Unit 21 Vocabulary: English for Electronics

Noun (thing)
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Capacitor
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an electrical component which uses electrostatics to store energy
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"The flash bulb in my camera has an old capacitor and takes a long time to charge up."
Noun (thing)
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Current
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a flow of electric charge (such as electrons or ions)
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"You can experience the current flow in a copper wire if you hook one end up to a voltage source."
Noun (thing)
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Electrical circuit
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a network or interconnection of electric components in a closed loop
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"This electrical circuit is not in a closed loop and that is why the current does not flow to the bulb."
Noun (thing)
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EMF (electromotive force)
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energy measured in volts; refers to the potential which causes the flow of electrons (and ions) in a conductor
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"A simple battery is the most common source of electromotive force in electronic toys, but some modern toys even use solar cells to power up!"
Noun (thing)
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IC (integrated circuit)
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a set of electronic interconnections in a small "chip" or plate where all the elements are inseparable
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"ICs get smaller and smaller ever year due to the rapid development of nanotechnology - today there are billions of transistors inside a typical chip."
Noun (thing)
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Light bulb
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a source of electric light which uses a filament stored in a glass enclosure
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"I need a larger light bulb in my table lamp - it is too dark for me when I study at night."
Noun (thing)
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LED (light-emitting diode)
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a semiconductor source of light
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"LEDs are an increasingly popular source of light in homes nowadays because they consume much less energy than the older style incandescent light bulbs."
Noun (thing)
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Path
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a continuous trace or wire in electric circuit which connects various components
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"After a long investigation I found a break in the path which connected the bulb and the battery — that is why the circuit didn't work."
Noun (thing)
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PCB (printed circuit board)
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a laminate board which supports electric components in the circuit
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"We order ready-made PCBs without any components, so our students can practice their soldering skills."
Noun (thing)
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Resistor
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an electrical component, which restricts the flow of electrons in the circuit
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"If you add another resistor to your serial connection just before the bulb, the light will not be so blinding."
Noun (thing)
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Solar cell
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an electrical device which converts the energy from light into electricity
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"There is a small solar cell in my watch, thanks to that it was working even after the battery died."
Noun (thing)
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Soldering iron
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a handy tool used to assemble the electrical components on a PCB (printed circuit board)
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"My home soldering iron is really handy but at work we use soldering stations which allow us to control the heating temperature."
Noun (thing)
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Voltage
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also known as "electric tension", this is the difference in electric potential between two points
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"If there is a voltage between two points of a circuit, and you connect these points with a wire, then the current will flow."
Noun (thing)
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Voltaic cell
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a device that derives energy from chemical reaction, such as in a battery
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"Car batteries are a good example of voltaic cells: there are electrodes which are submerged in a solution, and due to some chemical reaction which takes place in the solution, the energy is derived."
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