As valued Member-Owners, Missouri Electric Cooperatives strive to provide stellar service in all aspects of our work for you. From our lineworkers out in the field to our team in offices across Missouri, we work hard so you don’t have to worry about what it takes to shine light and power your electronics or equipment in your homes and businesses.
We believe in educating our Member-Owners to understand the technical aspects of your Cooperative’s service to rural areas in Missouri. Education is one of the Seven Cooperative Principles that we hold dear and hope you benefit and gain an understanding from our list of 25 important electricity terms below.
Amperage (amps): The basic unit of measurement for electric current.
Alternating current (AC): The movement or flow of electricity that reverses direction periodically and is commonly used on power lines.
Capacitor: An electrical component that stores electric charge consisting of a pair conductors in-between an insulator.
Coulomb: The basic unit of measuring electric charge.
Conductor: Materials that allow electric charge to free flow like copper wiring.
Charge: An electric charge is the balance of protons and electrics.
Circuit: An electric circuit is a collection of electronic components connected by a conductive wire that allows for electric current to flow.
Current: The movement or flow of electricity.
Direct current (DC): The movement or flow of electricity that goes in one direction only.
Electrical Field: The area that would have an effect surrounding a charged body.
Electricity: A form of energy produced by the movement of electrons.
Generator: A piece of equipment that uses mechanical energy to create electrical energy.
Inductor: An electrical component that resists changes in electrical current.
Insulator: A material that resists an electric charge and doesn’t conduct electricity.
Kilowatt: 1,000 watts of electricity.
Kilowatt-hour: One kilowatt of electricity produced or used in one hour.
Motor: A piece of equipment that uses electric energy to create mechanical energy.
Ohm: The basic unit of measure for resistance in an electrical current.
Resistance: A force given to slow down or resist electrical passage through a current.
Resistor: An electronic piece that that prevents the flow of electric current.
Semiconductor: A material that is in-between a conductor and insulator based on the circumstances of the current and can be found in electronics.
Transformer: A device that changes the intensity of electric current.
Transistor: A semiconductor that is used to control current flow to manipulate electronics.
Voltage: The pressure behind the flow of electrons in a circuit.
Watts: A measure of the amount of work done by a certain amount of amperage of electric current at a certain pressure or voltage.
If you have any questions or are curious to how some of the terms listed above effect the electricity in your home or business, your Cooperatives would be happy to shed some light on the subject. We’re here to serve you!
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