Passive Components

Electronic components can be active or passive. Passive elements never supply more energy than they absorb; active elements can supply more energy than they absorb, thus producing amplification. If a circuit can be called electronic, it must contain at least one active device. Passive components include resistors, capacitors, diodes (di means two, while ode is short for electrode)and inductors. Active components include vacuum tubes. Caps is short for capacitors. They have many sizes and shapes, but their purpose is the same. They can store electrical energy in the form of an electrostatic charge. Some of the large electrolytic caps can store enough charge to kill a person. Resistors are the most common passive components. They have colored bands on them to indicate their value in ohms. LEDs (=light emitting diodes) are diodes that emit light of one form or another. They come in several sizes and colors. Some even emit Infrared Light which can’t be seen by the human eye.

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