Electricity is the flow of a charge. This happens when negatively charged electrons flow through a circuit. We can measure the size of the force that sends the negatively charged electrons through the circuit, using the unit known as volts. Amps, or amperes, are a different unit, which measures electric current, which is the number of electrons flowing through a circuit. But what parts make up a working circuit? This article will cover all the basic parts of a circuit!
The Source
Every circuit needs a source, where it gets energy from. These can be batteries, which stores chemical energy, and can convert it into electrical energy. Inside most batteries, there is an anode, cathode, and electrolyte. The anode is what releases the electrons into the circuit and is the negative terminal you see on a battery. The cathode is the positive terminal on a battery that receives the electrons from the circuit.
Conductors
Conductors are very important to circuits, as they carry electric current from the source, to the load, and back to the positive terminal of the source. One example of a conductor is a wire, which is made of conductive material on the inside and is covered in an insulator, like rubber on the outside, to prevent the flow of current between different conductors.
Load
A source with conductors is technically a circuit if you hook it up, but it’s not a very useful circuit, as the electrons simply flow through the wires. We can place a load, like a lightbulb or a motor on this electrical circuit, in order to convert the electrical energy into a different type of energy, like the light in the example of a lightbulb.
Switches
Switches have 2 positions: open and closed. Open switches stop the flow of electricity through the circuit, as the conductor material used in the switch isn’t contacting the other side, which stops the charge from flowing through. However, when the switch is in the closed position, the electricity is allowed to flow through the conductor, and continue throughout the circuit. Switches are important to ensuring lightbulbs, and other loads can be turned on and off without physically altering the circuit by removing certain parts, such as the source.
Resistors
Resistors are passive electrical components, which means it consumes energy. Passive components can either dissipate, absorb, or store this consumed energy. In the case of resistors, they consume energy to limit the flow of electric current, which adds resistance. We can measure resistance using the unit ‘Ohm.’
Semiconductors
Semiconductors are materials that are in between conductors and insulators. Under certain conditions, they can either act as an insulator or a conductor. These are often used in circuits to control the flow of electrons in a circuit. One example of a semiconductor on a circuit is a transistor, which can be used in simple circuits, and also inside silicon chips, or processors, which power modern smartphones, laptops, and other devices, which use highly complex circuits, with billions of transistors, inside a space the size of your fingernail! That’s a bit complex for this article though.
Conclusion
Circuits allow us to harness the power of electrons and convert chemical energy into electrical energy, which then can be converted into other forms of energy that we use to enhance our everyday lives. If you are interested in electronics, there are some simple ways you can start learning about circuits. You can use free online circuit construction kits, or, you could buy a breadboard, in order to make simple circuits without the need for a soldering iron, allowing you to change up your circuit, and make it as basic or as complex as you want!
Written by Overclocked RGB
The Anonymous Helpers (TAH)