Physics (fi-sixs) Electronics (e-lec-tro-niks)
For Mommies and Kiddies
*For Mr. Calasanz
In our explanation of electronics, we tried simplifying the terms, devices and their uses by comparing them to the traffic schemes. We thought that it would be the closest and simplest way to make mommies and kiddies familiar with electronics. We also defined them and gave their practical uses in basic words so that they could understand it better in application. - Marc Lihan and April Rey
Hello! We'd like to teach you a little about electronics. It's so easy! It's very much like traffic that you encounter everyday in the city. How? Read on...
Basic Terms
Current – It is the flow of electricity
Flow of traffic
- Why? Because you get to places faster sometimes when there is no traffic.
There are other times when you get stuck on traffic. It's pretty much like
the current. Some device affects the flow of current by stopping, or
slowing the current down.
Voltage – How powerful the flow of current is
Number of the cars: there are different numbers of cars at different times.
For example, there are more cars traveling during the rush hour
and there are almost no cars during Sundays
Devices
Resistor (re-sis-tor) - They limit the flow of current
-They have four colors. Each color represents a number or place
value depending on the order of that color.
Humps or orange cones
- Just like how humps slow down cars when you pass through them or how the orange
cones make cars move into a single line if they are arranged in such a way.
Capacitors (ka-pa-si-tor)
-Regulates the flow of current.
-Always connect the positive side to the +5 volts
and negative side to the ground.
*Warning: if the said condition is not implemented, the capacitor will explode.
You can compare it to how the traffic light regulates traffic. It makes the other lane go
while the other lane is put to stop.
Potentiometer (po-ten-sho-mi-ter)
-Adjusts the flow of currents
-Makes the blinking action either faster or slower
-Sound adjustor
MMDA traffic enforcers – someone who cannot direct traffic properly (you can be
one!) Sometimes the traffic enforcer allows traffic to go through in one lane
longer and not the same time on the other.
LED – Light Emitting Diode
-A small bulb that lights up when current passes through it.
This is an easy one. Take it as it is.
Integrated Circuits
555 – alternating high and low current
Speed of the stoplight, it's turns red, telling you
to stop and it turns green, making you move
* in terms of electronics, red means low current and
green is high current
* a bit returns either 1 or 0; we represent each bit with a tollgate. If a bit is 1, the tollgate is open, if it's 0 then it's closed
74xx93 – 4 bit that counts
from 0-15 in decimal
Tollgates (4 entrances) – allows cars to leave at a certain manner depending if the
tollgates are closed or opened
74xx47 – synchronizes the counting action of the LEDs with the counter
- determines to what number the clock will count
Logic Gates – Tollgate with 2 entrance gate that let cars pass depending on a certain condition
open closed
Gate can either let the car enter or not.
1. Exclusive NOR - It opens only if there is one car present at a specific time
2. AND gates – it opens only if there are 2 cars present at the same time
3. OR gates – it opens if at least one car is present
4. NOR gates – it opens only if there is no car
5. NAND gates – it closes when there are two cars present
Black box – used to play with the output from given inputs
It
is like a
collection of tollgates
7-segement display – compose of 7 LEDs
- to show numbers from 0-9
Traffic reporter, because it returns
what's going on, like how the device
forms a number though the lights
2n2222 – Transistor: it amplifies current; it is a crystal with three
doped regions. It has three parts, the base, the collector and the
emitter.
*Warning!!! – when charged do not touch because
it is very hot; this may mean that you destroyed the transistor
It's just like a bendable bridge. If the operator allows the bridge to be passable for vehicles, then there is a follow
of traffic but if it's broken into two, then there will be no cars that will be able to pass. In a transistor, if the base
has little current flowing through it, it would allow the current coming from the collector to go to the emitter, and
the opposite would happen if there is no current flowing through the base.
Operational-Amplifiers (a.k.a. Op Amps) – multiplies the output
according to gain
The Op Amp could either make the output
higher or lower, just like how a tunnel could make
only a few cars go through it a couple at a time and how
the highway could allow many cars go through it.
Sensor (Sen-sor) – changes the flow of the current depending on the light around it
Sensors light up when it senses little or no light, it works like the street lamps.
They give light automatically when night approaches.
Flip-flop – is like a memory that contains a bit of information
Let's just say, it's like the meter inside the car that measures how many miles the car traveled already.
Diode – one-way valve
Just like one way street, it only allows the current to flow in one direction