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#Post#: 925--------------------------------------------------
Red tries to explain electronics
By: Red Date: July 8, 2013, 1:54 pm
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As the title reads, I'm going to try and explain to you how
electricity works and how humankind has managed to make it work
for them.
PREFACE
Electricity is a phenomenon observed surrounding the quantum
particle known as the electron. In today's model of chemistry,
the electron is supposedly found in an orbital cloud surrounding
a nucleus of an atom. Atoms themselves have electrical charges,
and can be positively charged if electrons are found absent in
the cloud or negatively charged if there is a surplus of
electrons. Electrons are known to represent a negative charge,
while the particle known as a proton represents a positive
charge and a neutron having basically no charge at all. These
charges are extremely small and don't have too much of an effect
all by themselves on their environment.
CHARGES AND VOLTAGE
A big question, what is a charge in the first place? We measure
"charge" in the units of Voltage. Voltage is not an objective
standard, it is very relative. Voltage is known as "potential
difference" across a wire, or the potential for current to flow.
Ohm's law displays the relationship of current, voltage, and
resistance in a circuit. Voltages can vary anywhere in a
circuit, and this can cause various electronic components to
correctly carry out their proposed functions. When we say
something has a voltage of +5v, that means it is 5 volts above
the "ground", or a relative zero value voltage. In many small
circuits, this ground is the negative (-) end of a battery,
while in others, it can be the literal ground beneath your feet.
Sometimes, circuits can call for a negative voltage, like so:
-5v. This means the voltage is five volts below the reference
voltage or ground. In a realistic situation, imagine two
batteries, both which are rated for 5 volts. if you put one
right after the other in a circuit, their total voltage is 10v,
but we can cut that in half if we want and say that we have the
ability to measure +5v all the down to -5V
[code]
_____
| |
| | Battery 1 = 5v
| |
_____
_____
| |
| | Battery 2 = 5v
| |
_____
Battery 1 + Battery 2 = 10v
If we make 5v the reference point across the two batteries, that
means we're thinking of 5v as 0v instead, but what happens to
the other 5 volts we had below 5v? They are measured instead as
a negative voltage because it's below our reference point.
[/code]
Another way to think about is like if you're on the fifth floor
of a ten story building. Three stories above you is only three
stories, that means you have +3 stories (volts), while four
stories below you is -4 stories. Savvy?
RESISTANCE
REBELLION! REVOLUTION!
All electronic components realistically have some sort of
electrical resistance. Resistance in theory is how much a
substance resists the flow of an electronic current. Current
equals Voltage divided by Resistance, so if we have a voltage of
5v, and 1 Ohm of resistance, we'll have a current of 5 amps.
There's not really much else to say. We need resistors in a
circuit because we need to regulate how much power a circuit is
using. It's not uncommon to have very large resistances and very
small amperage.
CURRENT
Electronic current is measured in amps, and is calculated by
Current = V/R. Current can be thought of as the flow of
electrons through a wire, and helps provide power to a circuit.
ENERGY AND WATTAGE
Watts are a measure of electronic energy and are referred to as
the power of a circuit. Watts are calculated by amps multiplied
by voltage, and is normally what you're charged for on your
electricity bill. (kWh, or Kilowatt hours (how many thousand
watts you used per hour)) This is more of a factor in large
circuits or in household objects like lightbulbs (60 to 100 watt
bulbs aren't uncommon, with more energy efficient ones using 30
to 10 watts) or computers (anywhere from 50 to 1000 watts). Watt
can also be explained as energy use over time.
SUMMARIZING THE CONCEPTS
Firstly, it should be noted that in order for a circuit to
function, it must be a circuit. Current needs to flow so things
can happen, but no current can flow if there's no voltage and no
resistor to regulate it.
A circuit can be thought of light a piping system or hydrolic
system. Voltage is like water pressure in a pipe, current is how
many gallons per minute are flowing through the pipe, and
resistance is like a hole the water needs to go through. Power
or wattage is going to be the final total water used.
To clarify further, if you have a 5v battery that operates at
600 amps and another 9v battery that operates at 10 amps, the 5v
with 600 amps will use more power and get more done than a 9v
circuit with 10 amps. It's like trying to tow a semi trailer
with a smart car vs an actual semi truck. It doesn't matter if
they both have V8 engines in them if the smart car can't produce
the same power/torque.
yay
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