AC/DC - Equipment that will operate from an AC or DC power source.

AC generator - Device that transforms mechanical energy into AC electrical power.

AC power supply - Power supply that delivers AC voltage.

1. AC voltage - A voltage with alternating polarity

2. Alkaline cell - Also known as an "alkaline manganese cell", a primary cell that delivers more
current than a carbon-zinc cell.
3. Alligator clip - Spring clip on the end of a test lead for making temporary connections.
4. Alternating current - An electric current that rises to a maximum in one direction, falls back to
zero and then rises to a maximum in the opposite direction and then repeats. Abbreviation = AC.
5. Alternator - another name for an AC generator (device used to transform mechanical energy
into AC electrical power).
6. Ammeter - A meter used to measure current.
7. Ampere - a unit of electrical current, also referred to as amp.
8. Amplifier - A circuit that increases the voltage, current, or power of a signal.
9. Amplitude - Magnitude or size of a signal voltage or current.
10. Amplitude modulation - The encoding of a carrier wave by variation of its amplitude in
accordance with an input signal. Abbreviation = AM
11. Analog - Information represented as continuously varying voltage or current rather than in
discrete levels as opposed to digital data varying between two discrete levels.
12. Anode - A positively charged electrode, as of an electrolytic cell, storage battery, or electron
tube.
13. Autotransformer - A single winding transformer where the output is taken from taps on the
winding.
14. AWG - Abbreviation for "American wire gauge". A gauge that assigns a number value to the
diameter of a wire.
15. Bandwidth - The numerical difference between upper and lower frequencies of a band of
electromagnetic radiation. Abbreviation = BW
16. Battery - A DC voltage source containing two or more cells that convert chemical energy to
electrical energy.
17. Baud - A unit of signaling speed equal to the number of signal events per second. Not
necessarily the same as bits per second.
18. Bias - A DC voltage applied to a device to control its operation.
19. Binary - A number system having only two symbols, 0 and 1. A base 2 number system.
20. Bits per second - A measure of data speed for the number of bits transmitted or received each
second.
21. Buffer - An amplifier used to isolate a load from a source.
22. Byte - Group of eight binary digits or bits.
23. Cable - Group of two or more insulated wires. (Back to top)
24. CAD - Abbreviation for "computer aided designs"
25. Capacitance - The ability of a capacitor to store an electrical charge. The basic unit is a Farad.
26. Capacitor - An electronic component having capacitive reactance.
27. Carbon-film resistor - Device made by depositing a thin carbon film on a ceramic form.
28. Cathode - A negatively charged electrode, as of an electrolytic cell, a storage battery, or an
electron tube.
29. Center tap - Midway connection between the two ends of a winding.
30. Ceramic capacitor - Capacitor in which the dielectric is ceramic.
31. Charge - Quantity of electrical energy.
32. Charge current - Current that flows to charge a capacitor or battery when voltage is applied.
33. Chassis - Metal box or frame to mount components.
34. Chassis ground - Connection to a chassis.
35. Choke - Inductor used to oppose the flow of alternating current.
36. Circuit - Interconnection of components to provide an electrical path between two or more
components.
37. Circuit breaker - A protective device used to open a circuit when current exceeds a maximum
value. In effect a reusable fuse.
38. Clock - A square waveform used for synchronizing and timing of several circuits.
39. Closed circuit - Circuit having a complete path for current flow.
40. Color code - Set of colors used to indicate value of a component.
41. Computer aide design - Software used to create 2D or 3D computer models.
42. Contact - Current carrying part of a switch, relay or connector.
43. Continuity - Occurs when a complete path for current exists.
44. Coupling - To electronically connect two circuits so that signal will pass from one to the other.
45. Crowbar - Circuit used to protect the output of a source from a short circuited load. Load
current is limited to a value the source can deliver without damage.
46. Current - Measured in amps, it is the flow of electrons through a conductor. Also know as
electron flow.
47. Cycle - When a repeating wave rises from zero to a positive maximum then back to zero and on
to a negative maximum and back to zero it is said to have completed one cycle.
48. Damping - Reduction in magnitude of oscillation due to energy being dissipated as heat.
49. DC power supply - Any source of DC power for electrical equipment.
50. Decade - A frequency factor of ten.
51. Decibel - (dB) a logarithmic representation of gain or loss.
52. Delay time - The time for collector current to reach 10% of its maximum value in a BJT switching
circuit.
53. Differential amplifier - An amplifier in which the output is in proportion to the differences
between voltages applied to its two inputs.
54. Digital - Relating to devices or circuits that have outputs of only two discrete levels. Examples: 0
or 1, high or low, on or off, true or false etc.
55. Diode - A two terminal device that conducts in only one direction.
56. Direct coupling - Where the output of an amplifier is connected directly to the input of another
amplifier or to a load. Also known as DC coupling because DC signals are not blocked.
57. Direct current - Current that flows in only one direction.
58. Discharge - Release of energy stored in either a battery or a capacitor.
59. Dry cell - DC voltage generating chemical cell using a non liquid (paste) electrolyte.
60. Electric charge - Electric energy stored on the surface of a material. Also known as a static
charge.
61. Electron - A subatomic particle of an atom, with a negative charge, that orbits the positively-
charged nucleus.
62. Electron flow - Electrical current produced by the movement of free electrons toward a positive
terminal; the direction of electron flow is opposite to that of current.
63. Electric polarization - A displacement of bound charges in a dielectric when placed in an electric
field.
64. Electromagnet - A coil of wire usually wound on a soft iron or steel core. When current is passed
through the coil a magnetic field is generated. The core provides an easy path for the magnetic
lines of force. This concentrates the field in the core.
65. Emitter - The semiconductor region from which charge carriers are injected into the base of a
bipolar junction transistor.
66. Farad - The basic unit of capacitance. (Back to top)
67. Ferrite - A powdered, compressed and sintered magnetic material having high resistivity. The
high resistance makes eddy current losses low at high frequencies.
68. Ferrite-core inductor - An inductor wound on a ferrite core.
69. Ferrites - Compound composed of iron oxide, a metallic oxide and ceramic. The metal oxides
include zinc, nickel, cobalt or iron.
70. Fiber optics - Laser's light output carries information that is conveyed between two points by
thin glass optical fibers.
71. Filament - Thin thread of carbon or tungsten which produces heat or light with the passage of
current.
72. Filter - Network consisting of capacitors, resistors and/or inductors used to pass certain
frequencies and block others.
73. Flip flop - A bistable multivibrator. A circuit which has two output states and is switched from
one to the other by means of an external signal (trigger). Abbreviation = FF
74. Frequency - Rate of recurrence of a periodic wave. Measured in Hertz (cycles per second).
75. Fuse - A protective device in the current path that melts or breaks when current exceeds a
predetermined maximum value.
76. Generator - Device used to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. (Back to top)
77. Giga - Metric prefix for 1 billion.
78. Ground - An intentional or accidental conducting path between an electrical system or circuit
and the earth or some conducting body acting in place of the earth. A ground is often used as
the common wiring point or reference in a circuit.
79. Henry - The basic unit of inductance.
80. Hertz - Unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second. Abbreviation = Hz.
81. Infrared - Electromagnetic heat radiation whose frequencies are above the microwave
frequency band and below red in the visible band.
82. Input impedance - Opposition to the flow of signal current at the input of a circuit or load.
83. Insulated - When a non conducting material is used to isolate conducting materials from one
another.
84. Insulating material - Material that will prevent the flow of current due to its chemical
composition.
85. Intergrated circuit - Also known as a chip, a small electrical device made of semiconductor
material.
86. Inverting amplifier - An amplifier that has a 180° phase shift from input to output.
87. Jack - Socket or connector into which a plug may be inserted. (Back to top)
88. Joule - The unit of work and energy.
89. Junction - Contact or connection between two or more wires or cables. The area where the p-
type material and n-type material meet in a semiconductor.
90. Kilo - Metric prefix for 1000.
91. Kilovolt-ampere - 1000 volts at 1 ampere.
92. Kilowatt-hour - 1000 watts for 1 hour.
93. Kilowatt-hour meter - A meter used by electric utility companies to measure the amount of
electric power used by a customer.
94. Kinetic energy - Energy associated with motion.
95. Kirchhoff's current law - The sum of the currents flowing into a point in a circuit is equal to the
sum of the currents flowing out of that same point.
96. Kirchhoff's voltage law - The algebraic sum of the voltage drops in a closed path circuit is equal
to the algebraic sum of the source voltages applied.
97. Lead-acid cell - Cell made up of lead plates immersed in a sulphuric acid electrolyte. An
automobile battery usually consists of six lead-acid cells.
98. Leakage - Small undesirable flow of current through an insulator or dielectric. (Back to top)
99. Light-emitting diode (LED) - A semiconductor diode that converts electric energy into
electromagnetic radiation at a visible and near infrared frequencies when its pn junction is
forward biased.
100. Limiter - Circuit or device that prevents some portion of its input from reaching the
output. A clipper.
101. Linear - Relationship between input and output in which the output varies in direct
proportion to the input.
102. Linear scale - A scale in which the divisions are uniformly spaced.
103. Load - A source drives a load. Whatever component or piece of equipment is connected
to a source and draws current from a source is a load on that source.
104. Load current - Current drawn from a source by a load.
105. Load impedance - Vector sum of reactance and resistance in a load.
106. Load regulation - The ability of a voltage regulator to maintain a constant output voltage
under varying load currents.
107. Load resistance - Resistance of a load.
108. Maxwell - Unit of magnetic flux. One maxwell equals one magnetic line of force. (Back to
top)
109. Mercury cell - Primary cell using a mercuric oxide cathode, a zinc anode and a potassium
hydroxide electrolyte.
110. Microphone - Electro acoustic transducer that converts sound energy into electric
energy.
111. Modulation - Process by which an information signal (audio for example) is used to
modify some characteristic of a higher frequency wave known as a carrier (radio for example).
112. Network - Combination of interconnected components, circuits or systems. (Back to top)
113. Neutral - A terminal, point or object with balanced charges. Neither positive or negative.
114. Node - Junction or branch point in a circuit.
115. Noise - Unwanted electromagnetic radiation within an electrical or mechanical system.
116. Ohm - Unit of resistance symbolized by the Greek capital letter omega (W). (Back to top)
117. Open loop gain - The gain of an amplifier when no feedback is present.
118. Output - Terminal at which a component, circuit or piece of equipment delivers current,
voltage or power.
119. Output power - Amount of power a component, circuit or system can deliver to a load.
120. Parallel - Circuit having two or more paths for current flow. Also called shunt.
121. Peak to peak - Difference between the maximum positive and maximum negative values
of an AC waveform.
122. Period - Time to complete one full cycle of a periodic or repeating waveform.
123. Phase - Angular relationship between two waves.
124. Phase angle - Phase difference between two or more waves, normally expressed in
degrees.
125. Phase shift - Change in phase of a wave form between two points, expressed as degrees
of lead or lag.
126. Photoconductive cell - Material whose resistance decreases or conductance increases
when exposed to light.
127. Photoconduction - A process by which the conductance of a material is change by
incident electromagnetic radiation in the visible light spectrum.
128. Photo detector - Component used to detect or sense light.
129. Photodiode - A semiconductor diode that changes its electrical characteristics in
response to illumination.
130. Photon - Discrete portion of electromagnetic energy. A small packet of light.
131. Polarity - The property of having a positive or negative charge.
132. Potential difference - Voltage difference between two points which will cause current to
flow in a closed circuit.
133. Potential energy - Energy that has potential to do work because of its position relative to
others.
Potentiometer - A variable resistor with three terminals. Mechanical turning of a shaft can be
 used to produce variable resistance and potential. Example: A volume control is usually a
potentiometer.
134. Power - Amount of energy converted by a circuit or component in a unit of time,
normally seconds. Measured in units of watts (joules/second).
135. Power amplifier - An amplifier designed to deliver maximum power output to a load.
Example: In an audio system, it is the power amplifier that drives the loudspeaker.
136. Power factor - Ratio of actual power to apparent power.
137. Power loss - Ratio of power absorbed to power delivered.
138. Power supply - Electrical equipment used to deliver either AC or DC voltage.
139. Primary - First winding of a transformer. Winding that is connected to the source as
opposed to secondary which is a winding connected to a load.
140. Protoboard - Board with provision for attaching components without solder. Also called
a breadboard. Primarily used for constructing experimental circuits.
141. Pulse - Rise and fall of some quantity (usually voltage) for a period of time.
142. Radar - Acronym for "radio detection and ranging". A system that measures the distance
and direction of objects.
143. RC time constant - Product of resistance and capacitance in seconds.
144. Reactance - Opposition to current flow without the dissipation of energy. Example: The
opposition provided by inductance or capacitance to AC current. Symbol "X".
145. Receiver - Unit or piece of equipment used to receive information.
146. Rectification - Process that converts alternating current to direct current.
147. Rectifier - Diode circuit that converts alternating current into pulsating direct current.
148. Regulated power supply - Power supply that maintains a constant output voltage under
changing load conditions.
149. Regulator - Device or circuit that maintains a desired output under changing conditions.
150. Relative - Not independent. Compared with or with respect to some other measured
quantity.
151. Reluctance - Resistance to the flow of magnetic lines of force.
152. Resistance - Opposition to current flow and dissipation of energy in the form of heat.
Symbolized "R" and measured in ohms.
153. Resistive power - Amount of power dissipated as heat in a circuit containing resistive
and reactive components. True power as opposed to reactive power.
154. Resistor - Component made of material that opposes flow of current and therefore has
some value of resistance.
155. Resistor color code - Coding system of colored stripes on a resistor to indicate the
resistor's value and tolerance.
156. Rotary switch - Electromechanical device that has a rotating shaft connected to one
terminal capable of making or breaking a connection to one or more other terminals.
157. Secondary - Output winding of a transformer. Winding that is connected to a load.
158. Series circuit - Circuit in which the components are connected end to end so that
current has only one path to follow through the circuit.
159. Shield - Metal grounded cover used to protect a wire, component or piece of equipment
from stray magnetic and/or electric fields.
160. Silicon transistor - A bipolar junction transistor using silicon as the semi conducting
material.
161. Single pole double throw - (SPDT) Three terminal switch in which one terminal can be
connected to either one of the other terminals.
162. Single pole single throw - (SPST) Two terminal switch or relay that can open or close one
circuit.
163. Single throw switch - Switch containing only one set of contacts which can be either
opened or closed.
164. Sink - Device such as a load that consumes power or conducts away heat.
165. Solder - Metallic alloy used to join two metal surfaces.
166. Soldering - Process of joining two metallic surfaces to make an electrical contact by
melting solder (usually tin and lead) across them.
167. Soldering iron - Tool with an internal heating element used to heat surfaces being
soldered to the point where the solder becomes molten.
168. Step-down transformer - Transformer in which the output AC voltage is less than the
input AC voltage.
169. Step-up transformer - Transformer in which the output AC voltage is greater than the
input AC voltage.
170. Supply voltage - Voltage provided by a power source.
171. Switch - Electrical device having two states, on (closed) or off (open). Ideally having zero
impedance when closed and infinite impedance when open.
172. Switching transistor - transistor designed to change rapidly between saturation and cut-
off.
173. Temperature coefficient of frequency - Rate at which frequency changes with
temperature.
174. Tera - (T) Metric prefix that represents 1012.
175. Terminal - Point at which electrical connections are made.
176. Thermal stability - The ability of a circuit to maintain stable characteristics in spite of
increased temperature.
177. Thermostat - Device that opens or closes a circuit in response to changes in
temperature.
178. Toggle switch - Spring-loaded switch that is put in one of two positions either on or off.
179. Transducer - Device that converts energy from one form to another.
180. Transformer - Inductor with two or more windings. Through mutual inductance, current
in one winding called a primary will induce current into the other windings called secondaries.
181. Transformer coupling - Also called inductive coupling. Coupling of two circuits by means
of mutual inductance provided by a transformer.
182. Transistor - Term derived from "transfer resistor." Semiconductor device that can be
used as an amplifier or as an electronic switch.
183. Transmission - Sending of information.
 184. Transmitter - Equipment used to achieve transmission.
185. Trigger - Pulse used to initiate a circuit action.
186. Trimmer - Small value variable capacitor, resistor or inductor used to fine tune a larger
value.
187. Volt - Unit of potential difference or electromotive force. One volt is the potential
difference needed to produce one ampere of current through a resistance of one ohm.

188. Voltage - (V) Term used to designate electrical pressure or force that causes current to
flow.
189. Voltage rating - Maximum voltage a component can withstand without breaking down.
190. Voltage source - Circuit or device that supplies voltage to a load.
191. Voltaic cell - Primary cell having two unlike electrodes immersed in a solution that
chemically interacts to produce a voltage.
192. Voltmeter - Instrument used to measure difference in potential between two points.
193. Watt - Unit of electrical power required to do work at the rate of one joule per second.
One watt of power is expended when one ampere of direct current flows through a resistance of
one ohm. In an AC circuit, true power is the product of effective volts and effective amperes,
multiplied by the power factor.
194. Wavelength - (l) Distance between two points of corresponding phase and is equal to
waveform velocity divided by frequency.

195. Winding - One or more turns of a conductor wound in the form of a coil.

196. Wire - Single solid or stranded group of conductors having a low resistance to current
flow. Used to make connections between circuits or points in a circuit.

197. Wire gauge - American wire gauge (AWG) is a system of numerical designations of wire
diameters.
198. Wireless - Term describing radio communication that requires no wires between two
communicating points.
199. Work - Work is done any time energy is transformed from one type to another. The
amount of work done is dependent on the amount of energy transformed.
200. Zener Diode - Semiconductor diodes in which reverse breakdown voltage current causes
the diode to develop a constant voltage. Used as a clamp for voltage regulation.

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