week06 Electronics Vocabulary

Week 06 — Electronics Vocabulary¶

General¶

Voltage (V)¶

The electrical force that pushes current through a conductor.
Measured in volts (V).

Resistance (R)¶

Opposition to current flow in a circuit.
Measured in ohms (Ω).

Ohm’s Law¶

Describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance:

V = I × R
I = V ÷ R
R = V ÷ I
P = V × I
P = I² × R

Ohm’s Law is the foundation of circuit design and safe component selection.

Water Analogy (This analogy helps visualize electrical behavior, very easy way I found from the boook)¶

Voltage → Water pressure
Current → Water flow
Resistance → Pipe size
Power → Work done by flowing water

USING DIRECT CURRENT¶

Wire Coil¶

A coil of insulated wire creates a magnetic field when current flows through it.

Electromagnet¶

Placing iron or steel inside a powered coil produces a temporary magnet.
Magnetism exists only while current flows.

Solenoid¶

A coil that converts electrical energy into linear mechanical motion by pulling a metal core inward when energized.

Motor¶

A device that converts electrical energy into continuous rotational motion using magnetic interaction.

Generally, Electric current creates a magnetic field in the coil, pulling the nail repeatedly and converting electrical energy into mechanical motion.

PULSES, WAVES, SIGNALS, AND NOISE¶

Electronics is not only about power — it is about controlling electrons to transmit and process information.

A simple switch can encode information by producing controlled light pulses.

Pulses¶

A brief, sudden change in voltage or current.
Real pulses have rise time, fall time, and possible distortion.

Waves¶

A repeating change in voltage or current over time.

Common types:

Sine wave
Square wave
Triangle wave
Ramp wave

Random waveforms are called noise.

Signals¶

A waveform that carries information.

Modulation is the process of placing information onto a waveform.

Signals may be:

Pure AC
Pure DC
AC riding on DC

Noise¶

Unwanted random electrical disturbance.

Sources include:

Motors
Lightning
Power lines
Electromagnetic interference

Noise can distort or hide useful signals.

1. Basic Electrical Concepts¶

Electricity — The movement or presence of electric charge used to perform work.
Static Electricity — Electric charge stored on an object’s surface.
Electric Current (I) — Flow of electric charge through a conductor.
Direct Current (DC) — Current flowing in one constant direction.
Alternating Current (AC) — Current that periodically reverses direction.
Voltage (V) — Electrical potential difference that drives current.
Resistance (R) — Opposition to current flow.
Impedance — Combined opposition to AC current.
Power Supply — Device that provides electrical energy to a circuit.
Ground — Reference voltage point in a circuit.
Load — Component that consumes electrical power.

2. Fundamental Laws and Conditions¶

Ohm’s Law — Relationship between voltage, current, and resistance:
V = I × R

Open Circuit — Broken path; no current flows.
Closed Circuit — Complete path; current flows normally.
Short Circuit — Very low resistance path causing excessive current.

3. Passive Components¶

Resistor — Limits or controls current.
Variable Resistor — Adjustable resistance device.
Capacitor — Stores electrical energy in an electric field.
Inductor (Coil) — Stores energy in a magnetic field.
Transformer — Transfers electrical energy between coils via magnetic coupling.

4. Active Components¶

Diode — Allows current to flow in one direction only.
Rectifier — Circuit that converts AC to DC.
Zener Diode — Diode used for voltage regulation.
Transistor — Semiconductor device used for switching or amplification.
Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) — Current-controlled transistor.
Field-Effect Transistor (FET) — Voltage-controlled transistor.
Unijunction Transistor (UJT) — Trigger device used in oscillators.
Thyristor — Semiconductor switch that remains on after triggering.
Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR) — Controlled rectifier used in power control.
Triac — Bidirectional thyristor for AC switching.

5. Photonic Devices¶

Optical Component — Device that interacts with light.
Lens — Focuses or spreads light.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) — Semiconductor that emits light when powered.
Photodiode — Converts light into electrical current.
Phototransistor — Light-controlled transistor.
Photoresistor (LDR) — Resistance changes with light intensity.
Solar Cell — Converts light energy into electrical energy.

6. Integrated Circuits¶

Integrated Circuit (IC) — Miniaturized electronic circuit on a semiconductor chip.
Chip — Semiconductor substrate containing electronic components.
Packaging — Protective enclosure for an IC.
Microcontroller (MCU) — Programmable IC that controls digital systems.

7. Digital Electronics¶

Digital Signal — Signal with discrete voltage levels.
Analog Signal — Continuously varying signal.
Binary — Number system using 0 and 1.
Logic Gate — Circuit performing logical operations.
AND Gate — Output high only if all inputs are high.
OR Gate — Output high if any input is high.
NOT Gate — Inverts input signal.
NAND Gate — NOT-AND logic function.
NOR Gate — NOT-OR logic function.
Data Bus — Path used to transfer digital data.
Combinational Logic — Output depends only on present inputs.
Sequential Logic — Output depends on inputs and previous state.
TTL — Transistor-Transistor Logic family.
CMOS — Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor logic family.

8. Linear Electronics¶

Linear Circuit — Processes continuous signals.
Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp) — High-gain voltage amplifier.
Amplifier — Increases signal strength.
Comparator — Compares two voltages.
Timer IC — Generates time delays or oscillations.
Function Generator — Produces waveform signals.
Voltage Regulator — Maintains constant output voltage.
Feedback — Returning part of output to input for control.

9. Signals and Wave Properties¶

Signal — Electrical information transmitted through a circuit.
Noise — Unwanted disturbance affecting a signal.
Frequency — Number of cycles per second (Hz).
Waveform — Shape of a signal over time.
Pulse — Short-duration signal change.
Gain — Ratio of output signal to input signal.

10. Circuit Construction¶

Wire — Conductive material connecting components.
Cable — Bundle of multiple wires.
Switch — Device that opens or closes a circuit.
Relay — Electrically controlled switch.
Breadboard — Platform for temporary circuit building.
Prototype Circuit — Test version of a design.
Soldering — Permanently joining components using melted metal.

Refernce:¶

(all from, book provided by Rico (local instructor)) below is the link, please refer for basic to fundamental concept in eclectronics. https://archive.org/details/getting-started-in-electronics/page/n5/mode/2up

ChatGpt with Prompt” Summarize and the following for vocabulary format in electronics design concept”