Hi, my name is Catherine Caissy. I live in Laval. I study Pure and Applied Natural Science at Montmorency College. It is my last semester. At the university, I will study engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. I am accepted on this program. I will make my entry in the fall 2020. For my career, I want to be an electrical engineer. I have always been interested in electricity. This glossary represents the basics of electricity. I have found these words on the internet and my physics book.
alternating current
noun
An electric current that reverses its direction many times a second at regular intervals, typically used in power supplies.
fr: courant alternatif
capacitor
noun
A device used to store an electric charge (measured in farads), consisting of one or more pairs of conductors separated by an insulator.
fr: condensateur
circuit
noun
A complete and closed path around which a circulating electric current can flow.
fr: circuit
circuit breaker
noun
An automatic device for stopping the flow of current in an electric circuit as a safety measure.
fr: disjoncteur
conductor
noun
A material or device that conducts or transmits heat, electricity, or sound, especially when regarded in terms of its capacity to do this.
fr: conducteur
current
noun
A quantity representing the rate of flow of electric charge, usually measured in amperes.
fr: courant
direct current
noun
An electric current flowing in one direction only.
fr: courant continu
electricity
noun
A form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current.
fr: électricité
electron
noun
A stable subatomic particle with a charge of negative electricity, found in all atoms and acting as the primary carrier of electricity in solids.
fr: électron
frequency
noun
The rate at which a vibration occurs that constitutes a wave, either in a material (as in sound waves), or in an electromagnetic field (as in radio waves and light), usually measured per second or in hertz.
fr: fréquence
generator
noun
A dynamo or similar machine for converting mechanical energy into electricity.
fr: générateur
impedance
noun
The effective resistance of an electric circuit or component to alternating current, arising from the combined effects of ohmic resistance and reactance.
fr: impédance
inductance
noun
The property of an electric conductor or circuit that causes an electromotive force to be generated by a change in the current flowing
(measured in henry).
fr: inductance
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
proper noun
A professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering with its corporate office in New York City and its operations center in Piscataway, New Jersey.
fr: Institut des ingénieurs électriques et électroniques
magnetic field
noun
A region around a magnetic material or a moving electric charge within which the force of magnetism acts (measured in tesla).
fr: champ magnétique
open circuit
noun
An electrical circuit that is not complete.
fr: circuit ouvert
oscillator
noun
A device for generating oscillatory electric currents or voltages by nonmechanical means.
fr: oscillateur
parallel circuit
noun
A circuit in which the electric current passes through two or more branches or connected parts at the same time before it combines again.
fr: circuit parallèle
polarity
noun
The relative orientation of poles; the direction of a magnetic or electric field.
fr: polarité
power
noun
The time-rate of doing work, measured in watts or less frequently horsepower.
fr: puissance
resistance
noun
The degree to which a substance or device opposes the passage of an electric current, causing energy dissipation. Ohm's law resistance (measured in ohms) is equal to the voltage divided by the current.
fr: résistance
series circuit
noun
A circuit in which the electric current passes through each of the connected parts in turn.
fr: circuit en série
transformer
noun
An apparatus for reducing or increasing the voltage of an alternating current.
fr: transformateur
voltage
noun
An electromotive force or potential difference expressed in volts.