Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

ENU 1 – ENGINEERING UTILITIES

MODULE 1
Title: Common Electrical Terminology

Alternating Current (AC) — An electric current that reverses its direction force by electromagnetic induction. The pivoted points in generator
many times a second at regular intervals. regulators are also called armatures.

Ammeter — An instrument for measuring the flow of electrical current in Capacitance — The ability of a body to store an electrical charge. Measured
amperes. Ammeters are always connected in series with the circuit to be in farads as the ratio of the electric charge of the object (Q, measured in
tested. coulombs) to the voltage across the object (V, measured in volts).

Ampacity — The maximum amount of electric current a conductor or Capacitor — A device used to store an electric charge, consisting of one or
device can carry before sustaining immediate or progressive deterioration. more pairs of conductors separated by an insulator. Commonly used for
filtering out voltage spikes.
Ampere-Hour (Ah) — A unit of measure for battery capacity. It is obtained
by multiplying the current (in amperes) by the time (in hours) during which Circuit — A closed path in which electrons from a voltage or current source
current flows. For example, a battery which provides 5 amperes for 20 flow. Circuits can be in series, parallel, or in any combination of the two.
hours is said to deliver 100 ampere - hours.
Circuit Breaker — An automatic device for stopping the flow of current in
Ampere (A) — A unit of measure for the intensity of an electric current an electric circuit. To restore service, the circuit breaker must be reset
flowing in a circuit. One ampere is equal to a current flow of one coulomb (closed) after correcting the cause of the overload or failure. Circuit
per second. breakers are used in conjunction with protective relays to protect circuits
from faults.
Apparent Power — Measured in volt-ampers (VA). Apparent power is the
product of the rms voltage and the rms current. Conductor — Any material where electric current can flow freely.
Conductive materials, such as metals, have a relatively low resistance.
Armature — The movable part of a generator or motor. It is made up of Copper and aluminum wire are the most common conductors.
conductors which rotate through a magnetic field to provide voltage or

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Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Corona — A corona discharge is an electrical discharge brought on by the Electrolyte — Any substance which, in solution, is dissociated into ions and
ionization of a fluid such as air surrounding a conductor that is electrically is thus made capable of conducting an electrical current. The sulfuric acid
charged. Spontaneous corona discharges occur naturally in high-voltage - water solution in a storage battery is an electrolyte.
systems unless care is taken to limit the electric field strength.
Electromotive Force — (EMF) A difference in potential that tends to give
Current (I) — The flow of an electric charge through a conductor. An rise to an electric current. Measured in volts.
electric current can be compared to the flow of water in a pipe. Measured
in amperes. Electron — A tiny particle which rotates around the nucleus of an atom. It
has a negative charge of electricity.
Cycle — The change in an alternating electrical sine wave from zero to a
positive peak to zero to a negative peak and back to zero. See Frequency. Electron theory — The theory which explains the nature of electricity and
the exchange of "free" electrons between atoms of a conductor. It is also
Demand — The average value of power or related quantity over a specified used as one theory to explain direction of current flow in a circuit.
period of time.
Farad — A unit of measure for capacitance. One farad is equal to one
Dielectric constant — A quantity measuring the ability of a substance to coulomb per volt.
store electrical energy in an electric field.
Ferroresonance — (nonlinear resonance) a type of resonance in electric
Dielectric strength — The maximum electric field that a pure material can circuits which occurs when a circuit containing a nonlinear inductance is
withstand under ideal conditions without breaking down (i.e., without fed from a source that has series capacitance, and the circuit is subjected
experiencing failure of its insulating properties). to a disturbance such as opening of a switch. It can cause overvoltages and
overcurrents in an electrical power system and can pose a risk to
Diode — A semiconductor device with two terminals, typically allowing the transmission and distribution equipment and to operational personnel.
flow of current in one direction only. Diodes allow current to flow when
the anode is positive in relation to the cathode. Frequency — The number of cycles per second. Measured in Hertz. If a
current completes one cycle per second, then the frequency is 1 Hz; 60
Direct Current (DC) — An electric current that flows in only one direction. cycles per second equals 60 Hz.

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Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Fuse — A circuit interrupting device consisting of a strip of wire that melts

and breaks an electric circuit if the current exceeds a safe level. To restore Inductance — The property of a conductor by which a change in current
service, the fuse must be replaced using a similar fuse with the same size flowing through it induces (creates) a voltage (electromotive force) in both
and rating after correcting the cause of failure. the conductor itself (self-inductance) and in any nearby conductors
(mutual inductance). Measured in henry (H).
Generator — A device which converts mechanical energy into electrical
energy. Inductor — A coil of wire wrapped around an iron core. The inductance is
directly proportional to the number of turns in the coil.
Ground — The reference point in an electrical circuit from which voltages
are measured, a common return path for electric current, or a direct Insulator — Any material where electric current does not flow freely.
physical connection to the Earth. Insulative materials, such as glass, rubber, air, and many plastics have a
relatively high resistance. Insulators protect equipment and life from
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) — A device intended for the electric shock.
protection of personnel that functions to de-energize a circuit or portion
thereof within an established period of time when a current to ground Inverter — An apparatus that converts direct current into alternating
exceeds some predetermined value that is less than that required to current.
operate the overcurrent protective device of the supply circuit.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh) — The product of power in kW and time in hours.
Henry — A unit of measure for inductance. If the rate of change of current Equal to 1000 Watt-hours. For example, if a 100W light bulb is used for 4
in a circuit is one ampere per second and the resulting electromotive force hours, 0.4kWhs of energy will be used (100W x 1kW / 1000 Watts x 4
is one volt, then the inductance of the circuit is one henry. hours). Electrical energy is sold in units of kWh.

Hertz — A unit of measure for frequency. Replacing the earlier term of Kilowatt-hour Meter — A device used to measure electrical energy use.
cycle per second (cps). Kilowatt (kW) — Equal to 1000 watts.

Impedance — The measure of the opposition that a circuit presents to a Load — Anything which consumes electrical energy, such as lights,
current when a voltage is applied. Impedance extends the concept of transformers, heaters and electric motors.
resistance to AC circuits, and possesses both magnitude and phase, unlike
resistance, which has only magnitude.

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Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Load Rejection — The condition in which there is a sudden load loss in the Piezoelectricity — Electric polarization in a substance (especially certain
system which causes the generating equipment to be over-frequency. A crystals) resulting from the application of mechanical stress (pressure).
load rejection test confirms that the system can withstand a sudden loss of
load and return to normal operating conditions using its governor. Load Polarity — A collective term applied to the positive (+) and negative ( - )
banks are normally used for these tests as part of the commissioning ends of a magnet or electrical mechanism such as a coil or battery.
process for electrical power systems.
Power — The rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric
Mutual Induction — Occurs when changing current in one coil induces circuit. Measured in Watts.
voltage in a second coil.
Power Factor — The ratio of the actual electrical power dissipated by an
Ohm — (Ω) A unit of measure of resistance. One ohm is equivilant to the AC circuit to the product of the r.m.s. values of current and voltage. The
resistance in a circuit transmitting a current of one ampere when subjected difference between the two is caused by reactance in the circuit and
to a potential difference of one volt. represents power that does no useful work.

Ohm's Law — The mathematical equation that explains the relationship Protective Relay — A relay device designed to trip a circuit breaker when
between current, voltage, and resistance (V=IR). a fault is detected.

Ohmmeter — An instrument for measuring the resistance in ohms of an Reactive Power — The portion of electricity that establishes and sustains
electrical circuit. the electric and magnetic fields of AC equipment. Exists in an AC circuit
when the current and voltage are not in phase. Measured in VARS.
Open Circuit — An open or open circuit occurs when a circuit is broken,
such as by a broken wire or open switch, interrupting the flow of current Rectifier — An electrical device that converts an alternating current into a
through the circuit. It is analogous to a closed valve in a water system. direct one by allowing a current to flow through it in one direction only.

Parallel Circuit — A circuit in which there are multiple paths for electricity Relay — An electrical coil switch that uses a small current to control a much
to flow. Each load connected in a separate path receives the full circuit larger current.
voltage, and the total circuit current is equal to the sum of the individual
branch currents. Reluctance — The resistance that a magnetic circuit offers to lines of force
in a magnetic field.

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Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Short Circuit — When one part of an electric circuit comes in contact with
Resistance — The opposition to the passage of an electric current. another part of the same circuit, diverting the flow of current from its
Electrical resistance can be compared to the friction experienced by water desired path.
when flowing through a pipe. Measured in ohms.
Solid State Circuit — Electronic (integrated) circuits which utilize
Resistor — A device usually made of wire or carbon which presents a semiconductor devices such as transistors, diodes and silicon controlled
resistance to current flow. rectifiers.

Rotor — The rotating part of an electrical machine such as a generator, Transistor — A semiconductor device with three connections, capable of
motor, or alternator. amplification in addition to rectification.

Self Induction — Voltage which occurs in a coil when there is a change of True Power — Measured in Watts. The power manifested in tangible form
current. such as electromagnetic radiation, acoustic waves, or mechanical
phenomena. In a direct current (DC) circuit, or in an alternating current
Semiconductor — A solid substance that has a conductivity between that (AC) circuit whose impedance is a pure resistance, the voltage and current
of an insulator and that of most metals, either due to the addition of an are in phase.
impurity or because of temperature effects. Devices made of
semiconductors, notably silicon, are essential components of most VARS — A unit of measure of reactive power. Vars may be considered as
electronic circuits. either the imaginary part of apparent power, or the power flowing into a
reactive load, where voltage and current are specified in volts and
Series-Parallel Circuit — A circuit in which some of the circuit components amperes.
are connected in series and others are connected in parallel.
Variable Resistor — A resistor that can beadjusted to different ranges of
Series Circuit — A circuit in which there is only one path for electricity to value.
flow. All of the current in the circuit must flow through all of the loads.
Volt-Ampere (VA) — A unit of measure of apparent power. It is the product
Service — The conductors and equipment used to deliver energy from the of the rms voltage and the rms current.
electrical supply system to the system being served.

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Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Volt (V) — A unit measure of voltage. One volt is equal to the difference of
potential that would drive one ampere of current against one ohm
resistance.

Voltage — An electromotive force or "pressure" that causes electrons to

flow and can be compared to water pressure which causes water to flow
in a pipe. Measured in volts.

Voltmeter — An instrument for measuring the force in volts of an electrical

current. This is the difference of potential (voltage) between different
points in an electrical circuit. Voltmeters have a high internal resistance are
connected across (parallel to) the points where voltage is to be measured.

Watt-hour (Wh) — A unit of electrical energy equivalent to a power

consumption of one watt for one hour.

Watt (W) — A unit of electrical power. One watt is equivalent to one joule
per second, corresponding to the power in an electric circuit in which the
potential difference is one volt and the current one ampere.

Wattmeter — The wattmeter is an instrument for measuring the electric

power (or the supply rate of electrical energy) in watts of any given circuit. Prepared by:

Waveform — A graphical representation of electrical cycles which shows Engr. Myrine Ysobelle S. Sioco
the amount of variation in amplitude over some period of time. 0929-512-6246/0995-576-4766
[email protected]
P-3 Brgy. Dogongan, Daet, Camarines Norte

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