27 lines
1.6 KiB
Markdown
27 lines
1.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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categories:
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- Electronics
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tags: [electricity, electrical-circuits]
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---
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# Circuits
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An electrical circuit is a set of electrical components connected in such a way that current flows in a loop from a voltage source, through the circuit elements and back to the voltage source.
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Below is a basic circuit representing a 9-volt [battery]() with a 10,000$\Omega$ [resistor](/Electronics/Resistance.md) attached accross its terminals. Through the application of [Ohm's Law](/Electronics/Physics_of_electricity/Ohms_Law.md) we can determine that the maximum current will be 0.9 miliamps.
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## Open and short circuits
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A circuit with a break in its loop is called an **open circuit**. When a circuit is open, no current flows. We can induce an open circuit through the use of a switch component that closes and breaks the circuit when invoked.
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A **short circuit** is a path in a circuit that allows current to flow with little or no resistance. This is usually unintentional and results in excessive current flowing through the circuit. A short circuit is the opposite to an open circuit. With an open circuit there is an infinite resistance between the two terminals.
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## Vertical circuit diagrams
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Sometimes circuits can be represented in a vertical manner rather than in an actual circuit. This is done to simplify the representation. In this approach current is represented as flowing in a straight line from the voltage source (represented with a circle) to ground.
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The circuit below is functionally identical to the previous circuit but represented vertically:
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