Practical Electronics: Components and Techniques

Appendix A. Essential Electronics and AC Circuits

This appendix presents brief overviews of specific topics in basic electronics theory, beyond the discussion presented in Chapter 1. It is intended for anyone who might be interested in exploring some of the theory behind electronics, or who perhaps might benefit from it for personal projects. Topics covered include voltage, current, power, series and parallel circuits, Thévenin circuit analysis, capacitance, and impedance. A terse overview of basic solid-state theory is included to introduce the concepts of semiconductors and their applications.

Appendix B contains a set of basic electronic schematic symbols. If you encounter something here that you don’t recognize, be sure to look there. If you need more information than what is contained here, then you might want to look into the texts listed in Appendix C.

The main emphasis throughout this appendix is on the fundamental concepts, rather than the details. With a good grasp of the fundamentals, you’ll find the more detailed concepts behind modern electronic components and circuits much easier to comprehend. So think of this appendix as a travel brochure to the land of electronics. What adventures you decide to have beyond this point are entirely up to you.

Units of Measurement

Table A-1 lists some of the most common characteristics that apply to electrical circuits. These will appear throughout the rest of this appendix as they are needed, and they are defined in Chapter 1