LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER (LADWP)
ELECTRICAL CRAFT HELPER VERIFIED ANSWERS - LATEST
EDITION - COMPLETE RESOURCE
Q: What is electricity?
ANSWER The flow of electrons through a conductor.
Q: What are the three basic elements of an electrical circuit?
ANSWER Source, load, and conductor.
Q: What is voltage (EMF)?
ANSWER The electrical pressure that pushes electrons through a circuit.
Q: What is current?
ANSWER The rate of flow of electrons, measured in Amperes.
Q: What is resistance?
ANSWER The opposition to the flow of current, measured in Ohms.
Q: State Ohm’s Law.
ANSWER Voltage (E) = Current (I) x Resistance (R).
Q: What is the formula for power?
ANSWER Power (P) = Voltage (E) x Current (I), measured in Watts.
Q: What is Direct Current (DC)?
ANSWER Electrical current that flows in one direction only.
Q: What is Alternating Current (AC)?
ANSWER Electrical current that periodically reverses direction.
Q: What is the standard frequency of AC power in the US?
ANSWER 60 Hertz (Hz).
,Q: What is a series circuit?
ANSWER A circuit with only one path for current to flow.
Q: What happens to total resistance in a series circuit?
ANSWER It is the sum of all individual resistances.
Q: What is a parallel circuit?
ANSWER A circuit with multiple paths for current to flow.
Q: What happens to total resistance in a parallel circuit?
ANSWER It is always less than the smallest individual resistance.
Q: What is a grounded conductor?
ANSWER The neutral wire, intentionally connected to the earth.
Q: What is an ungrounded conductor?
ANSWER The "hot" wire(s) that carry current to the load.
Q: What is capacitance?
ANSWER The ability of a component or system to store an electrical
charge.
Q: What is inductance?
ANSWER The property of a conductor or coil that opposes changes in
current flow.
Q: What is impedance?
ANSWER The total opposition to current flow in an AC circuit
(combination of resistance and reactance).
Q: What causes a short circuit?
ANSWER A low-resistance connection between two conductors of
dissimilar potential.
Q: What is an open circuit?
ANSWER A break in the conducting path, stopping current flow.
Q: What is a ground fault?
ANSWER Unintentional contact between an ungrounded conductor and
ground.
, Q: What is Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)?
ANSWER The total current entering a junction equals the total current
leaving it.
Q: What is Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)?
ANSWER The sum of all voltage drops in a closed loop equals the applied
voltage.
Q: What is a Watt?
ANSWER A unit of electrical power equal to one Joule per second.
Q: What is a Kilowatt-hour (kWh)?
ANSWER A unit of energy equal to 1,000 watts used for one hour.
Q: What is EMF?
ANSWER Electromotive Force; another term for voltage.
Q: What determines the polarity of a circuit?
ANSWER The direction of current flow (conventional flow is positive to
negative).
Q: What is a semiconductor?
ANSWER A material (like silicon) that conducts electricity better than an
insulator but worse than a conductor.
Q: What is a diode?
ANSWER A semiconductor device that allows current to flow in only one
direction.
Q: What is a transformer?
ANSWER A device that changes AC voltage levels using electromagnetic
induction.
Q: How does a step-up transformer work?
ANSWER It has more turns on the secondary coil, increasing voltage and
decreasing current.
Q: How does a step-down transformer work?
ELECTRICAL CRAFT HELPER VERIFIED ANSWERS - LATEST
EDITION - COMPLETE RESOURCE
Q: What is electricity?
ANSWER The flow of electrons through a conductor.
Q: What are the three basic elements of an electrical circuit?
ANSWER Source, load, and conductor.
Q: What is voltage (EMF)?
ANSWER The electrical pressure that pushes electrons through a circuit.
Q: What is current?
ANSWER The rate of flow of electrons, measured in Amperes.
Q: What is resistance?
ANSWER The opposition to the flow of current, measured in Ohms.
Q: State Ohm’s Law.
ANSWER Voltage (E) = Current (I) x Resistance (R).
Q: What is the formula for power?
ANSWER Power (P) = Voltage (E) x Current (I), measured in Watts.
Q: What is Direct Current (DC)?
ANSWER Electrical current that flows in one direction only.
Q: What is Alternating Current (AC)?
ANSWER Electrical current that periodically reverses direction.
Q: What is the standard frequency of AC power in the US?
ANSWER 60 Hertz (Hz).
,Q: What is a series circuit?
ANSWER A circuit with only one path for current to flow.
Q: What happens to total resistance in a series circuit?
ANSWER It is the sum of all individual resistances.
Q: What is a parallel circuit?
ANSWER A circuit with multiple paths for current to flow.
Q: What happens to total resistance in a parallel circuit?
ANSWER It is always less than the smallest individual resistance.
Q: What is a grounded conductor?
ANSWER The neutral wire, intentionally connected to the earth.
Q: What is an ungrounded conductor?
ANSWER The "hot" wire(s) that carry current to the load.
Q: What is capacitance?
ANSWER The ability of a component or system to store an electrical
charge.
Q: What is inductance?
ANSWER The property of a conductor or coil that opposes changes in
current flow.
Q: What is impedance?
ANSWER The total opposition to current flow in an AC circuit
(combination of resistance and reactance).
Q: What causes a short circuit?
ANSWER A low-resistance connection between two conductors of
dissimilar potential.
Q: What is an open circuit?
ANSWER A break in the conducting path, stopping current flow.
Q: What is a ground fault?
ANSWER Unintentional contact between an ungrounded conductor and
ground.
, Q: What is Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)?
ANSWER The total current entering a junction equals the total current
leaving it.
Q: What is Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)?
ANSWER The sum of all voltage drops in a closed loop equals the applied
voltage.
Q: What is a Watt?
ANSWER A unit of electrical power equal to one Joule per second.
Q: What is a Kilowatt-hour (kWh)?
ANSWER A unit of energy equal to 1,000 watts used for one hour.
Q: What is EMF?
ANSWER Electromotive Force; another term for voltage.
Q: What determines the polarity of a circuit?
ANSWER The direction of current flow (conventional flow is positive to
negative).
Q: What is a semiconductor?
ANSWER A material (like silicon) that conducts electricity better than an
insulator but worse than a conductor.
Q: What is a diode?
ANSWER A semiconductor device that allows current to flow in only one
direction.
Q: What is a transformer?
ANSWER A device that changes AC voltage levels using electromagnetic
induction.
Q: How does a step-up transformer work?
ANSWER It has more turns on the secondary coil, increasing voltage and
decreasing current.
Q: How does a step-down transformer work?
