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A complete or partial path through which an electrical current may flow.


The ability to do work; various forms exist such as heat, electrical, chemical, and light energy.


Objects acting on or influencing each other


Anything that takes up space, has mass, and has properties which can be observed.


to state what you think will happen


A group of interacting objects.


points which must be touched in order to make a complete circuit.

base terminal

The soldered knob at the bottom of a bulb that must be touched in order to complete a circuit.


A system which transforms electrical energy into light energy.


a resistant wire in a bulb which transforms electrical energy into light energy.


A device to prevent the passage of electricity often called a nonconductor; for example the glass bead which holds the support wires apart in a bulb.

side terminal

The metal section of the base of a bulb, just below the glass, which must be touched in order to light the bulb.

support wire

Wire that extend up through a bulb, with a filament connecting the two.

battery holder

A device designed to hold a battery and make it easier to attach wires to the battery.

bulb holder

a device designed to hold a bulb and make it easier to attach wires to the bulb.


To avoid waste.

Fahnestock clip

A metal device which allows wires to be held in place.


A device in an electrical circuit that opens and closes the circuit.


A person who installs, maintains, and repairs electrical equipment.


A diagram showing how something is put together, for example a wiring diagram.


A written sign that represents a part of an electrical circuit in a schematic.

wiring diagram

A drawing using symbols to show how a circuit is put together.

negative terminal

One of the parts of a battery that must be connected in a closed circuit, labeled (-).


In batteries, the condition of having positive and negative ends which must be aligned correctly for the batteries to be in series or parallel.

positive terminal

One of the parts of a battery that must be connected in a closed circuit, labeled (+).

closed circuit

A complete circuit, where electricity flows from one battery terminal, through the circuit and back to the other battery terminal

open circuit

A circuit through which electricity does not flow because one part is not connected; for example, a circuit in which the switch is open or a bulb is burned out.

series circuit

A circuit that has only one path through which electricity can flow.

parallel circuit

A circuit which provides multiple paths through which electricity can flow.


A unit used to measure electrical energy.


To move from one place to another; for example; wires conduct electricity.


Material through which energy moves; copper wire is a good conductor of electricity.


A device that is used to check if items conduct electricity.


A material that generally does not allow the movement of electricity through it.


A clear, liquid system of two or more substances which can only be separated by evaporation.


The unit of measurement to identify thickness of wire; the smaller the number, the thicker the wire.


A property of a material which describes how much it restricts the flow of eletricity. For example, Nichrome wire is more resistant than copper wire.

Nichrome wire

A wire that has a relatively high resistance and heats up as an electrical current runs through it.


A device that can change the resistance in a circuit, such as a dimmer switch.

energy transformation

When energy is changed from one form to another, for example a battery changes chemical energy to electrical energy.

short circuit

An accidental connection between two points in an electrical circuit which allows electricity to follow a different path of low resistance.


A strip of easily melted metal placed in a circuit as a safeguard.

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