Passive components and power supplies

Abstract

The components used in electronic circuits are divided into two main classes. These are referred to as ‘active’ and ‘passive’ components. Active components use the movement of electrons either through a vacuum or through a semiconductor to perform some function in the circuit. Passive devices, on the other hand, do not control the movements of the electrons, but rather allow the electrons to flow through them. It could be argued that the simplest of all passive devices is a length of wire!