EECT 111 Introduction to Circuit Analysis

Resistor

A component that limits electric current in a circuit.

Capacitor

A component that stores electrical charge.

Inductor

A component used to store energy in an electromagnetic field.

Transformer

A device used to increase or decrease AC voltages.

Diode

A semiconductor device that allows current to flow in one direction only.

Transistor

A semiconductor device used as an electrical switch.

Integrated Circuit (IC)

A complex electronic circuit in a small package with multiple functions.

Conductor

Materials that have 1 to 3 valence electrons allowing many free electrons like copper.

Insulator

Materials with 7 or 8 valence electrons that have few or no free electrons like glass.

Semiconductor

Materials with four valence electrons like silicon, which can conduct electricity under certain conditions.

Voltage

The amount of power moving each electron, measured in volts.

Current

The flow of electric charge, measured in amperes (amps).

Electrical Safety

Guidelines to prevent accidents while working with electrical devices.

Charge

A property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.

Coulomb (C)

The unit of electrical charge, equivalent to the charge of approximately 6.25 x 10^18 electrons.

Ohm's Law

A fundamental relationship in electrical circuits, defined as V = I × R, where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance.

Electrical Potential (Voltage)