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Definitions

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Definitions and Concepts for Edexcel Physics GCSE

Topic 10: Electricity and Circuits

Definitions in ​bold ​are for higher tier only

Definitions marked by ‘*’ are for separate sciences only

Alternating Current:​ Current flow consisting of charges that continually change


direction. These oscillations usually occur at a set frequency.

Ammeter:​ A device connected in series with a component to measure the current


that flows through it.

Amperes (Amps): ​The unit of current.

Circuit Breaker:​ A safety device that cuts off the power supply if a surge of
current passes through it. Circuit breakers can be reset and are quicker acting
than fuses.

Coulomb: ​The unit of charge.

Currents at a Junction: ​The sum of the currents entering a junction must always
equal the sum of the currents leaving it. This is a consequence of the conservation
of charge.

Diode:​ A component that only allows current to flow through in the forward
direction. They have very large resistances in the reverse direction.

Direct Current: ​Current flow consisting of charges flowing in a single direction


only. Batteries and cells provide direct current.

Earth Wire: ​The green and yellow striped safety wire connected to metal casings,
that prevents an appliance from becoming live.

Electric Current: ​The rate of flow of electrical charge. Its value is the same at any
position in a single closed loop. In metals, the charges that flow are electrons.

Energy Transfers in Circuits:​ Electrical energy is transferred to thermal energy


when current does work against a resistance. In metals this is a result of collisions
between electrons and ions.

This work by PMT Education is licensed under https://bit.ly/pmt-cc


https://bit.ly/pmt-edu-cc CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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Filament Lamp: ​A light emitting component consisting of an enclosed metal
filament. Its resistance increases as the filament’s temperature increases.

Fuse:​ A safety device consisting of a thin metal filament that melts and cuts off the
power supply if there is a surge in current. Fuses are connected to the live wire.

Light Dependent Resistor (LDR):​ A light sensitive component whose resistance


decreases as its temperature increases.

Light Emitting Diode: ​A device that gives out light when a current flows through
it. Current can only flow through it in one direction, and a minimum voltage must
be applied across it before it illuminates.

Live Wire: ​The brown coloured wire that carries the alternating current from the
supply in a mains power supply.

Mains Electricity: ​An a.c supply, which in the UK has a frequency of 50Hz a
value of 230V.

Neutral Wire: ​The blue coloured wire that completes the circuit in a mains power
supply.

Ohmic Conductor:​ A conductor whose current flow is directly proportional to the


potential difference across it, when held at a constant temperature.

Ohms: ​The unit of resistance.

Ohm’s Law:​ The current flowing through an Ohmic conductor at constant


temperature is directly proportional to the potential difference across it.

Parallel:​ Components connected in parallel have the same potential difference


across each component. The total current is equal to the sum of the currents
flowing through each component.

Potential Difference: ​The energy that is transferred per unit charge between two
points in a circuit. It is often also called a voltage.

Power:​ The rate at which an appliance transfers energy. For a circuit component,
it is equal to the product of the current passing through it and the potential
difference across it.

Resistance:​ A measure of the opposition to current flow.

Resistors in Parallel: ​The total resistance is less than the lowest individual
resistance.

https://bit.ly/pmt-cc
https://bit.ly/pmt-edu https://bit.ly/pmt-cc
Resistors in Series: ​The total resistance is equal to the sum of the resistances of
the individual resistors.

Series:​ Components connected in series have the same current passing through
each component but share the total potential difference of the power supply.

Thermistor: ​A temperature dependent component, whose resistance increases


as its temperature decreases.

Volt: ​The unit of potential difference. One volt is equal to one joule per coulomb.

Voltmeter: ​A device that is connected in parallel with a component to measure the


potential difference across it.

Watt: ​The unit of power.

https://bit.ly/pmt-cc
https://bit.ly/pmt-edu https://bit.ly/pmt-cc

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