Glossary
As with any new field of study, electronics has its own lingo. Some terms deal with electricity and units of measure, such as voltage. Other terms are labels for tools you use in projects or electronics parts, such as transistors. Here are many of the terms you’ll run into throughout your electronics life. Knowing these terms will help you become electronics fluent.
alkaline battery: A type of nonrechargeable battery. See also battery.
alternating current (AC): Current characterized by a change in direction of the flow of electrons. See also direct current (DC).
ampere: The standard unit of electric current, commonly referred to as amps. One ampere is the strength of an electric current when 6.24 x 1018 electrically charged particles move past the same point within a second. See also current, I.
amplitude: The magnitude of an electrical signal, such as voltage or current.
anode: The terminal of a device into which conventional current (hypothetical positive charge) flows. In power-consuming devices, such as diodes, the anode is the positive terminal; in power-releasing devices, such as batteries, the anode is the negative terminal. See also cathode.
auto-ranging: A feature of some multimeters that automatically sets the test range.
AWG (American Wire Gauge): See wire gauge.
bandwidth: Relative to an oscilloscope, the highest-frequency signal that you can reliably test, measured in megahertz (MHz).
battery: A power source that uses electrochemical reaction to produce ...
