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The splitting apart of an atom’s nucleus, releasing heat energy.Īn electrical safety device consisting of a wire or strip of fusible metal that melts and interrupts the circuit when the current exceeds a preset amperage.Ī machine which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Energy = Power x TimeĪ system designed to ensure safety, security, and reliability to an electrical network. The flow of electrons produces electricity. Overhead or underground power lines that carry electricity through cities and neighborhoods to your home or business.Ī negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom. The movement or flow of electricity through a conductor.Įlectric current flowing in only one direction The path followed by a flow of electric current.Ī substance or material that allows electrons, or electrical current, to flow through it. The ability of a component to store an electrical charge.Įlectricity produced by a surplus or a shortage of electrons in an object. Total loss of electric power from the power distributor.Ī temporary reduction of voltage supplied by the electric power distributor. Everything in the world is made of different combinations of atoms.Ī single or group of connected electric cells that produces a direct electric current (DC). Measurement of current flow through a conductor. ) The heat transfer from these CFLs is less, and they last up to 10 times longer.Specific to the electric industry: Alternating current (AC)Įlectric current that reverses directions at regular intervals. (Original problems with color, flicker, shape, and high initial investment for CFLs have been addressed in recent years. CFLs have a bent tube inside a globe or a spiral-shaped tube, all connected to a standard screw-in base that fits standard incandescent light sockets. Thus, a 60-W incandescent bulb can be replaced by a 15-W CFL, which has the same brightness and color. Fluorescent lights are about four times more efficient than incandescent lights-this is true for both the long tubes and the compact fluorescent lights (CFL). About 20% of a home's use of energy goes to lighting, while the number for commercial establishments is closer to 40%. Improvements to lighting are some of the fastest ways to reduce the electrical energy used in a home or business. This will not only reduce the cost, but it will also result in a reduced impact on the environment. The electrical energy (E) used can be reduced either by reducing the time of use or by reducing the power consumption of that appliance or fixture. This is the scale of American home energy usage, which is on the order of hundreds of kilowatt-hours per month. We can parse out the conversion from kilowatt-hours to joules in this way: 1 W = 1 J/s and a kilowatt is 1000 W while one hour is 3,600 seconds, so 1 kWh is (1000 J/s)(3600 s)=3,600,000 joules. Additionally, this unit is often seen elsewhere when the energy usage of power consuming devices, structures, or jurisdictions is under consideration. However, typically, residential energy bills state household energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh). We are of course very familiar with the SI unit of energy, the joule. The electric power in watts produced by an electric current I consisting of a charge of Q coulombs every t seconds passing through an electric potential (voltage) difference of V is Recall that power is the rate at which work is done - or the rate at which energy is consumed or produced - and is measured in watts (W). The last distinction is crucial - the energy used by a circuit or component is the time integral of the electric power. In another case, we might need to determine the energy necessary to power a component or apparatus for a given period of time.
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For example, we (or the electric power utility) may want to calculate the amount of money owed for electricity consumed. In many cases it is necessary to calculate the energy usage by an electric device or a collection of devices, such as in a home. kilowatt-hour: a unit of electrical energy equal to that done by one kilowatt acting for one hour equal to 3.6 mega-joules.A common unit used to describe energy usage is the kilowatt-hour, the energy of 1000 W acting over one hour.It is equal to the integral of power over time.
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