for electricity, which is met by using hydroelectric power and natural gas
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Renewable Energy Source
A source of energy that can be replaced in a relatively short period of time
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Non-renewable energy source
A source of energy that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used
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Wind Farm
Many large wind turbines at one location
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Solar energy
Energy that is directly converted from the sun into electricity
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Photovoltaic effect
The generation of a direct current when certain materials are exposed to light
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Biomass Energy
Energy that is generated from plant and animal matter
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