The concept of electrical elements is used in the analysis of electrical networks. Any electrical network can be modeled by decomposing it down to multiple, interconnected electrical elements in a schematic diagram or circuit diagram. Each electrical element affects the voltage in the network or current through the network in a particular way. By analyzing the way a network is affected by its individual elements, it is possible to estimate how a real network will behave on a macro scale. An electrical network or electrical circuit is an interconnection of analog electrical elements such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes, switches and transistors. ... An electrical network or electrical circuit is an interconnection of analog electrical elements such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes, switches and transistors. ... A schematic of the Washington Metro. ... The circuit diagram for a 4 bit TTL counter, a type of state machine A circuit diagram (also known as an electrical diagram, elementary diagram, or electronic schematic) is a simplified conventional pictorial representation of an electrical circuit. ... International safety symbol Caution, risk of electric shock (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol. ... In electricity, current refers to electric current, which is the flow of electric charge. ...

Elements vs. components

There is a distinction between real, physical electrical or electronic components and the ideal electrical elements by which they are represented. Various components An electronic component is a basic electronic element usually packaged in a discrete form with two or more connecting leads or metallic pads. ...

• Electrical elements do not exist physically, and are assumed to have ideal properties according to a lumped element model.
• Conversely, components do exist, have less than ideal properties, their values always have a degree of uncertainty, they always include some degree of nonlinearity and typically require a combination of multiple electrical elements to approximate their functions.

Circuit analysis using electric elements is useful for understanding many practical electrical networks using components. The lumped element model of electronic circuits makes the simplifying assumption that each element is an infinitesimal point in space, and that the wires connecting elements are perfect conductors. ...

The elements

Any electrical network can be analyzed algebraically if its components are represented by a combination the following elements. Only 5 elements are required to represent any component or network:

• Two sources:
  • Current source, measured in amperes - produces a current in a conductor.
  • Voltage source, measured in volts - produces a potential difference between two points.
• Three passive elements:
  • Resistance, measured in ohms - produces a voltage proportional to the current flowing through it.
  • Capacitance, measured in farads - produces a current proportional to the rate of change of voltage across it.
  • Inductance, measured in henries - produces a voltage proportional to the rate of change of current through it.

A fourth element, the memristor, has been proposed but is not generally accepted as one of the basic circuit elements. It was reported on April 30, 2008, that a working memristor has been developed by HP. In electricity, current refers to electric current, which is the flow of electric charge. ... For other uses, see Ampere (disambiguation). ... International safety symbol Caution, risk of electric shock (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol. ... Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ... Potential difference is a quantity in physics related to the amount of energy that would be required to move an object from one place to another against various types of force. ... Electrical resistance is a measure of the degree to which an electrical component opposes the passage of current. ... The ohm (symbol: Ω) is the SI unit of electric resistance. ... Capacitance is a measure of the amount of electric charge stored (or separated) for a given electric potential. ... Examples of various types of capacitors. ... An electric current i flowing around a circuit produces a magnetic field and hence a magnetic flux Φ through the circuit. ... The henry (symbol H) is the SI unit of inductance. ...

Examples

The following are examples of representation of components by way of electrical elements.

• On a first degree of approximation, a battery is represented by a voltage source. A more refined model also includes a resistance in series with the voltage source, to represent the battery's internal resistance (which results in the battery heating and the voltage dropping when in use). A current source in parallel may be added to represent its leakage (which discharges the battery over a long period of time).
• On a first degree of approximation, a resistor is represented by a resistance. A more refined model also includes a series inductance, to represent the effects of its lead inductance (resistors constructed as a spiral have more significant inductance). A capacitance in parallel may be added to represent the capacitive effect of the proximity of the resistor leads to each other. A wire can be represented as a low-value resistor
• Current sources are more often used when representing semiconductors. For example, on a first degree of approximation, a bipolar transistor may be represented by a variable current source that is controlled by the input voltage.

A semiconductor is a solid material that has electrical conductivity in between that of a conductor and that of an insulator; it can vary over that wide range either permanently or dynamically. ... Assorted discrete transistors A transistor is a semiconductor device, commonly used as an amplifier or an electrically controlled switch. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Electronic devices

• electrical or electronic component