Download Hands-On Electronics: A One-Semester Course for Class Instruction

Glossary of basic electrical and
electronic terms
ampere Basic unit of current: 1 ampere = 1 A = 1 coulomb/second.
angular frequency Rate of change of phase. Measured in radians per second: ω = 2π f .
anode The negative terminal
attenuation Decrease in voltage or current (also implies power reduction).
capacitor Device used to store charge and energy. The capacity of a capacitor is called the
capacitance. Capacitance C, charge Q, and voltage V are related by the equation Q = C V.
cathode The positive terminal
cathode-ray tube A large vacuum tube in which the electron beam can be steered to create
a visible pattern on a phosphorescent screen.
charge A fundamental property of some elementary particles. Electrons have charge −1e,
and protons and holes have charge +1e, where e = 1.602 × 10−19 coulombs.
common Voltage reference point (0 V). Also called ground.
compliance (usually of a current source): Range over which circuit performance is stable.
coulomb Unit of charge: 1 coulomb = 6.241 × 1018 e, where e is the charge of the electron.
current Rate at which charge flows. Defined as the amount of charge that passes through a
given surface (such as the cross-section of a wire) per unit time. A convenient analogy
is the rate at which water flows under a bridge or through a pipe. Positive current flows
from points of higher voltage to points of lower voltage. (Due to Benjamin Franklin’s
choice for the definition of positive charge, this is opposite to the flow of electrons.)
daraf Unit of inverse capacitance.
decibel Unit for specifying a voltage or power ratio on a logarithmic scale.
dynamic resistance Effective resistance of a nonlinear element (typically a PN junction),
such as a diode or transistor junction.
farad Unit of capacitance: 1 farad = 1 F = 1 coulomb/volt. The farad is a large unit; commonly available capacitors range in size from a few picofarads to many thousands of
microfarads.
feedback A design approach or situation in which an electronic signal communicates information from the output of an electronic device or circuit to its input. Positive feedback
enhances a change at the output (i.e., a growing output with positive feedback grows even
larger), while negative feedback counteracts a change at the output.
frequency domain AC circuit analysis approach that focuses on circuit response to sine
waves vs. their frequency.
197