Ampere: (A) The basic unit of current flow.

An Ampere of current flow represents electron movement at a rate of one coulomb per second: that amount of current through one ohm of resistance with one volt applied. Atom: The basic building block of matter composed of different types of particles. Major atom particles are the electron, proton, and neutron. Battery: A dc voltage source containing a combination of cells, connected to produce higher voltage or current than a single cell produces alone. Circuit: A combination of elements or components that are connected to provide paths for current flow to perform some useful function. Conductor: A material that has many free electrons due to its atoms' outer ring having less than 4 electrons, which is less than the 8 needed for chemical and/or electrical stability. Coulomb: The basic unit of charge: the amount of electrical charge represented by 6,250,000,000,000,000,000 electrons. (6.25 Quintrillion) Current: (I) The progressive movement of electrons through a conductor. Current is measured in Amperes. Digital: Pertains to the general class of devices or circuits in which the output varies in discrete steps. Instruments of this type have a digital readout. Diode: Unidirectional, two-element device containing a cathode (N) and anode (P) mainly employed as a rectifier. Electron: The negatively charged particle in an atom orbiting the atom's nucleus. Farad: Unit of measurement of capacitance. A capacitor has a capacitance of 1 Farad when a charge of 1 Coulomb raises its potential 1 Volt. Frequency: Number of times a periodic waveform repeats itself in a unit time (generally seconds). Units of measurement are Hertz. Generator: Rotating electric machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Henry: Unit of measurement for inductance. A coil has 1 Henry of inductance if an emf of 1 Volt is induced when current through the inductor is changing at a rate of 1 Ampere per second Hertz: Unit of measurement for frequency, where 1 Hertz equals 1 cycle per second (cps). Named in honor of Heinrich Hertz, who discovered radio waves. Impedance: The sum of resistance and reactive components in an ac circuit representing the total resistance in that circuit (Z). Inductance: Inherent property of an electric circuit that opposes a change in current. Property of a circuit whereby energy may be stored in a magnetic field. Units of measurement are Henrys. Joule: SI unit of work, where 1 joule is equal to 1 newton-meter (J). Junction Diode: A diode having a pn junction. Kirchhoff's Current Law: At any junction of conductors in a circuit, the algebraic sum of currents is zero. (It = I1+I2...+ In) Kirchhoff's Voltage Law: The algebraic sum of voltages around a circuit is zero. (Et = E1+E2... + En) Load: Resistance connected across a circuit that determines current and energy used. Magnetic Flux: Total lines of force in a magnetic field. Motor: Rotating electric machine that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. Neutron: Electrically neutral particle contained in the nucleus of an atom Ohm: The basic unit of resistance: the amount of electrical resistance limiting the current to one ampere with one volt applied. Ohm's Law: Mathematical relationship between current, voltage and resistance stating that when a voltage is applied to a metal conductor, the current moving through the conductor is proportional to the applied voltage. Discovered by Georg Simon Ohm ( name spelled correctly)

Parallel: Said of two or more circuit elements so connected that the total current flow is divided between them. Also called a shunt. Parallel Circuit: Circuit that contains two or more paths for electron flow supplied by a common voltage source. Quality Factor: A measure of the relationship between stored energy and rate of dissapation in certain electric elements, structures, or materials. In an inductor or capacitor, the ratio of reactance to effective series resistance at a given frequency. A measure of the sharpness of resonance or frequency selectivity of a mechanical or electrical system.. Also called Q-factor, or figure of merit. Reactance (Xt): Opposition to ac as a result of inductance (Xl) or capacitance (Xc). Resistance: (R) In an electrical circuit, the opposition to electron movement or current flow. Series Circuit: A circuit that contains only one possible path for electron flow supplied by a common voltage source. Shunt: A parallel resistor used to conduct excess current around a meter moving coil to increase range of the meter. See parallel. Transformer: Device that transfers energy from one circuit to another by mutual induction. Turns Ratio: Ratio of the number of turns of a primary winding to the number of turns of a secondary winding. Ultra High Frequency: Frequency band from 300 MHz - 3000 MHz (UHF). Very High Frequency: Frequency band from 30 MHz - 300 Mhz (VHF). Volt: Unit of measure of electric potential and potential difference, where 1 Volt equals 1 Joule per Coulomb. Wavelength: The length in space occupied by one cycle of a periodic wave. Zener Diode: A pn junction diode that makes use of the breakdown properties of a pn junction. The diode is designed to conduct in the reverse direction when its value of breakdown voltage is reached. Beyond this point, the diode will maintain a relatively constant voltage despite variations in current. Widely used for voltage regulation in electronic products.

AC Alternating current. Consists of a periodic oscillation between two different voltages. Usually said to look like a sine wave, but is not always. AM Amplitude modulation. In radio communications, a signal controls the amplitude of a carrier wave that is at a much higher, constant frequency. The carrier wave is filtered out and a loudspeaker plays based on the amplitude of the signal. Ampere (A) The SI unit for current I. (Commonly spoken as "amps", "milliamps", etc.) The ampere is officially defined as that constant current which, if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross-section, and placed one meter apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 210-7 newton per meter of length. There is another definition which is based on the deposition rate of silver (in electrolysis?), which is much easier to measure. The other electronics units are derived units based on the ampere definition. Amplify To increase the strength of the signal. Often an "amplifier" is used to pass a signal with both an increase or a decrease in gain. Anode An electron collector. Means up the path from a negative to a positive voltage. An anode has a more positive voltage relative to a cathode. Attenuate Decrease the strength of a signal. Band-Pass Filter An analog filter that absorbs low and high frequencies (f) but allows a band of frequencies in the middle to pass through. BJT Bi-polar junction transistor. A transistor in which the resistance of the channel is controlled by a current at the gate. Can be thought of as a current-controlled resistor. FET is the other major type of transistor. Capacitor An electronics component that stores energy in the form of electric charge (static electricity). It resists a sudden change in voltage. Cathode An electron emitter. A cathode has a more negative voltage relative to some other place. Choke Another name for an inductor, specifically referring to those used in power regulation. CMOS Complementary metal oxide semiconductor. Complementary means that it has N-channel and P-channel transistors. Metal oxide is the type of gate. CMOS is a type of Integrated Circuit (IC) that is voltage based, since it is made of FETs. Digital circuits tend to use very little current, because the paths for current flow are effectively open or closed circuits except during the transition between states.

Coil A helix of wire (the same shape as a spring or Slinky). Its height, width, thickness, and material can all vary. Used as an inductor. The loops of wire can overlap. Condenser Another name for capacitor. Conductance The inverse of resistance. Measured in siemens (obsolete name mhos), which are the inverse of ohms. 1 S = 1/ = 1 A/V = 1 A2/W Coulomb (C) The SI unit for electric charge Q. Defined in terms of the ampere. 1 coulomb is the amount of electric charge carried by a current of 1 ampere flowing for 1 second. It is also about 6.241018times the charge on an electron. 1 C = 1 As Current The drift of electrons in an electric field. This is perceived as a flow. It is measured in amperes. Cycles per second (cps) An obsolete name for hertz, the standard SI unit. As the name implies, a measurement of frequency in full cycles of a wave per second. The unit cps (or kilocycles, megacycles, etc.) is more often seen in older documents. dB Decibel. Used to measure logarithmic ratios like signal to noise ratio (SNR), total harmonic distortion (THD), volume relative to a nominal level. Similar to percent (%) in that it has no units. dB SPL is used to measure sound levels relative to 20 micro-pascals (Pa). dBu is used to measure voltage relative to 0.775 V. DC Direct current. A constant voltage and a constant current flow in one direction. Diode A one way valve for current. Semiconductor diodes typically have a voltage drop of 0.6 V (silicon) or 0.2V (germanium) when conducting in the forward direction. EMF (E) Electro-Motive Force. A force for moving electrons. See Voltage. Ethernet is a family of frame-based computer networking technologies for local area networks (LAN). It defines a number of wiring and signaling standards for the Physical Layer of the standard networking model as well as a common addressing format and a variety of Medium Access Control procedures at the lower part of the Data Link Layer. Farad (F) The SI unit for capacitance (C). A capacitor is one farad if it has a coulomb (1 C) of charge on it with a voltage separation of a volt (1 V). 1 F = 1 C/V FET Field Effect Transistor. Can be thought of as an Electric Field Transistor. A transistor in which the voltage at the gate controls the resistance of the channel. (i.e. a FET has voltagecontrolled resistance.) BJT is the other major type of transistor.

FM Frequency modulation. Changing the frequency of a carrier signal to represent the amplitude of the original signal. Forward Biased The voltage polarity through a part which causes it to conduct current. Frequency (f) The number of revolutions (cycles) per unit time. Usually expressed in either radians per second or cycles per second (Hz). Gain A multiplier of voltage or current. Ground Ground is defined as the point in the circuit which is at zero voltage. Voltage is relative, and is the same throughout a conductor, so any point in the circuit can be defined as ground, and all other voltages are referenced to it. Usually it is defined as the most negative point in the circuit, for convenience. Sometimes it is defined in the middle of two bi-polar rails, for "balanced" circuits. In many cases this circuit point is connected to the Earth (Ground) by some buried conductor. Henry (H) The SI unit for inductance. 1 H = 1 Wb/A Hertz (Hz) The SI unit for frequency. One Hz is one cycle per second. 1 Hz = 1/s High-Pass Filter An analog filter that absorbs low frequencies (f) but allows high frequencies to pass. Horsepower (hp) The amount of force F a horse can exert. I don't think it is related to horses anymore. 1 hp = 746 W IC Integrated circuit. A circuit constructed on one chip of semiconductor, rather than as discrete components. Impedance A more generalized form of resistance. The impedance of a device varies with the frequency of the electricity applied. A perfect resistor will have a constant impedance for all frequencies. Capacitors and inductors have varying impedances at different frequencies. Measured in ohms. Inductor An inductor is a device that stores energy in a magnetic field. It opposes a sudden change in the flow of current. A solenoid is usually shaped like a spring or a Slinky. Joule (J) The work required to exert a force of a newton (1 N) for a meter (1 m). 1 J = 1 Nm LASCR Light activated silicon controlled rectifier. A light activated SCR. LDR Light dependent resistor. As light intensity increases, its resistance decreases. Length (l) Distance is measured in meters (m). Low-Pass Filter An analog filter that absorbs high frequencies (f) but allows low frequencies to pass.

Magnetron A special form of vacuum tube, typically used as the microwave emitter in a microwave oven, or in Radar systems. Meter (m) The SI unit for distance. The distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 second. MOSFET Metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor. An FET that uses a thin layer of oxide (usually silicon) to insulate the gate terminal from the underlying channel Ohm () A measure of resistance or impedance. 1 = 1 V/A = 1 W/A2 Op-amp Short for operational amplifier. An op-amp amplifies the voltage between its two inputs. Oxidation A reaction where something loses electrons. Given that oxygen will strip electrons from most elements, this has historically meant a reaction involving oxygen. A cathode (electron emitter) is constantly oxidized as it looses electrons. PCB Printed circuit board. This is a piece of plastic or fiberglass with copper attached. The copper is typically chemically etched away to leave "traces" for the electricity to be conducted through. Other electrical components are soldered to the traces. Period The time between cycles of a periodic wave. PM1 Phase modulation. Sending information by modifying relative phases. PM2 Pulse modulation. Sending information in binary pulses. Power Voltage times current. The amount of work being done by a circuit. Rectify Convert AC current to DC current. Redox A reaction where oxidation and reduction take place. A cathode (electron emitter) is oxidized (loses electron). The electron travels and is absorbed by an anode (electron acceptor) that is reduced (gains electron). Reduction A reaction where something gains electrons. In gaining electrons its charge value is reduced. An anode (electron acceptor) is constantly reduced as it gains electrons. Resistance Properties of a circuit that impede the flow of electrons. Resistance converts electrical energy into photons that are given off as waste heat. Resistance is measured in ohms. Reversed Biased The inverted voltage polarity on a part. Root-Mean Squared (RMS) The effective DC value for an AC value. SCR Silicon-controlled rectifier. Second (s) The SI unit for time. SI The standard system of units. SMT Surface mount technology. This is a circuit built on a PCB with the components soldered directly to pads on the surface,

without going through the board. The components and boards are usually much more compact than through-hole boards. Speed of light Varies depending on the medium it is traveling through. Maximum speed c of 299,792,458 m/s is only in a perfect vacuum. Light has been slowed down to less than 17 m/s (~40 mph) in special mediums. Speed of wave propagation (v) Speed that an electromagnetic wave travels through air, cables, or wires. A typical speed for a typical coax cable is (2/3)c. Thermistor Temperature based resistor. As temperature increases resistance decreases. Thyristor type of electronic switch. It has two states which are triggered by another voltage or current. SCRs and switching transistors are examples of thyristors. Tesla (T) Unit of magnetic flux density. 1 T = 1 Wb/m2 Through-hole This means the circuit is built on a PCB with holes drilled in it for the component leads to go through. The leads are soldered on the other side of the board. Time (t) The symbol for time in seconds (s). Transformer Used to raise or lower the AC voltage between two circuits. This is based on the ratio of turns between the two coupled inductors. Transformers operate by way of induction between two inductors. Triode A three-element vacuum tube. TTL Transistor-Transistor Logic Volt-amperes (VA) Voltage AC (VAC) AC Voltage Voltage-amperes reactive (VAR) Reactive voltage. Variac A type of transformer with a movable tap to provide a variable output voltage. Also "Powerstat". Volt (V) A potential due to an electric field. One volt is defined as the potential difference across a resistor that is passing one ampere and dissipating one watt. 1 V = 1 W/A A potential due to an electric field. One volt is defined as the potential difference across a resistor that is passing one ampere and dissipating one watt. 1 V = 1 W/A VCC Common-collector voltage source (+). This is an alternate label for the power supply in electronic diagrams for BJT-based circuits such as common-collector amplifiers. (There is also VEE, VDD, VSS do we want one for each?) That might work if they were grouped together. Watt (W) measure of power (P). A watt is a joule (1 J) of work done in a second (1 s). 1 W = 1 J/s Wavelength () The distance between two peaks of a wave. Weber (Wb) Unit of magnetic flux. 1 Wb = 1 Vs