Introduction
Having looked at
some of the alternative offerings on the web, I decided it was time to do a
series on basic electronics. Most I have seen are either too simplistic, and do
not explain each component well enough, or are so detailed that it is almost
impossible to know what you need to know as opposed to what you are told you need. These are usually very
different.Basic components are not always as simple as they may appear at first look. This article is intended for the beginner to electronics, who will need to know a number of things before starting on even the simplest of projects. The more experienced hobbyist will probably learn some new things as well, since there is a good deal of information here that most non-professionals will be unaware of.
Definitions
The basic electrical units and definitions are as shown
below. This list is not exhaustive, but covers the terms you will encounter most of
the time. Many of the terms are somewhat inter-related, so you need to read all
of them to make sure that you understand the relationship between them.
Current – Amount of electronic change passing a point in a
conductor per unit of time.
Voltage – Potential difference, expressed in volts.
Resistor – An electrical resistance used in a circuit to
control the current.
Unit of:
Current – Ampere (“AMP”) = A
Voltage – Volt = V
Resistor – OHM = Ω
Watt = W
Persons Involved
Current – Andre Marie Ampere
Voltage – Alessandro Volta
Resistor – Georg Sin Ohm
Power – Output when the 3 factors work together
Diagram of a simple electric circuit
Atomic Structure:
Atom – smallest particle of matter
-Smallest particle
of a chemical element that contains the properties of that element
Sub Atomic Particles
1. Electrons - negatively charged particles
2. Protons – positively
3. Neutrons – no change
Resistor (R) – the flow of electricity
Unit Ω - Georg Simon Ohm
Ø
The higher the resistance of a resistor the
smaller the amount of electricity that can pass through it.
Resistors Code
