Electric current

1. What is a crystal lattice and what are free electrons in metals?- Crystal lattice: the arrangement
of atoms in a substance – metal. Free electrons: The valence electrons of the constituent atoms
of the crystal lattice that travel freely throughout the crystal and become conduction electrons.

2. What is electron gas?- Electron gas is a concept that the free electrons in the crystal lattice
move similarly to the particles in a gas/fluid (they move chaotically)

3. In terms of electric charge, what is the atom like as a whole?- Neutral

4. What are positively charged and negatively charged ions?

5. What is electric current?- The directed motion of electric charges or the continuous flow of
charge under the action of an electric field, produced by a source

6. Who are the carriers of the electric charge? - Electric charges can be electrons, positive or
negative ions.

7. What are electrolytes?- Electrolytes are the conductors in which charges that move under the
influence of an electric field are positive and negative ions.

8. Who are the carriers of the electric charge when current flows in metals? - Metals are the best
conductors, in which the current carrying particles that move under the influence of an
electric field are the free electrons.

9. What is quantity - electric current (definition and equation), what is its unit of measure?-
Electric current (I ) also known as amperage is the net amount of charge (∆q) q
passing through a cross-sectional area in unit of time Δt. It is a scalar quantity, I 
t
and is measured using a device called an Ammeter.

10. What is 1 coulomb electric charge?- The SI unit of charge, the

coulomb, was then defined as "the quantity of electricity carried
in 1 second by a current of 1 ampere". -> Q= I*t

11. What are the smaller and larger units of measure of 1A?
12. What is the actual direction, and what is the conventional direction of the electric current in

metals and in other conductors? - The conventional current is the direction of the positive
charge (positive to negative). Tthe actual direction of the electric current is the direction of
electros flow (negative to positive)

13. What is direct current and what is alternating current? Direct current (DC) is one-directional
flow of electric charge with a constant electric current and electric density. Direct current may
flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators,
or even through a vacuum as in electron or ion beams. Alternating current is if If the density
(direction) and strength of the current change with time. is a type of electrical current, in which
the direction of the flow of electrons switches back and forth at regular intervals or cycles.

14. What is electric current density and in what unit of measure is it

expressed?- The amount of electric current traveling per unit
cross-section area is called as current density and expressed in
amperes per square meter.

Direct Current (DC) Generators

1. What are sources – battery of electric current?- Battery (dc source) is a device that maintains a
potential difference between its two terminals. The remaining parts of the electrodes outside
the body of the battery are called the terminals of a battery .

2. What is a galvanic cell/voltaic element?- Galvanic cell Voltaic cell is an electrochemical cell that
makes use of chemical reactions to generate electrical energy.

3. Who was Luigi Galvani?- An Italian who studied animal electricity. In 1780, he discovered that
the muscles of dead frogs' legs twitched when struck by an electrical spark. This was an early
study of bioelectricity.

4. What is an accumulator?- A rechargeable battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy

accumulator), a type of battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged
many times

5. What is the quantity that define the characteristic of an electrical generator -

battery (deffinition and equation)? Electromotive force Ɛ, is an energy
transfer to an electric circuit per unit of electric charge, measured in volts.
 Electric Resistance and Ohm’s Law

1. What is electrical resistance in metals and why does it exist? - Electrical Resistance the measure
of the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit – the collisions of the current-carrying
charged particles with fixed particles that make up the structure of the conductors.

2. What is volt-ampere characteristic for a resistor? - The dependence of the electric current on
the voltage

3. Draw the graph of the dependence of the current on the voltage, i.e. VA characteristic!

4. Write and define the unit of electrical resistance! - Resistance is the

ratio of potential difference to current for a conductor.

5. Write and define Ohm's law for a circuit? - Ohm's law states that the voltage across a conductor
is directly proportional to the current flowing through it, provided all physical conditions and
temperatures remain constant. The dissipation of electric energy in the form of heat effects the
amount of electromotive force

6. What is Ohm's law for an open circuit? - When the resistance of the conductor R is much higher
compared to the internal resistance of the batery r, the product I·r is practically equal to zero, so
U ≈ Ɛ . An open circuit implies that the two terminals are points are externally disconnected,
which is equivalent to a resistance R=∞ .

7. Write the equation and explain the quantities involved in it.


I
Rr
8. What is the internal resistance of a conductor and how is it displayed? -
Resistivity, electrical resistance of a conductor of unit cross-sectional area
and unit length.

9. According to the resistivity, how are materials divided?—Conductors, semiconductors,

isolators.
10. Semiconductor?- A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value
falling between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its resistivity falls as its temperature
rises.
11. How does the resistivity of metals depend on temperature? - If we apply a voltage across a
steel wire and than heat it, we see that the current passing through it decreases.
12. Write the equation and define the temperature coefficient of resistance in metals!- A
temperature coefficient of resistivity describes the relative change of a resistance, when the
change in temperature of the conductor is 1K.

13. What is superconductivity? Superconductivity, complete disappearance of electrical resistance

in various solids when they are cooled below a characteristic temperature. This temperature,
 called the transition temperature, varies for different materials but generally is below 20K
(−253 °C). Used for for creating a magnets with strong magnetic fields.

Kirchhoff’s Laws

1. Electric circuit?- A circuit is a closed path that consists of circuit components in which
electrons from a voltage or current source can flow.
2. What is a Single Loop Circuit and what is a Multi-loop Circuit?- Single loop: all the
elements are connected to form one loop of the circuit, the elements have a have serial
connection, Multi loop: In a circuit involving one battery and a number of resistors in a
parallel connection aswell as a serial.
3. What is a junction (nodal) point- A junction is a point where at least three circuit paths
(conductors) meet.
4. Branch?- A branch is a path connecting two junctions:
5. Loop?- Any closed conducting path
6. What is Kirchhoff's first law? Equation and definition! - The junction
theorem, states that the algebraic sum of the currents(I) into a
specific junction in the circuit equals the algebraic sum of the
currents exiting the same junction.
7. What is Kirchhoff's second law? Equation and definition!- Around
each loop the sum of the voltages(U), is equal to the sum the voltages across each of the
resistances, in the same loop.

Combinations of Resistors

1. What is the equivalent resistance of resistors connected in

parallel (equation and definition)?- The total resistance equals

the sum of the number of individual resistances present in the
series combination.

2. What is the equivalent resistance of series connected resistors

(equation and definition)?- Two or more resistances are said to
be connected in parallel connected when they are connected
between two points. The reciprocal of the equivalent
resistance of a group of resistances joined in parallel is equal to
the sum of the reciprocals of the individual resistances.
 WORK AND POWER done by an ELECTRIC CURRENT. JOULE-LENZ'S LAW

1. What is the Joule-Lenz law (definition and equation)?

- Joule–Lenz law states that the amount of heat

dissipated from a current carrying conductor is
proportional to the resistance of the conductor, the
square of the current and the time needed for the
current to pass through the conductor.

2. Express the Joule-Lenz law depending on the resistance for resistors connected in series, and for
resistors connected in parallel (equations)?

 When connected in
parallel, a greater amount
of heat is released in the
resistor with lower
electrical resistance. if R1>
R2 then and ∆Q1 < ∆Q2

 When connecting two resistors in series whose

electrical resistances R1and R2 the same current
will pass through both.
 A greater amount of heat will be released in a
resistor with a higher electrical resistance.
Namely, when connecting the resistors in series if
R1> R2 then ∆Q1 > ∆Q2

3. What is electrical power? - Power (effect) of

the electric current is the work performed by
the electric current in a unit of time:

4. Which consumer has a 1W capability? - if there is a voltage of 1 V at its ends, and a constant
current of 1 A flows through it.

5. How is the unit of measure for electrical energy expressed through the unit of power and on
what is equal to? – W=Q*E*x -> E=W/Qx

6. What is the larger unit of measure for electric current energy than 1J= 1Ws and how many J
(joules) is it equal to? 1kWh= 1kW*1h= 1000W*3600s=3,6MJ
7. Where is the Joule-Lenz law applied? - When transporting electricity, in all heating bodies, fuse
for electricity (is an electrical safety device that protects an electric circuit from excessive
electric current), physiotherapeutic treatments of patients

Thermionic emission

1. In what ways can electrons be released from the surface of metals? - In thermionic
emission, the heat supplies some electrons with at least the minimal energy required to
overcome the attractive force holding them in the structure of the metal.
2. What is Thermionic emission? - Thermionic emission (also known as thermal electron
emission or the Edison effect) is the liberation of electrons from an electrode (the surface
of metals) by virtue of its temperature
3. What is Photoelectric effect?- Ejection of electrons from a metal when exposed to light.
4. What is secondary emission of electrons?- A method of electron emission from the surface
of a metal. When primary electrons or some ionizing radiation is injected into a metal,
secondary electrons come off its surface
5. What does the number of released electrons during Thermionic emission depend on?- The
number of emitted electrons depends on the temperature at which the metal surface is
heated, on the area of the metal surface and on the size of the work function of the
material.
6. Where is Thermionic emission applied? - Cathodes, Oscilloscope, Vacuum diode, Triode, X-
ray tube