Current and Electric Potential Energy

We started off the class with current. Current is the flow of charges through a wire similar to water flowing through a hose.



There are two different conventions for current:



1) Coventional Current- electric current originates from the positive terminal and goes to the negative terminal. This is a flow of positive charges.



2) Electron Flow Current- current goes from the negative to the positive terminal and represents a flow of electrons.



The Formula for Current is I=Q/t I=current(amps) Q=charge(coulombs) t=time(seconds)



There are two types of current that exist. The AC or alternating current is when the charges in the current change direction. The DC or direct current is when all the charges in the current travel in one direction.



Ex:Calculate the amount of current flowing through an electri toaster if 900C of charge is used to toast 2 slices of break in 1.5 minutes.



Q=900C, t=1.5min.-90.s I=? I=Q/t---> 900C/90.s=10A



Next we talked about Electric Potential Energy. This concept states that if a negative charge were to be placed between a negatively charged plate and a positively charged plate, the negative charge would be attracted to the positively charged plate. Therefore there would be the maximum electric potential energy between the negative charge and the positively charged plate, and no electric potention energy between the negative charge and the negatively charged plate.

The work done per unit of charge is called the electric potential different and it is equivalent to voltage.The formula is: V=W/Q

V=potential difference(volts)W=work(J)Q=charg(C)

Lastly we learned that an electric potential difference must exist in order for current to flow in an electric circuit.