G8 Unit 4 Vocabulary

3. The flow of electric charge through a material.
4. The unit used to measure electrical power, or how much energy a device uses per second.
6. An electric current that flows in only one direction.
10. A positively charged particle located in the nucleus (center) of an atom.
12. The property of a material that slows down the flow of electric current, turning some of it into heat.
13. A circuit that has multiple paths for the current to flow. If one path is broken, the others still work.
14. Connecting an electrical device to the Earth to provide a safe path for excess electricity to travel.
16. The unit used to measure the amount, or "flow," of electric current in a circuit.
17. A temporary magnet created by running electric current through a coil of wire wrapped around an iron core.
18. The process by which heat or electricity travels directly through a material by touching.
20. A complete, closed path that allows electricity to flow from a power source and back again.
22. The "push" or pressure that makes electric current flow through a circuit. It is measured in volts.
24. A special material, like silicon, that can sometimes act like a conductor and sometimes like an insulator.
25. The process of charging an object without touching it, by bringing a charged object close to it.
26. The unit used to measure electrical pressure (voltage).

1. An electric current that changes direction many times per second.
2. An object that has no overall electric charge because it has an equal number of positive and negative particles.
5. circuit, A circuit that has only one path for the current to flow. If that path is broken, everything stops working.
7. A complete circuit where the path is unbroken, allowing electric current to flow.
8. Electric charge can be transferred from one object to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed - total amount of charge always stays the same.
9. circuit, An unintended path for electricity that has very low resistance, causing a huge, dangerous flow of current.
11. An incomplete circuit where the path is broken, preventing electric current from flowing.
15. A tiny, negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom. The flow of these particles is electricity.
19. The unit used to measure electrical resistance.
20. A property of tiny particles that causes them to push or pull on each other. It can be positive or negative.
21. A passive electrical component (usually a coil of wire) that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it.
23. A material that allows heat or electricity to flow through it easily.