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Glossary of Electrical Terms

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Important Home Electrical Terms

If you are into a Home Improvement Project that includes work with electricity, you need to learn Home Electrical Basics. You cannot understand the basics of electrical unless you know the definition and meaning of some of the most common electrical terms.

Do you know what is volts, amperes, watts, conductors, resistance etc?

Here are some of the most common electrical terms that should help you in working with home electrical:


Electrical Terms: Definition and meaning

Watt: This is the amount of electricity consumed per second. It is calculated by multiplying volts times amps. Most household electrical usage is billed in kilowatt hours, or the amount of hours times 1,000 watts.

Voltage
: It is measure of the pressure under which electricity flows. Voltage is expressed in volts (V)

Volt (V):
This is the basic unit of electrical potential. One volt is the force required to send one ampere of electrical current through a resistance of one ohm.

Ampere
: The amount of current that moves through a wire in one second is measured in amperes. The larger the size of wire, the greater the ampere capacity.

Conductor
: Anything that allows electricity to flow through it is called a conductor. Copper wire is an excellent conductor since it allows a free flow of electricity with very little resistance. Other good conductor is aluminum.

Resistance
: Anything in an electrical circuit that impedes the flow of current is referred to as resistance, or impedance. Resistance is measured in ohms.

AC/DC-
Alternating current or direct current.

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porter  says:
6 weeks ago

What is an incider?

porter  says:
6 weeks ago

What is an incider?

david scates  says:
5 weeks ago

get a bigger glossary

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