Electrified Words

ATOMS: Tiny particles that make up everything around us. Atoms are so small that 12 trillion of them can fit in a grain of sand.

CIRCUIT: A closed path or loop that is needed for electricity to flow. Electricity will not flow if a circuit is open.

CONDUCTOR: A material that allows electricity to flow through it easily. Water and metal are good conductors. So is your body!

CURRENT: The flow of electrical charge, measured in amperage (“amps” for short). The amperage in an electric circuit is like the amount of water that comes out when you turn on a faucet.

ELECTRICITY: A type of energy carried by the movement of electrons.

ELECTRON: A particle that travels around the nucleus at the center of an atom.

ENERGY: A property of many substances that is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, and sound.

INSULATOR: A material that does not allow electricity to flow through it easily. Special rubber and special glass are used as insulators.

VOLTS:  Short for “voltage,” a measure of the force with which electricity flows. The voltage in an electric circuit is like the pressure that pushes water out when you turn on a faucet.

WATTS:  A measure of the work that electricity does. Watts = Amps x Volts.