Electrical

“Electrical” generally pertains to concepts in electromagnetism within the Physics section. Here’s a basic overview of the key electrical principles you might encounter:

Key Electrical Concepts for the MCAT:

1. Electric Charge and Coulomb’s Law:
   • Concept: Electric charge is a property of matter that causes it to experience a force in an electric field.
   • Coulomb’s Law: Describes the force between two charges. The force is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
2. Electric Field:
   • Concept: A region around a charged object where other charges experience a force.
   • Formula: E=FqE = \frac{F}{q}E=qF​ where $E$ is the electric field, $F$ is the force, and $q$ is the charge.
3. Electric Potential and Potential Difference:
   • Concept: Electric potential is the work done to move a unit charge from infinity to a point in an electric field.
   • Potential Difference: The difference in electric potential between two points, which drives current through a circuit.
4. Ohm’s Law:
   • Formula: $V=IR$ where $V$ is voltage, $I$ is current, and $R$ is resistance.
   • Concept: Describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in a circuit.
5. Series and Parallel Circuits:
   • Series Circuits: Resistors in series have the same current and the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances.
   • Parallel Circuits: Resistors in parallel have the same voltage and the total resistance is given by the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual resistances.
6. Capacitors:
   • Concept: Devices that store electrical energy in an electric field.
   • Formula: C=QVC = \frac{Q}{V}C=VQ​ where $C$ is capacitance, $Q$ is charge, and $V$ is voltage.
7. Magnetism:
   • Concept: Magnetic fields are created by moving charges (currents) and affect other moving charges.
   • Right-Hand Rule: Used to determine the direction of the magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor.
8. Electromagnetic Induction:
   • Concept: The process by which a changing magnetic field induces an electric current in a conductor.