An electric circuit is the path taken by electrons as they travel from an energy source (such as a generator or battery), through an electrical system, and then returned to the source.
In simpler terms, an electric circuit, also known as an electrical circuit, is a conductor used to move current or energy. To connect the source of electricity and the load, a conductive wire is used. Between the supply and the load, an ON/OFF switch and a fuse are also used.
What are the types of Electric Circuit?
There are five main types of electric circuit which are described below:
- Close Circuit: Closed Circuit or Closed Circuit refers to a component that operates independently within a circuit. In this case, load determines the amount of current flow.
- Open Circuit: A circuit is said to be open when an electrical wire, computer device, or switch is malfunctioning or when the switch is off. You can see in the picture below that the bulb is not glowing because either the switch is turned off or an electrical wire is faulty.
- Short Circuit: Short circuits occur when the (+ & -) terminals of a voltage source in a circuit come into contact with one another for some cause. Under these circumstances, the maximum current begins to circulate. The most common cause of short circuit is the jointing or even shorting of the conducting electrical lines due to the load.
- Series Circuit: A series circuit is one in which two or more loads (such as bulbs, CFLs, LEDs, fans, etc.) are linked to one another in a series. If one load or light in a series circuit blows a fuse, the remaining bulbs won’t receive power and won’t glow.
- Parallel Circuit: A parallel circuit is an electrical circuit where multiple components are connected in such a way that the current flows through each component independently of the others. All loads in this kind of circuit must have a voltage capacity that is equivalent to the input supply. Different load powers are possible. If one load or light in a parallel circuit blows a fuse, the remaining bulbs will still receive power and continue to glow.
How Electrical Circuits Work?
An electrical circuit, also known as a power circuit, is a configuration of an electrically conductive path for the flow and movement of energy. We need a route for the electrons to travel along and a power source to move them along in order to create an electrical circuit. Metals are excellent conductors of electrons. Thus, a wire serves as the route in an electrical circuit.
Also Read: What is Capacity Factor (CF)?
A switch from a home wiring system or a battery could be the circuit’s power supply. Let’s use a light bulb that is powered by a battery as an illustration. Electrons must be forced out of the battery to light the bulb.
The electromagnetic field is used to accomplish this. The light source is then traversed by the electrons before returning to the battery’s other end. The wire in the light bulb, which is typically made of tungsten, heats up so much during this process that it glows and produces a bright light.
