Gibilisco Basic Electronics Practice Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering basic physical concepts, electrical units, circuit analysis, electronic components, and advanced topics extracted from the provided textbook transcript.

Atomic number

The number of protons in the nucleus of an element's atom.

Atomic weight

The approximate sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Ion

An electrically charged atom which has either a deficiency or an excess of electrons.

Isotope

An atom that contains the same number of protons as other atoms of an element but a different number of neutrons.

Molecule

A particle composed of two or more atoms.

Compound

A substance consisting of two or more elements joined together.

Electrical insulator

A material with very high resistance that inhibits the flow of electric current.

Conductance

The ease with which an electrical current flows through a material; it is the reciprocal of resistance and is measured in siemens ($S$).

Coulomb

The standard unit of electrical charge quantity, representing a specific and very large number of charge carriers.

Volt

The standard unit of electromotive force ($EMF$).

Photovoltaic cell

A device specifically designed to convert visible light directly into electricity.

Watt

The unit of power used to indicate the rate at which energy is expended ($W$).

Frequency

The number of complete cycles per second in an alternating-current wave, measured in hertz ($Hz$).

Rectification

The process of converting alternating current ($AC$) into pulsating direct current ($DC$).

Magnetomotive force

The magnetic version of electromotive force, often measured in ampere-turns ($At$) or Gilberts ($Gb$).

Magnetic flux density

The concentration of magnetic lines of force in a specific area, measured in units such as the gauss ($G$) or tesla ($T$).

Ferromagnetic material

A substance, such as iron, that concentrates magnetic flux lines within itself and can be permanently magnetized.

Electrostatic force

The force of attraction or repulsion between two electrically charged objects.

Galvanometer

A device used to indicate the presence of a small electric current by the deflection of a needle.

Thermocouple

A device that generates a direct current when its junction of two different metals is heated.

Potentiometer

A variable resistor used to adjust voltage or signal levels, such as volume in an audio circuit.

Ohm's Law

The fundamental principle stating that voltage ($E$) is equal to the product of current ($I$) and resistance ($R$), expressed as $E = I \times R$.

Bleeder resistor

A resistor connected across a filter capacitor in a power supply to drain off the charge after the power is turned off, protecting people from electric shock.

Primary cell

A type of electrochemical cell that cannot be recharged once its chemical energy is exhausted.

Secondary cell

An electrochemical cell that is capable of being recharged by passing a current through it in the direction opposite to the discharge current.

Geomagnetic field

The magnetic field that surrounds the Earth, characterized by lines of flux running between the magnetic poles.

Period

The length of time required for one complete cycle of an alternating-current wave to occur.

Harmonic

A signal frequency that is a whole-number multiple of a fundamental frequency.

Inductance

The property of a component, usually a coil, to store energy in a magnetic field and oppose changes in current; measured in henrys ($H$).

Capacitance

The property of a component to store energy in an electric field between two conducting plates; measured in farads ($F$).

Reactance

The opposition to alternating current offered by an inductor or a capacitor, measured in ohms ($\Omega$).

Impedance

The total opposition that a circuit offers to alternating current, consisting of a combination of resistance and reactance ($Z$).

Admittance

A measure of the ease with which an alternating current can flow through a circuit; it is the reciprocal of impedance and is measured in siemens ($S$).

Resonance

A condition in an $AC$ circuit where the inductive reactance and capacitive reactance cancel each other out, occurring at a specific frequency ($f_o$).

Step-up transformer

A transformer in which the secondary voltage is higher than the primary voltage.

Doping

The intentional addition of specific impurities to a semiconductor material to modify its electrical conductive properties.

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

A semiconductor device with three layers (Emitter, Base, Collector) used for amplification or switching.

Field-Effect Transistor (FET)

A transistor that uses an electric field to control the flow of current through a semiconductor channel.

Operational Amplifier (Op Amp)

An integrated circuit used for high-gain signal amplification, commonly characterized by having an inverting and a non-inverting input.

Radix

The base of a number system, such as $2$ for binary, $8$ for octal, or $10$ for decimal.

Asimov's Three Laws

A set of ethical rules for robots, the first of which states that a robot must not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm.

Manipulator

A robotic arm together with the device at its end, such as a gripper or tool.

Work envelope

The total region in space throughout which a robot arm can reach and perform tasks.