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Glossary
Electrical Theory & Applications for HVACR
Environmental ProtecƟon Agency (EPA)
a U.S. government agency dedicated to wriƟng and enforcing environmental and human health
regulaƟons
F
F
abbreviaƟon for farad, frequency, fluorine, or Fahrenheit
factual diagram
a wiring diagram that is a combinaƟon of pictorial and schemaƟc diagrams. A schemaƟc with
component locaƟons.
farad
a unit of electrical capacity; capacity of a device that gives a difference of one volt of potenƟal when
charged with one coulomb of electricity
fast‐acƟng fuse
a fuse that opens quickly on overloads and short circuits; not designed for temporary overloads that
occur with inducƟve or capaciƟve loads
field
an electrical or magneƟc area of force
field pole
the part of a stator that concentrates the magneƟc field of the field winding
fish tape
flexible wire used to pull wires through conduit
forward bias
voltage applied to a P‐N juncƟon diode to neutralize the potenƟal barrier (posiƟve voltage on a P‐
region or negaƟve on an N‐region)
fracƟonal horsepower
a horsepower value less than one
free electrons
electrons in the outer orbit of an atom that are easily removed and result in electrical current flow
frequency
number of cycles that an AC current completes in one second, expressed in hertz (Hz)
full load amps (FLA)
current drawn by a motor when operaƟng at rated load, voltage, and frequency
fuse (fu)
an electrical safety device consisƟng of a metal strip that melts when subjected to high current