Electrical circuit

Article By:

Frenzel, Louis Retired, Department of Engineering Technology, Austin Community College, Austin, Texas.

Berry, Carlotta Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana.

Last reviewed:April 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.136900

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• Circuit (electricity), published January 2020:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

A general term referring to a system or part of a system of conducting parts and their interconnections through which electric currents are intended to flow. A circuit is made up of a voltage source along with active and passive elements, as well as interconnecting conducting paths between these elements. The voltage sources are the sources of electric energy and can be batteries (Fig. 1), power supplies, signal generators, direct-current generators, or alternating-current generators. The active elements can be transistors, integrated circuits, or vacuum tubes. The passive elements can be resistors, inductors, transformers, and capacitors. The electric circuit is described by a circuit diagram or map showing the active and passive elements and their connecting conducting paths. See also: Battery; Electricity; Integrated circuit; Transistor

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