Basic Electronics and Computer Programming Tutorial

Basic Electronics Tutorial

Introduction

This document provides a basic tutorial for secondary school children on Electronics.

Basic Electronics

To understand the basics of Electronics you need to understand the principles of electricity. Basically most materials contain small particles called electrons. These electrons can move or flow through particular materials that can conduct electricity. Some materials conduct electrons well, such as metals, and some materials restrict the flow of electrons, these materials are said to offer some resistance to the passage of electrons. Materials that offer a high resistance to electrons are called insulators.

In electronics we manage and measure the flow of these electrons around circuits of conductors, resistors and semi-conductors. Unfortunately we cannot easily see electrons flowing around a circuit and thus need to use instruments to measure the flow of electrons. To provide a basic understanding of electricity and the flow of electrons an anology with the flow of water in pipes can be used. This is not a perfect anaolgy, but can be usefull to aid basic understanding. There are a number of important attributes and parts used:

  • Voltage:This is a measure of the "pressure" of electrons. This is measured in Volts and we use a Volt Meter to measure it.

  • Current: This is a measure of the amount of electrons that are flowing due to the pressure of electrons (Voltage) through a material (could be a wire). This is measured in Amps and we use an Amp Meter to measure it.

  • Resistance: This the the amount of resistance to electron flow a material or component has. It is measured in Ohms and we use an Ohm Meter to measure it.

  • Battery: A battery or other power source can be thought of as a pump of electrons that will pump a current of electrons around a circuit.

There is a usefull law called "Ohm's Law" that defines a relationship between Voltage, Current and Resistance. This is defined in terms of a mathmatical equation:

  • Voltage = Current x Resistance

Some more information on basic electronics is available at:An overview of basic electrics.

Components

The core electronic components are:

  • Resistors, Capacitors and Inductors