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treplag
- 6
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I am embarrassed to be asking such an elementary question, but I want someone to explain the difference between amps, watts, and joules. I tried a dictionary, but it wasn't specific enough.
Stop victimizing yourself, you asked a bad question and got called out on it.treplag;4224486[... said:But I don't appreciate the condescension. If I were not genuinely interested in an answer, I would not have wasted my time to post the question. I am new to this site, and receiving a supercilious response to my first post hardly encourages me to further my knowledge via this venue.
Voltage refers to the potential difference between two points in an electrical circuit, measured in volts. It is the driving force that pushes electrons through a circuit. Current, on the other hand, is the flow of electrons through a circuit, measured in amperes. It is a measure of the amount of electricity passing through a point in a circuit per unit of time.
Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electrons in a circuit, measured in ohms. It is related to voltage and current through Ohm's Law, which states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points, and inversely proportional to the resistance between them.
Power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred or used, measured in watts. It is related to voltage and current through the equation P = VI, where P is power, V is voltage, and I is current. This means that the higher the voltage or current, the more power is being used or transferred.
AC (alternating current) electricity is the type of electricity used in most homes and buildings. It constantly changes direction, meaning the flow of electrons alternates between positive and negative. DC (direct current) electricity, on the other hand, flows in only one direction. It is commonly used in batteries and electronic devices.
Circuit breakers and fuses are safety devices designed to protect circuits from overload. When the current in a circuit exceeds a certain level, the breaker or fuse will "trip" and break the circuit, preventing damage to the electrical system and potential fire hazards.