Electricity is an omnipresent force in modern life; an invisible force that is always there powering our homes and machines, improving the productivity of our daily lives. Made up of a series of wires and components called circuits, electronics use electricity as their source of power. With a bit of basic information, you can understand the basics of the electronics you use every day.
Charge and current
Learn about charge and current. Charge is the name used to represent the force observed during the use of electricity. The two types of charge are positive and negative charge. Charge cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be neutralized. An itempositively charged can be neutralized by a negative charge. Likewise, a negatively charged object can be neutralized by adding an equal positive charge. Oppositely charged objects are attracted to each other, while similarly charged objects repel each other. When an object is attracted to another object, the force moves them toward each other. When objects repel each other, the force pushes them away from each other.
Many electricians use water as a comparison to the way electricity is measured. Current is the measure of the flow of charge, measured in amperes or amps. A 100-watt light bulb uses about one amp. If you were measuring current like water, you would be measuring how much electricity is moving through the electrical hose.
Voltage is the measure of the electrical energy, measured in Volts. Electricians often use the analogy of water pressure to describe Volts; the faster the electricity is "squirting," the higher the voltage.
Resistance is the capacity of a material to slow the flow of electricity. It is measured in ohms. In a water system, a resistant material would be similar to a sponge or porous clog slowing the flow of water through a pipe. Resistance is important when it is used to control the flow of electricity to avoid melting or heating a circuit.
Circuit
Learn to understand the circuit. In its basic form, a circuit is any path through which electricity may flow. Televisions, radios, computers, microwaves, lamps and refrigerators all involve at least one circuit.
A circuit is made up of resistors, capacitors and inductors. A resistor controls the flow of current to keep from overheating electronics and wires. A capacitor also works to control the flow of electricity through the circuit, but in a different way. A capacitor builds up extra charge not used, like a battery. As the charge builds up in the capacitor, it repels further charge from flowing through the circuit, evening out the flow of current. Another component of a circuit is the inductor, which uses a coil to smooth the flow of current. The coil produces a magnetic field that regulates the flow of current through the inductor.
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