Voltage
noun
electromotive force or potential difference expressed in volts.
Current (electric)
noun
the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take
and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.
Resistance (electric)
noun
a material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms
direct current
noun
Electricity . an electric current of constant direction, having a magnitude that does not vary or varies
only slightly. Abbreviation: dc
alternating current
noun
an electric current that reverses direction at regular intervals, having a magnitude that varies
continuously in sinusoidal manner. Abbreviation: ac
resistor
[ri-zis-ter]
noun, Electricity .
a device designed to introduce resistance into an electric circuit.
capacitor
[kuh-pas-i-ter]
noun Electricity .
a device for accumulating and holding a charge of electricity, consisting of two equally charged
conducting surfaces having opposite signs and separated by a dielectric.
diode
[dahy-ohd]
noun, Electronics.
a device, as a two-element electron tube or a semiconductor, through which current can pass freely in
only one direction.
transistor
[tran-zis-ter]
noun
Electronics . a semiconductor device that amplifies, oscillates, or switches the flow of current between
two terminals by varying the current or voltage between one of the terminals and a third: although
much smaller in size than a vacuum tube, it performs similar functions without requiring current to heat
a cathode.
bias
Electronics. the application of a steady voltage or current to an active device, as a diode or transistor, to
produce a desired mode of operation.