Electronics

Basic Electronics are the fundamental building blocks of an industry. It ranges from nano-sized computer chips to very large transformers and electrical outputs. Electronics come in different types of shapes and sizes. It deals with the development and application of many devices and systems that are in use in day-to-day applications.

Introduction to Electronics

Electronics is composed of physics, engineering, technology and applications. The field of electronics deals with the emission, flow and control of electrons in vacuum and matter. Electronic use active devices to control electron flow by amplification and rectification. Electronics distinguishes itself from classical electrical engineering that uses passive effects like resistance, capacitance and inductance to control current flow.

Electronics has a major effect on the development of society. In 1897, the identification of the electron along with the subsequent invention of the vacuum tube came up. This can easily amplify and rectify small electrical signals. It inaugurated the field of electronics and the electron age. This distinction of the same started around 1906 with the invention by Lee De Forest of the triode. That’s the reason that made electrical amplification of weak radio signals and audio signals possible with the help of a non-mechanical device.

Solid-state electronics emerged after the first working transistor. It was invented by William Shockley, Walter Houser Brattain and John Bardeen at Bell Labs. The MOS transistor was later invented at Bell Labs by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng. The MOSFET or MOS transistor was a compact transistor that can be miniaturised and mass-produced for wide use.

Electronics is broadly in use in information processing, telecommunication, and processing of signals. The ability of electronic devices to act as switches makes digital information-processing happen. The term electronics thus deals with electrical circuits that have electrical components. These common electrical components are vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes, integrated circuits, optoelectronics, and sensors. All of them are associated with passive electrical components and interconnection technologies. The nonlinear behaviour of electronic components to control electron flow makes amplification of weak signals possible. The construction and designs of electronic circuits to solve different types of problems come under electronics engineering.

Branches of Electronics

The branches of electronics are as follows:

• Digital electronics
• Analogue electronics
• Microelectronics
• Circuit design
• Integrated circuits
• Power electronics
• Optoelectronics
• Semiconductor devices
• Embedded systems
• Audio electronics
• Telecommunications
• Nanoelectronics
• Bioelectronics

FAQs on Electronics

Question 1: Write about electronic devices and their components.

Answer: In an electronic system, an electronic component is a physical entity. It is in use to affect the electrons or their associated fields in a manner consistent with the intended function of the electronic system. Electronic components are deliberated to be connected together as a unit. It is usually by being soldered to a printed circuit board (PCB), to create an electronic circuit with a particular function. For example, an amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator. These electronic components can be packaged singly, or in more complex groups as integrated circuits. Some of the very common electronic components are capacitors, inductors, resistors, diodes, transistors, etc. The electronic components are often categorized as active and passive. The transistors and thyristors are active and resistors, diodes, inductors and capacitors are passive.