Acetate
Any of several compounds insoluble in water that are formed especially by the action of acetic acid, anhydride of acetic acid, and sulfuric acid on cellulose and are used for making textile fibers, packaging sheets, photographic films, and varnishes
Amperes
Ampere, amp — a unit of electric current used to measure the rate of flow.
Coulombs
The practical meter-kilogram-second unit of electric charge equal to the quantity of electricity transferred by a current of one ampere in one second
Current
Electricity that flows through a circuit, or a continuous unbroken path.
Electric force
A force that exists between two charged objects.
Electrons
Subatomic particle with a negative electrical change.
Energy
The capacity for doing work, which can be in various forms (i.e., nuclear, sound, thermal and light).
Joules
A unit of work or energy equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through a distance of one meter
Kilowatt-hours (kWh)
A kilowatt-hour is also known as a unit of electricity and is the basis of retail sales of electricity.
Ohms
Units of electrical resistance used to measure a material's resistance to the flow of electric current.
Ohm's Law
A law stating that the direct current flowing in a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference between its ends. It is usually formulated as V = IR, where V is the potential difference, or voltage, I is the current, and R is the resistance of the conductor.
Power
A source or means of supplying energy; especially : electricity
Resistance
The degree to which a substance resists electric current.
Series and parallel circuits
Series circuit — a circuit that connects a source, load, and conductors in a single lo
Parallel circuit — a circuit that splits into branches. A break in one branch will not stop current in the other branches.
Static charge
The build up of electrical charges on a surface produced by the contact and separation of dissimilar materials.
Van de Graaff generator
A device designed to create static electricity and make it available for experimentation. It has the ability to produce extremely high voltages -- as high as 20 million volts. Van de Graaff invented the generator to supply the high energy needed for early particle accelerators. These accelerators were known as atom smashers because they accelerated sub-atomic particles to very high speeds and then "smashed" them into the target atoms. The resulting collisions created other subatomic particles and high-energy radiation such as X-rays. The ability to create these high-energy collisions is the foundation of particle and nuclear physics.
Voltage
Electric potential or potential difference expressed in volts
Volts
Units of energy equal to the energy gained by an electron in passing from a point of low potential to a point one volt higher in potential : 1.60 × 10−19 joule
RESOURCES:
Classroom Strategies for Teaching Science Definitions
Discovery School Electricity Glossary
