DE Key Terms #1

DE

Analog

A way of representing some physical quantity, such as temperature or velocity, by a proportional continuous voltage or current.

Breadboard

A circuit board for wiring temporary circuits, usually used for prototypes or laboratory work.

Capacitor

An electrical device used to store electrical charge.

Conventional Current

The direction of current flow associated with positive charge in motion. The current flow direction is from a positive to negative potential, which is in the opposite direction of electron flow.

Current

A movement of electrical charges around a closed path or circuit.

Digital

A way of representing a physical quantity by a series of binary numbers.

Digital Multi-Meter(DMM)

A piece of test equipment used to measure voltage, current, and resistance in an electronic circuit.

Engineering Notation

A floating point system in which numbers are expressed as products consisting of a number greater than one multiplied by an appropriate power of ten that is some multiple of three.

Fuse

A protective device in the current path that melts or breaks when current exceeds a predetermined maximum value.

Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL)

The algebraic sum of all currents into and out of any branch point in a circuit must equal zero.

Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL)

The algebraic sum of all voltages around any closed path must equal zero.

LED

Light-emitting diode. An electronic device that conducts current in one direction only and illuminates when it is conducting.

Ohm

Unit of resistance.

Ohm's Law

In electric circuits, I\=V/R.

Parallel Circuit

One that has two or more branches for separate current from one voltage source.