Physics Electricity Vocabulary List
Mains electricity
Word Scientific Definition (needed in
exams)
Insulation Where wires or objects
carrying an electricity current
are covered in an insulator.
Double insulation Appliances with a plastic outer
casing are double insulated.
This eliminates the need for an
earth wire.
Earthing/ Earth wire The earth wire is a wire that
provides a low resistance path
to earth.
Fuse A piece of wire with a low
melting point the melts and
breaks the circuit if there is a
surge of current
Circuit breaker A switch that switches the
circuit off if there is a surge of
current
Direct current/ d.c. Current that flows around
continuously in one direction.
Supplied by batteries.
Alternating current/ a.c. Current that is constantly
changing direction at a
frequency of 50Hz. Supplied by
mains electricity
Power The rate of energy transfer or
the rate of work done
Energy and Potential Difference in Cicuits
Word Scientific Definition (needed in
exams)
Parallel circuit A circuit where there is more
than one path around.
Series circuit A circuit with only one path
Resistors Components that resist the
flow of current around a
circuit. They follow Ohms Law
General explanation
The plastic covering on wires
to prevent electric shock
Objects with a plastic outer
casing so that if you touch
them you cannot get a shock.
Normally there is no current in
this wire. If an appliance
breaks and the metal outer
casing becomes live the earth
wire allows the electricity to
flow away safely
A safety device that breaks the
circuit if there is too much
current.
Does the same job as a fuse,
but as it is as switch it can be
easily reset.
When the electrons flow
around in one direction
When the electrons change
direction constantly as they
move- changes direction and
back again 50 times a second.
How quickly energy is moved
from one object to another or
from one type to another.
General explanation
A circuit that has branches- the
electrons either go down one
branch or the other.
The circuit is a continuous loop
(other than voltmeters, which
must be connected in parallel)
A component that slows the
current down
 Filament lamps A lightbulb which works by a
filament getting hot and
glowing
Diodes A component that only allows
current to flow through in one
direction.
Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) A component whose
resistance decreases with
increasing light intensity
Thermistor A component whose
resistance decreases with
increasing temperature
Light Emitting Diode A diode that emits light
Ohm’s Law Voltage is directly proportional
to current V=IR
Current The rate of flow of charge
I=Q/t
Amps The unit of current
Voltage The work done per unit charge
passed
Volts The unit of voltage. One volt is
one Joule per Coulomb
Coulomb The unit of charge
Electric Charge
Word Scientific Definition (needed in
exams)
Insulator A substance which an electric
current cannot flow through
Conductor A substance which an electric
current can flow through
Charging Causing a build-up of charge
on an object by transferring
electrons from one object to
another by friction
A lightbulbs that works when a
bit of wire gets hot and glows
Will only let current flow
through in one direction
A resistor that has more
resistance in the dark and less
resistance in the light.
A resistor that has more
resistance when it is cold and
less when it is hot.
A diode that will also light up
when current is passed
through it.
If the voltage is doubled, the
current will also double
The amount of charge that
flows past a point in one
second. Related to how fast
the current is moving around
The amount of energy that
each Coulomb of charge has.
Number of Joules of energy
each coulomb of charge has
An amount of charge.
General explanation
Something that electricity
cannot flow through
Something that electricity can
flow through
Rubbing an object so electrons
move from one object to
another so there are more
electrons on one than the
other, causing the objects to
be charged.