Understanding the Marvels of Electricity and Electronics

Course Outline

Electricity is all around us – powering technology like our cars, computers and mobile phones. Electrical power and electronics industry are now the backbone of our modern society. This course introduces the history of electrical and electronic technology development, the fundamental concepts of DC/AC electricity, and the characteristics of semiconductor devices and circuits. Emphasis is placed on DC/AC circuits, components, and other related topics. Upon completion, students should be able to appreciate the vital role played by electricity in our life, and be able to identify, construct, verify, and analyze simple DC/AC circuits. The course contents are based primarily on a film entitled "Understanding Electricity" by the Discovery Channel and a Federal Aviation Administration publication "Basic Electricity" (Chapter 10 in FAA-8083-30). This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the history of electrical and electronic technology development;
• Identify electrical symbols and measuring instruments;
• Use Ohm’s law to find unknown values and calculate voltage drop;
• Define a series circuit and their properties;
• Define a parallel circuit and their properties;
• Solve a combination circuit using the laws of series and parallel;
• Explain how capacitance and inductance influence voltage and current relationships;
• Use an electrical meter to measure voltage, amperage, and ohms; and
• Appreciate the vital role played by electricity and electronics in our life.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for anyone who would like to gain an understanding of fundamental electrical and electronic theories.

Course Content

In this course, you are required to watch the following documentary:

Understanding Electricity - Full Documentary (43:20, a YouTube video)

and to study the following publication:

Basic Electricity (PDF, 180 pages, 52 MB)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

The discovery of electricity is one of the greatest achievements of man. The three primary forces in electricity are voltage, current flow and impedance (resistance). They are the fundamental forces that control every electrical circuit. This course covers the concepts of electrical theory necessary to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical circuits.

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

What is Electricity?
How Electricity Works
Electricity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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