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Glossary of Terms
A
Abrasion Resistance
The ability of wire or cable to resist wear and tear to
the surface.
AC (Alternating Current)
See Alternating Current.
ACR (Attenuation Cross Talk Ratio)
Attenuation Cross Talk Ratio – the difference between
attenuation and cross talk measured in decibel at a
given frequency.
AF (Audio Frequency)
AM (Amplitude Modulation)
Alternating Current (AC or a.c.)
Electrical current, which changes magnitude and
direction in a regular periodic way and is often
described by the formula I(t) = I 0 sin (wt + Ø), where
I 0 is the peak value or amplitude of the current, I 0
is the angular frequency, Ø is the phase constant and
(wt + Ø) is called the phase of the current.
American Society for Testing
and Materials
See ASTM.
Ambient Temperature
The temperature of a medium (gas or liquid)
surrounding an object.
American Wire Gauge (AWG)
The U.S. standard system to specify size of electrical
wiring.
AMP (A) (Ampere)
A unit of measure for electrical current.
Ampere (A)
The unit of current. One ampere is the current flowing
through one ohm of resistance at one volt potential.
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
Appliance Wiring Material (AWM). UL designation
for cable intended for use in the appliance wiring
industry.
Armored Cable
A cable provided with a wrapping of metal providing
for mechanical protection.
ASTM (American Society for Testing
and Materials)
Acronym for American Society for Testing and
Materials – a standards organization, which suggests
test methods, definitions or practices.
Audio Frequency (AF) – 20 – 20,000 cycles
per second
AUTO
Automotive Industry Wiring Color Code for
conductors.
AWG (American Wire Gauge)
A numerical standard used to refer to the diameter
cross-sectional area of a wire. Smaller numbers
refer to larger cross sectional areas. Is sometimes
referred to as the Brown and Sharpe (B&S) wire
gauge.
B
Binder
A spirally wrapped tape or thread used for holding
assembled cable components in place awaiting
subsequent manufacturing operations.
BNC (Bayonet Neil Concelman)
A coaxial connector used exclusively in video and RF
applications.
Braid
A metal mesh or screen material, usually copper,
which is used in a cable to shield against electrical
interference and reinforces the cable jacket against
damage.
Bridge Rectifier
An electrical device made up of four diodes,
performing the function of full wave rectification
(converts the full AC sine wave to DC).
C
Cable
Either a stranded conductor with or without insulation
and other coverings (single conductor cable), or
a combination of conductors insulated from one
another (multiple conductor cable).
Capacitor
An electronic device, which can be used to store
an electric charge or to allow alternating current to
flow. The ideal capacitor will not allow steady state
or DC current to flow. The capacitor is used in many
applications such as transient suppression, electrical
noise filtering, timing circuits, etc.
CATV (Community Antenna Television)
CCTV (Closed Circuit Television)
CEC (Canadian Electrical Code)
Canadian version of USNEC.
Color Code
Used to identify wires or circuits by color, utilizing
solid colors, tracers, braids, and other surface
printing.
Conductivity
The ability of a material to allow electrons to flow,
measured by the current per unit of voltage applied.
It is the reciprocal of resistivity.
Conductor
A material that can easily conduct the flow of
electrical current. Metals are considered to be good
conductors for carrying electrical current.
Connector
A device used to provide rapid connect or disconnect
for electrical cable and wire terminations.
Connector Insert
Insulating device that holds the contacts in their
proper location.
Contact
The parts of a connector that carries the electrical
current through the circuit.
Contact Holder
Insulating device that holds the contacts in their
proper position.
Control Cable
A term sometimes used to describe the cable
that runs between the PLC and a distribution box
(Lumberg ASB or ZV product).
Cord
A small and flexible insulated cable.
CPE (Chlorinated Polyethylene)
A flexible synthetic rubber material with high tear
strength and provides good resistance to most
inorganic chemicals. It is inherently difficult to ignite.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
Creepage
Refers to the conduction of electricity across the
surface of a dielectric.
Crimp Termination
A connection, in which a metal sleeve is secured to a
conductor by mechanically crimping the sleeve with
pliers, presses or automated crimping machines.
CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
CSA (Canadian Standards Association)
The Canadian equivalent to the Underwriters
Laboratories organization.
References
Glossary of Terms
References
