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GLOSSARY
AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) Battery
A lead acid, maintenance-free
battery.
Ah Capacity
The ability of a fully charged battery to deliver a specified
quantity of electricity (Amp-Hr., Ah) at a given rate (Amp, A) over a
definite period of time (Hr.). The capacity of a battery depends on a
number of factors: active material, weight, density, adhesion to grid,
number, design and dimensions of plates, plate spacing design of sepa-
rators, specific gravity and quantity of available electrolyte, grid alloys,
final limiting voltage, discharge rate, temperature, internal and external
resistance, age and life of the battery (bank).
Alternating Current (AC)
An electric current that reverses direction at
regular intervals. Sources of alternating current are shorepower,
generator power, inverter power or household current.
Ampere (Amp, A)
The unit of measure of electron flow rate of current
through a circuit.
Ampere-hour (Amp-Hr., Ah)
A unit of measure for a battery’s electrical
storage capacity, obtained by multiplying the current in amperes by the
time in hours of discharge (Example: a battery that delivers 5 amperes for
20 hours delivers 5 amperes times 20 hours, or 100 Amp-Hr. of capacity.)
AWG (American Wire Gauge)
A standard used to measure the size of
wire.
Current
The rate of flow of electricity or the movement rate of electrons
along a conductor. It is comparable to the flow of a stream of water. The
unit of measure for current is ampere.
Cycle
In a battery, one discharge plus one recharge equals one cycle.
Direct Current
(DC) Current that flows continuously in one direction such
as that from batteries, photovoltaics, alternators, chargers and DC
generators.