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The Resistor

The resistor is a device that is common to practically every


circuit known to man. Resistors are designed to have specific
values of resistance. Resistance opposes the flow of
electrons. A resistor is a device that limits the amount of
current flowing through a circuit for a particular applied voltage. That is to say...
only so much current will flow with a certain amount of voltage and resistance. For
example...

If the resistance stays the same and the voltage goes up, then the current increases.
If the resistance stays the same and the voltage goes down, then the current
decreases.
If the voltage stays the same, and the resistance goes up, then the current
decreases.
If the voltage stays the same, and the resistance goes down, then the current will
increase.

The basic unit of resistance is the ohm. 1 Ohm of resistance is defined as ... the
resistance of a circuit in which a 1-amp current flows when 1 volt is applied.

The Inductor
One of the most fascinating things about electricity is how it can be used to create a
magnetic field. Electromagnets were used in telegraph relays for years before the advent
of radio. Coils are still used today in relays, solenoids, transformers, and inductors.
Basically, current flows through a coil of wires and the energy from the current flow
produces a magnetic field. This ability to store electrical energy in a magnetic field is
called inductance.
The inductance of a coil would change depending on the number of turns of wire, the
length of the coil, and the diameter of the coil. There is a basic unit for inductance ...
the Henry (abbreviated "H").
One application of the inductor is to limit the flow of alternating current while
allowing direct current to pass freely.
SIDE NOTE: Allow me to digress for a moment if you please. There is a good
way to imagine how an inductor works in the water analogy from lesson 2. If you
were to hook up a flywheel connected to a turbine that was in line with your water
flow... that would be a good description of an inductor and how it works with
electricity. If the water was flowing constantly in one direction, it takes a little
while for the turbine and flywheel to get up to speed ... and the flywheel resists
the initial flow of current as it starts to gain momentum... but, once the flywheel

gets up to speed, there is no more resistance to the current


flow ... so long as the current stays at the same speed.
Now... if your current alternates back and forth (now... I know that water doesn't
REALLY flow in alternating current, but bear with me for a moment) then the
flywheel/turbine takes some time to build up to the initial direction that the
current wants to flow... and about the time that the current switches back the other
way, the flywheel is trying to push the first way it was going ... it creates a lot of
extra "resistance" to the change in current flow. It takes it a while, but eventually
the flywheel/turbine device will start back the other way. This is how an inductor
will react to alternating current. It really impedes the flow of current when it is
alternating... but if it is direct current, then there is very little resistance to the
flow.

The Capacitor
Another way that electrical energy can be stored is in an electric field. A good example of
an electric field is static electricity and static buildup. Many of you that live in the North
where it gets very dry in the cold winter months have experienced the sensation of static
electricity when shaking hands with one another, or touching a door knob, refridgerator
handle, or light switch. This is electrical energy that has been built up and stored in you
(and your clothing). Another example is seen in lightning. The clouds build up a static
charge that is exhibited in great bolts of static electricity leaping from cloud to cloud, or
cloud to ground. The capacitor is merely a device that will store certain amounts of static
electricity ... creating what is known as an electric field. Capacitance is the ability to
store an electric field. The basic unit of capacitance is the Farad (abbreviated "F").
In a capacitor, there are two electric plates separated by an insulating material (plastic,
glass, air...). These two plates (or in some cases... series of plates - large capacitors often
have many plates hooked up together to increase the capacitance) are hooked up to two
leads that allow the current to flow in and out of the capacitor. As the current flows,
electrons build up on one plate. At the same time, electrons flow out of the other plate.
Eventually, the capacitor is completely "charged up" and no more current will flow. There
is a positive charge on one plate and a negative charge on the other plate. No more
current will flow, because the voltage is not able to charge the plates up any higher.
Now if the current was only a direct current, a capacitor would eventually become
charged up and no more current would flow through the capacitor. BUT, if the current
was an alternating current, and the current switched directions backwards, then the
capacitor would start to "uncharge" as the current began to flow the opposite direction.
One application of capacitors in electronic circuits is to block the flow of direct
current while allowing alternating current to pass.
SIDE NOTE: Another way to picture the way a capacitor works with the water
model (lesson 2) is to imagine a very stretcy rubber balloon. Now take this

balloon and stick it in between two sections of pipe where the water
flows. As the water starts to flow one direction, it pushes against the
balloon and causes it to stretch. This pushes the water on the other side ...
allowing the water to flow "through" the balloon. As the balloon stretches far
enough, it begins to provide enough force to press against the water pressure that
was causing it to stretch. The current no longer is able to stretch the balloon, and
so the current stops flowing. This is like when a capacitor is completely charged.
This is why a capacitor does not allow direct current to flow.
Now if the current is alternating back and forth, then the balloon will begin to
stretch with the current flow, and then as the current switches and goes the
opposite direction, the balloon begins to unstretch and then go back the other
direction until it stops stretching or the current begins to switch back again. This
is like a capacitor hooked up to alternating current. A capacitor will allow
alternating current to flow "through" it. (I say "through it", but you can clearly see
in this illustration that the current never really flows through the baloon... and in
real life, the current never really flows through a capacitor either.)
An additional note... just as a certain amount amount of pressure will cause the
balloon to break, there is a certain amount of voltage that will cause the capacitor
to short out - current will jump across the two plates. This may damage the
insulating material in between the plates (if the material is something other than
air) and reduce the capacity of the capacitor.
Ohm's Law also makes intuitive sense if you apply it to the water-and-pipe analogy. If we
have a water pump that exerts pressure (voltage) to push water around a "circuit"
(current) through a restriction (resistance), we can model how the three variables
interrelate. If the resistance to water flow stays the same and the pump pressure increases,
the flow rate must also increase.

If the pressure stays the same and the resistance increases (making it more difficult for
the water to flow), then the flow rate must decrease:

If the flow rate were to stay the same while the resistance to flow decreased, the required
pressure from the pump would necessarily decrease:

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