Basic Electronic Definitions

1.Ampere: (A) The basic unit of current flow. An Ampere of current flow represents electron movement at a rate of one coulomb per second: that amount of current through one ohm of resistance with one volt applied. 2.Atom: The basic building block of matter composed of different types of particles. Major atom particles are the electron, proton, and neutron. 3.Battery: A dc voltage source containing a combination of cells, connected to produce higher voltage or current than a single cell produces alone. 4.Circuit: A combination of elements or components that are connected to provide paths for current flow to perform some useful function. 5.Conductor: A material that has many free electrons due to its atoms' outer ring having less than 4 electrons, which is less than the 8 needed for chemical and/or electrical stability. 6.Coulomb: The basic unit of charge: the amount of electrical charge represented by 6,250,000,000,000,000,000 electrons. (6.25 Quintrillion) 7.Current: (I) The progressive movement of electrons through a conductor. Current is measured in Amperes. 8. Digital: Pertains to the general class of devices or circuits in which the output varies in discrete steps. Instruments of this type have a digital readout. 9.Diode: Unidirectional, two-element device containing a cathode (N) and

anode (P) mainly employed as a rectifier. 10.Electron: The negatively charged particle in an atom orbiting the atom's nucleus. 11. Farad: Unit of measurement of capacitance. A capacitor has a capacitance of 1 Farad when a charge of 1 Coulomb raises its potential 1 Volt. 12. Frequency: Number of times a periodic waveform repeats itself in a unit time (generally seconds). Units of measurement are Hertz. 13. Generator: Rotating electric machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. 14. Henry: Unit of measurement for inductance. A coil has 1 Henry of inductance if an emf of 1 Volt is induced when current through the inductor is changing at a rate of 1 Ampere per second 15. Hertz: Unit of measurement for frequency, where 1 Hertz equals 1 cycle per second (cps). Named in honor of Heinrich Hertz, who discovered radio waves. 16. Impedance: The sum of resistance and reactive components in an ac circuit representing the total resistance in that circuit (Z). 17. Inductance: Inherent property of an electric circuit that opposes a change in current. Property of a circuit whereby energy may be stored in a magnetic field. Units of measurement are Henrys. 18. Joule: SI unit of work, where 1 joule is equal to 1 newton-meter (J).

19. Junction Diode: A diode having a pn junction. 20. Kirchhoff's Current Law: At any junction of conductors in a circuit, the algebraic sum of currents is zero. (It = I1+I2...+ In) 21. Kirchhoff's Voltage Law: The algebraic sum of voltages around a circuit is zero. (Et = E1+E2... + En) 22. Load: Resistance connected across a circuit that determines current and energy used. 23. Magnetic Flux: Total lines of force in a magnetic field. 24. Motor: Rotating electric machine that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. 25. Neutron: Electrically neutral particle contained in the nucleus of an atom 26.Ohm: The basic unit of resistance: the amount of electrical resistance limiting the current to one ampere with one volt applied. 27. Ohm's Law: Mathematical relationship between current, voltage and resistance stating that when a voltage is applied to a metal conductor, the current moving through the conductor is proportional to the applied voltage. Discovered by Georg Simon Ohm ( name spelled correctly) 28. Parallel: Said of two or more circuit elements so connected that the total current flow is divided between them. Also called a shunt. 29. Parallel Circuit: Circuit that contains two or more paths for electron flow

supplied by a common voltage source. 30. Quality Factor: A measure of the relationship between stored energy and rate of dissapation in certain electric elements, structures, or materials. In an inductor or capacitor, the ratio of reactance to effective series resistance at a given frequency. A measure of the sharpness of resonance or frequency selectivity of a mechanical or electrical system.. Also called Q-factor, or figure of merit. 31. Reactance (Xt): Opposition to ac as a result of inductance (Xl) or capacitance (Xc). 32.Resistance: (R) In an electrical circuit, the opposition to electron movement or current flow. 33. Series Circuit: A circuit that contains only one possible path for electron flow supplied by a common voltage source. 34. Shunt: A parallel resistor used to conduct excess current around a meter moving coil to increase range of the meter. See parallel. 35. Transformer: Device that transfers energy from one circuit to another by mutual induction. 36. Turns Ratio: Ratio of the number of turns of a primary winding to the number of turns of a secondary winding. 37. Ultra High Frequency: Frequency band from 300 MHz - 3000 MHz (UHF). 38. Very High Frequency: Frequency band from 30 MHz - 300 Mhz (VHF).

39. Volt: Unit of measure of electric potential and potential difference, where 1 Volt equals 1 Joule per Coulomb. 40. Wavelength: The length in space occupied by one cycle of a periodic wave. 41. Zener Diode: A pn junction diode that makes use of the breakdown properties of a pn junction. The diode is designed to conduct in the reverse direction when its value of breakdown voltage is reached. Beyond this point, the diode will maintain a relatively constant voltage despite variations in current. Widely used for voltage regulation in electronic products.