Alternating Current (AC) Current from a power
source that changes polarity periodically.
Alternator A device that supplies alternating current.
Ammeter An instrument used for measuring current.
Ampacity The current–carrying capacity of conductors
in amperes.
Ampere (A) The unit of measurement for current. One
ampere is that current whereby one coulomb of charge
passes through a point in one second. Named for André
Ampere.
Amplifier An electronic circuit that boost the voltage
and/or the current level of a signal.
Ballast A device used to provide starting current for
certain types of lamps (fluorescent).
Battery A direct-current power source consisting of
two or more cells.
Capacitance (C) The ability of two conductors
separated by an insulator to store an electrical charge;
measured in farads (F).
Capacitor A device designed to provide a specific
amount of capacitance.
Cell A device that transforms one form of energy into
electrical energy. An example would be a chemical dry
cell commonly used in flashlights (D, C, AA, AAA) and
other electric devices. These are often referred to as
batteries.
Circuit An arrangement or connection of circuit
devices and components to perform a specific objective.
In the simplest form it would require an energy source, a
load to transform the energy into the desired task, and
conductors to connect the source to the load.
Circuit breaker A circuit protection device that opens
the circuit automatically when an overload or short circuit
occurs.
Closed circuit A circuit that provides a complete
path for current.
Conductance (G) The ability of a conductor to allow
the flow of electrons. Measured in Siemens (S). The
reciprocal of resistance.
Conductor A low-resistance material to provide a
path for current. Used to interconnect components in a
circuit.
Conventional current A direction flow assignment
that has current flowing from positive to negative.
Coulomb Base unit of electrical charge equal to 6.25
X 1018 electrons. Named for Charles Coulomb, the
French physicist who pioneered research into
magnetism and electricity. He also formulated
Coulomb's law which states that the force of attraction
or repulsion between two charged bodies is equal to the
product of the two charges and is inversely proportional
to the square of the distance between them. F= Q1 x
Q2/d2
Current (I) The rate of flow of electrons through a
conductor or component; measured in amperes. The
symbol (I) stands for intensity of the electron flow.
Cycle One complete wave of alternating voltage or
current.
Diode A semiconductor device that only allows
current to pass through it in one direction, cathode to
anode. Also, a classification of semiconductor devices
having only one junction. Examples include: rectifier,
zener, varactor, and tunnel diodes.
Direct Current (DC) Current from a power source that
continually flows in the same direction. An electrical
source of constant polarity.
Electricity The physical phenomena arising from the
behavior of electrons and protons that is caused by the
attraction of particles with opposite charges and the
repulsion of particles with the same charge. The
physical science of such phenomena.
Electric energy The energy carried by free electrons
from a source to a load. Also, the potential energy of a
stationary charge.
Electric power (P) The rate at which energy is
consumed in a circuit or load. Measured in watts (W).
Electromotive Force (emf) The force or electrical
pressure that has the potential to cause electron flow in
a circuit. Also called voltage, potential
difference or difference of potential. Measured in
volts (V).
Electrostatic field An electric field produced by
stationary charges.
Farad (F) The basic unit of measurement for
capacitance. One farad is that capacitance that will
store one coulomb of charge when the charging force is
one volt. Since the farad is a very large unit,
capacitance will more commonly be expressed as
microfarad (uF) or picofarad (pF) values. Named
for Michael Faraday
Fuse A protective device designed to interrupt current
flow (open) through a circuit when current exceeds a
rated value.
Generator A device that converts mechanical energy
to electrical energy.
Ground The common return path for current in an
electrical circuit. Serves as a reference point for
measuring all other potentials in a circuit.
Henry (H) The unit of inductance in which an induced
electromotive force of one volt is produced when the
current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second.
Named for Joseph Henry, an American physicist who
performed extensive studies of electromagnetic
phenomena.
Hertz (Hz) A unit of frequency equal to one cycle per
second. Named for Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist
who was the first to produce radio waves artificially.
Impedance (Z) Opposition to current flow from the
combined effects of resistance and reactance measured
in ohms (S).
Inductance (L) The property of a circuit that opposes
a change in current. Also, the property of a circuit to
store energy in the form of a magnetic field and release
it back into the circuit at a later time.
Inductor An electrical device designed to provide a
specific amount of inductance; measured in henrys (H).
Insulator A material that has a high resistance to
current flow.
Integrated Circuit (IC) The placement of numerous
components and circuits on to a silicon chip.
Internal resistance The resistance within a power
source.
Joule The basic unit of electrical, mechanical, and
thermal energy. As a unit of electrical energy it is equal
to the energy carried by 1 coulomb of charge being
propelled by an electromotive force of 1 volt. Named
for James Joule, the British physicist who established
the mechanical theory of heat and discovered the first
law of thermodynamics.
Kilowatthour (kWh) Unit of energy consumption
equal to 1000 watt-hours or the energy consumed at the
rate to one kilowatt (kW) for a time of one hour.
Equivalent to 3,600,000 joules.
Kirchhoff, Gustav Robert The German physicist
noted for his research in spectrum analysis, optics, and
electricity. Developed fundamental DC circuit laws
dealing with current characteristics in a parallel circuit
and voltage characteristics in a series circuit.
Lamp A light producing device consisting of a
filament placed in a vacuum.
Light-emitting diode (LED) A semiconductor diode
that emits light as current flows from the cathode to the
anode across its PN junction.
Load A device or apparatus that uses the energy of a
circuit to perform work. May also refer to the power
used by a device, machine, or a combination of many.
Multimeter An instrument that can measure current,
voltage, and resistance on various ranges. Many
multimeters can measure other circuit values such as
frequency and capacitance.
Ohm (S) The unit of measurement for
resistance. Named for Georg Simon Ohm, the German
physicist noted for his contributions to mathematics,
acoustics, and the measurement of electrical resistance.
Ohm’s law Very basic circuit law that defines the
relationships between current, voltage, and resistance in
a DC circuit. Ohm’s law states that current is directly
proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to
resistance. (I = V/R) The other forms of the formula are
V = IR and R = V/I.
Ohmmeter An instrument for measuring resistance.
Oscillator A circuit that converts dc power into ac
signals with constant frequency. Also, an instrument
that generates ac signals whose frequency and
amplitude can be varied. These are also referred to as
signal generators.
Parallel circuit A circuit with two or more loads (or
sources) connected such that all have the same voltage
but different currents. Each load can be operated
independent of the others. Parallel sources should have
equal voltage ratings.
Polarity For electrical charge, the indication of a
charge as either positive (+) or negative (-). Voltage at a
point would be indicated as being either positive or
negative with respect to some other point. For magnetic
poles, the indication as either north or south.
Positive For sources, implies the terminal that has a
deficiency of free electrons. Also, can imply the polarity
of a point in a circuit in respect to some other point.
Potentiometer A three-terminal resistor with an
adjustable center connection generally used to control
voltage; widely used for volume control in radio and
television receivers. In this sense, also called a Pot.
Power The rate at which energy is consumed. In
electronics it refers to the consumption of electrical
energy in joules over time; measured in watts.
Power supply Generally, a device or circuit used to
convert alternating current (ac) of specific voltage to one
or more direct current (dc) values of specific voltage and
current ratings. May have variable voltage ability in some
instances. May also refer to a device that converts a
specific dc value to another dc value (dc to dc
converter).
Printed circuit (PC) board A fiberglass board with
copper foil as the conductors to interconnect the
attached electrical components.
Rectifier A solid state device that converts alternating
current to pulsed direct current.
Relay An electromechanical device that uses
electromagnetism to mechanically switch electrical
circuits. The output contacts are designed to be either
normally open (NO) or normally closed (NC).
Resistance (R) The opposition to current flow in a
circuit; measured in ohms.
Resistor An electrical component designed to provide
a specific resistance. Available in many formats such as
fixed, tapped, and variable. See potentiometer and
rheostat.
Rheostat A two-terminal resistor with an adjustable
center connection and one end connection generally
used to control current.
Series circuit A circuit arrangement of two or more
loads (or sources) connected end-to-end only allowing
for one current path. Therefore, all components have
the same current but can have different voltage.
Semiconductor Any of various solid crystalline
substances, such as germanium or silicon, having
electrical conductivity greater than insulators but less
than good conductors. In electronics these are
generally doped to from either N type or P type material.
Short circuit An undesirable low resistance path
between two points in a circuit.
Solar cell A device that converts light energy to
electrical energy. Also called a photovoltaic cell.
Solder Any of various fusible alloys, usually tin and
lead, used to join metallic parts. In electronics used to
connect components to PC boards or to aid the
conductivity and mechanical junctions of connections
and splices.
Source General term to describe devices that
provides electrical energy at their output terminals to
operate a circuit.
Static electricity A stationary electrical charge on an
object.
Switch A device used to open (turn off) and close
(turn on) electrical circuits that can be designed to
operate by numerous actions such as toggle, slide, and
pushbutton actions. Standard configurations include
SPST, SPDT, DPST, and DPDT.
Terminal A connection point for electrical
components or conductors.
Thermistor A resistor made of semiconductor
material having resistance that varies rapidly and
predictably with temperature. Used as a temperature
sensor, the resistance varies inversely with temperature.
Thermocouple A thermoelectric device used to
measure temperatures accurately, consist of two
dissimilar metals joined so that a potential difference is
generated that is representative of the temperature of
the junction.
Transducer A device used to convert input energy of
one form into output energy of another.
Transformer A device used to transfer electric
energy from one circuit to another, especially a pair of
multiply wound, inductively coupled wire coils that effect
such a transfer with a change in voltage, current, phase,
or other electric characteristic. Generally used to
convert one voltage-current relationship to
another. Step-up transformer, increase the voltage
while decreasing the current, and step-down
transformer decrease the voltage while increasing the
current.
Transistor A small electronic semiconductor device
having at least three electrical contacts, used in a circuit
as an amplifier or a switch. See: BJT, JFET, MOSFET.
Volt (V) The unit by which an electromotive force or
voltage is measured. Named for Alessandro Volta,
the Italian physicist who invented the first electric battery
(1800).
Voltage (V) Same as emf. The force or electrical
pressure that has the potential to cause electron flow in
a circuit.
Voltmeter An instrument used to measure voltage.
Watt (W) The unit of measurement for power. One
watt equals to the work done when one joule is used per
second. Named for James Watt the British engineer
and inventor.