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Elenco 130-in-1 Electronics Playground User Manual

Page 158

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Ohm’s Law

The relationship between
voltage, current, and resistance.

Ohm, (

Ω

Ω)

The unit of measure for
resistance.

Oscillator

A circuit that uses feedback to
generate an AC output.

Parallel

When several electrical
components are connected
between the same points in the
circuit.

Pico- (p)

A prefix used in the metric
system. It means a millionth of
a millionth (0.000,000,000,001)
of something.

Pitch

The musical term for frequency.

Printed Circuit Board

A board used for mounting
electrical components.
Components are connected
using metal traces “printed” on
the board instead of wires.

Receiver

The device which is receiving a
message (usually with radio).

Resistance

The electrical friction between
an electric current and the
material it is flowing through; the
loss of energy from electrons as
they move between atoms of
the material.

Resistor

Components used to control the
flow of electricity in a circuit.
They are made of carbon.

Resistor-Transistor-

A

type of circuit

Logic (RTL)

arrangement used to construct
digital gates.

Reverse-Biased

When there is a voltage in the
direction of high-resistance
across a diode.

Saturation

The state of a transistor when
the circuit resistances, not the
transistor itself, are limiting the
current.

Schematic

A drawing of an electrical circuit
that uses symbols for all the
components.

Semiconductor

A material that has more

resistance than conductors but
less than insulators. It is used to
construct diodes, transistors,
and integrated circuits.

Series

When electrical components
are connected one after the
other.

Short Circuit

When wires from different parts
of a circuit (or different circuits)
connect accidentally.

Silicon

The chemical element most
commonly used as a
semiconductor.

Speaker

A device which converts
electrical energy into sound.

Switch

A device to connect (“closed” or
“on”) or disconnect (“open” or
“off”) wires in an electric circuit.

Transformer

A device which uses two coils to
change the AC voltage and
current (increasing one while
decreasing the other).

Transient

Temporary. Used to describe
DC changes to circuits.

Transistor

An electronic device that uses a
small amount of current to
control a large amount of
current.

Transmitter

The device which is sending a
message (usually with radio).

Tuning Capacitor

A capacitor whose value is
varied by rotating conductive
plates over a dielectric.

Variable Resistor

A resistor with an additional arm
contact that can move along the
resistive material and tap off the
desired resistance.

Voltage

A measure of how strong an
electric charge across a
material is.

Voltage Divider

A resistor configuration to
create a lower voltage.

Volts (V)

The unit of measure for voltage.