![]() Voltage, also described as potential difference or the electromotive force, is the “push” that causes electrons to move throughout a circuit. ![]() Here we will learn more about them in detail: What Is Voltage? They are: a source of a difference in electrical potential that “pushes” electrons through a circuit, the flow of electrons through a material that presents minimal electrical resistance, and opposition to the flow of electricity somewhere along its path. Understanding the “Flow” of Electricity Through a Circuitįor an electrical circuit to be functional, three phenomena need to be present. Some passive components include resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Passive components lack the ability to control current.Įxamples of Active components are: Batteries, solar cells, and transistors. Active components are those with the ability to control the flow of electricity. Active and Passive ComponentsĪ circuit is made up of active and passive components. Basically, it turns the circuit ON or OFF. SwitchĪ switch is a simple mechanism that sits somewhere on a circuit and its function is to connect or disconnect the overall circuit. For example, many household appliances such as washing machines, AC units, and electric stoves are also considered electrical loads. More complex devices also consume energy and do work and are also referred to as loads. In a simple circuit you can have loads such as bulbs, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and motors. LoadĪn electrical load is any single component or overall appliance that consumes electrical energy, does work, and produces heat. A typical electrical circuit utilizes conductors such as wires, cables, or printed circuits. Metals, water, ionized gasses, and even living, breathing bodies are all conductors, although some are better than others.Ĭonversely, you have materials like wood, rubber, the earth, and the air that are considered insulators that mitigate or resist the flow of electricity. In other words, these are called conductors. Conductive MaterialĪ conductive material is anything that facilitates the flow of electrons. This source can come from devices such as batteries, generators, fuel cells, solar cells, alternators etc.Ī power source, such as a battery, causes electrons to move by way of a potential difference (voltage), which is the electromotive force that drives the flow of electricity. Here are the four basic components that make up an electrical circuit: Power SourceĪ power source is any device that causes electrons to move along a conductor. ![]() You have a power source, a material that conducts electricity, a load that consumes that electricity and does work, and a power switch that connects and disconnects the circuit. There are four basic components that make up and are absolutely essential to an operational electrical circuit. Multiple parts go into making a circuit work. We can solve series-parallel circuits by substituting the equivalent resistances for various portions of the circuit until the original circuit is reduced to either a simple series or a simple parallel circuit.įind the voltage drop, current, and power for each resistor in the circuit diagram of Figure 4.ĭraw a fully labeled schematic diagram for this particular circuit.What Are the Basic Components of an Electrical Circuit? Series-Parallel Circuit Solution using Equivalent-Circuit Method You May Also Read: Series Circuit: Definition & Examples | Resistors in Series.We define a series-parallel circuit as one in which some portions of the circuit have the characteristics of simple series circuits while the other portions have the characteristics of simple parallel circuits. We can now solve the simplified circuit of Figure 3(b) as a simple parallel circuit.įigure 3 (a) Series-parallel circuit (b) Equivalent circuit Series-Parallel Circuit Definition We can replace them with an equivalent resistor, as shown in Figure 3(b). In the circuit shown in Figure 3(a), R 2 and R 3 have the same current through them and are therefore in series. Therefore, we can solve the circuit of Figure 2 as a simple series circuit. In Figure 2, R 1 is in series with the equivalent resistance of R 2 and R 3 in parallel. As measured from the terminals of the voltage source, the simplified circuit of Figure 2 is equivalent to the original circuit of Figure 1.
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