Circuit Component

Ancient literature from the Greeks and the Mediterranean suggests that people had great knowledge about the rods of amber when rubbed into cat fur. It attracted tiny pieces of paper. Long before the concept of electricity as an electrical circuit existed, people were aware of the shocks due to an electric eel. Today, electricity is one of the best ways to transfer energy. Electronic circuit components are the physical entity that completes a circuit. Let us learn more about circuit component here.

Introduction to Circuit Component

Some basic circuit components which are used in an electronic system are as follows:

Cell

A cell is used to power circuits. A cell has two terminals that are positive and negative. The negative terminal is the source of electrons when connected to a circuit that delivers energy. For instance, a battery is a combination of multiple cells. There are positive and negative marks on the battery. The same marks are there on the torch we put our batteries into.

When we insert the battery into our devices matching these signs, the circuit completes and it gets its power. Batteries come in different shapes and sizes, from the miniature batteries used in hearing aids and watches, torch, and mobile batteries to lead-acid batteries and more.

Switch

A switch is a device that can break an electrical circuit. It can do this by diverting the current from one conductor to another conductor or an insulator. This set of contacts are open and closed. In the open circuit, the contacts are separated and the circuit is broken, so no current is flowing.

Whereas closed circuit, the contacts are in touch, the circuit is complete and the current is flowing. Switches are of many types and are depends upon the device we are using. Like in our house for controlling the fans, bulbs, call bells, power switches for devices like refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

Light Bulb

A light bulb is a device that produces light with the help of electricity. Light bulbs turn the electricity to light by sending current through a thin wire. This thin wire is filament. The filament is made of tungsten. It is a material that emits light when electricity is passed through it. The emission of light is due to the high resistance given by the material tungsten. The light bulbs are in use in electronic gadgets as an indicator, traffic signals, indicator lights in cars, and many more.

Connecting Wires

A wire is a flexible strand of metal. It is cylindrical. Wires are in use to establish electrical conductivity between two devices of an electrical circuit. The wires possess negligible resistance to the passage of current. The connecting wires are covered by an insulated coating. This coating is of different colours. The colour codes are in use to differentiate between the neutral and ground and live wire.

FAQs on Circuit Component

Question: Explain a complete circuit using circuit components.

Answer: The basic components that complete a circuit are some electrical wires that are connecting a light bulb to a battery with a switch in between them. The switch should be closed so that the circuit gets completed.  Electrons start flowing and deliver energy from the battery to the bulb, thus making the bulb glow.