Bimetal: Two dissimilar
metals joined together to form one unit with a differential
expansion rating, and it will bend if there is a temperature
change.
Bake Element: Lower
heating element in an oven, used for baking foods.
Broil Element: Upper
heating element in an oven used for broiling foods.
Calibrate: To check,
adjust, or determing by comparison with a standard: calibrate
a thermometer.
Cam: A rotating
surface with rises and falls that opens and closes the
switches in a timer.
Capillary Tube:
A metering device used to control the flow of refrigerant
in a sealed system. It usually consists of several feet
of tubing with a small inside diameter.
Circuit: A path
for electrical current to flow from the power source,
to the point of use, and back to the power source.
Circuit Breaker:
A safety device used to open a circuit if that circuit
is overloaded.
Component: An individual
mechanical or electrical part of an appliance.
Contact Points:
Two movable objects, or contacts, that come together to
complete a circuit; or separate to break a circuit. These
contact points are usually made of silver.
Continuity: The
ability of a completed circuit to conduct electricity.
Fuse: A safety device
used to open a circuit if that circuit is overloaded.
Gasket: A flexible
material used to seal components together; either air-tight
or water-tight.
Insulation: Substance
used to retard or slow the flow of heat through a substance.
Insulator: A material
that does not conduct electricity. It is used to isolate
current-carrying wires or components from other metal
parts.
Lead: A section
of electrical wiring that is attached to a component.
Ohm: A unit of measurement
for electrical resistance.
Ohmmeter: A test
instrument used for measuring resistance.
Relay: A magnetic
switch which uses a small amount of current, in the control
circuit, to operate a component needing a larger amount
of current in the operating circuit. A remote switch.
Resistance: The
opposition to current flow. The load in an electrical
circuit.
Solenoid: A cylindrical
coil of insulated wire that establishes a magnetic field
in the presence of current.
Switch: A device
to turn current on or of in an electrical circuit.
Temperature: A measure
of heat energy, or the relative lack thereof.
Terminal: A connecting
point in a circuit to which a wire would be attached to
connect a component.
Terminal Block:
An insulating base with binding posts to make connectionswhere
sets of terminals are mounted.
Thermometer: A device
used to measure temperature.
Thermostat: A device
that senses temperature changes, and which usually operates
a control relay.
Voltage: The difference
in potential between two points; or the difference in
static charges between two points.
Voltmeter: A test
instrument used to measure voltage.
Vom: A test instrument
used to measure voltage, resistance, and amperage. A Volt-Ohm-Milliammeter.