Introduction to Electricity and Electronics

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to Electrical and Electronic Systems for engineering students.

Electrical Engineering

A field of engineering focusing on the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

Coulomb’s Law

Describes the electrostatic force between two charges, stating that the force is proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Circuit Simulation

A computer-based simulation used for visualising and analyzing the behaviors of electrical circuits.

Charge

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

Current

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

Voltage

The electrical potential difference between two points, measured in volts (V).

Power

The rate at which energy is used or produced in a circuit, measured in watts (W).

Resistance

A measure of the opposition to the flow of current in a circuit, measured in ohms (Ω).

Capacitance

The ability of a system to store charge per unit voltage, measured in farads (F).

Inductance

The property of a coil or circuit that opposes changes in current, measured in henries (H).

Ohm’s Law

The relationship between voltage (V), current (I), and resistance (R) in a circuit: V = I × R.

Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)

The sum of the electrical potential differences (voltage) around any closed loop in a circuit is zero.

Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)

The total current entering a junction must equal the total current leaving the junction.

Series Circuit

A circuit in which components are connected end-to-end, so that current flows through each component in turn.

Parallel Circuit

A circuit in which components are connected across the same two points, so that the same voltage is applied to each component.

Significant Figures

The digits in a number that are considered to be reliable and meaningful in the context of precision.

Ground

A common reference point in an electrical circuit, usually considered to be at zero volts.

Passive Component

An electrical component that does not produce energy but only consumes it, such as resistors and capacitors.

Active Component

An electrical component that can control current flow and may supply power, such as transistors and operational amplifiers.

Conductance

The reciprocal of resistance, representing how easily electricity flows through a component, measured in siemens (S).

Electrostatic Force

The force exerted between charged objects due to their electric charge.

Current Source

An electrical element that provides a constant current regardless of the voltage across it.

Voltage Source

An electrical element that provides a specified voltage regardless of the current flowing through it.

Equivalent Resistance

The total resistance of a circuit component created from a combination of resistors.

Power Rating

The maximum amount of power that a component can safely dissipate without damage.

Voltage Divider

A simple circuit that divides a voltage into smaller parts, often using two or more resistors.

Current Divider

A circuit arrangement that divides current between two or more parallel pathways.

Conductivity

A measure of how well a material conducts electricity, the inverse of resistivity.

Resistor Color Code

A system of colored bands on resistors that indicates their resistance value and tolerance.

Electromagnetism

The branch of physics that deals with the interaction of electric fields and magnetic fields.

Potential Difference

The difference in electric potential between two points, often synonymous with voltage.

Power Factor

A measure of how effectively electrical power is being converted into useful work output, often used in AC circuits.