Electronics: A Guide for Physicists (DRAFT -- in development)

Analysis of a circuit often starts with producing a visual representation of a circuit’s important properties. Rather than using an artistic representation of a real circuit, schematic diagrams are typically used instead. An example of a circuit schematic is given in Figure 1.2.1.

Explanation of the various circuit elements used in Figure 1.2.1 are provided in Table 1.2.2.

Symbol	Name	Notes
	wire
	junction
	Battery	SI Unit: Volt (V), Long line is + terminal
	AC voltage source	SI Unit: Volt (V)
	DC current source	SI Unit: Ampere (A)
	Resistor	SI Unit: Ohm (\(\Omega\))
	Capacitor	SI Unit: Farad (F)
	Inductor	SI Unit: Henry (H)
	Ground	Physically connected to Earth. Acts as charge source/sink.
	Common	Circuit reference. Assume V=0 at common.

So, lines represent wires connecting terminals of circuit elements. If a dot is present where two lines intersect, then it means that those two wires are connected. We have also labeled all of our components and provided labels and directions for currents.