Glossary of Common Electronics Terms

Ammeter - measures amps; should be placed in series

Ampere (A)- a unit of current; a coulomb/second

Binary - implies a digital code; represented in either a 0, 1, string of either, or combination

Capacitance (C) - a measure of the amount of charge a device can store

Capacitor - two conducting plates separated by a dielectric, used to store charge; component with determined capacitance

Circuit - the path that charged particles follow around a closed loop

Coulomb (c)- unit of charge; the amount of charge on 6.25 x 1018

Current - the flow of electrons

Diode - component that allows current to flow in only one direction

Farad - unit of measurement for capacitance

Light Emitting Diode (LED) - a special kind of diode that emmits light when current passes through it/P>

Ohm - unit of electrical resistance

Resistance (R)- the opposition to the flow of electrons

Resistivity (p)- a proportionality constant used to determine the amount of resistance in a wire

Resistor - component with determined resistance

Transducer - a component that inputs or outputs analog information, can be light, sound, etc.

Transistor - amplifies a change in current

Volt (V)- unit of potential difference; =joule/coulomb

Voltage - a potential difference occuring across two point in a circuit

Voltmeter - measures voltage; should be placed in parallel