Electronics

Terms related to electronics, including definitions about electrical components and words and phrases about computers, laptops parts, digital cameras, televisions and home appliances.

processor (CPU) - A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer.
proton - A proton is a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of every atom.
pulse - A pulse is a burst of current, voltage, or electromagnetic-field energy.
pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) - Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) is the transmission of data by varying the amplitudes (voltage or power levels) of the individual pulses in a regularly timed sequence of electrical or electromagnetic pulses.
quad-core processor - A quad-core processor is a chip with four independent units called cores that read and execute central processing unit (CPU) instructions such as add, move data and branch.
quantum interference - Quantum interference is when subatomic particles interact with and influence themselves and other particles while in a probabilistic superposition state.
raceway - A raceway, sometimes referred to as a raceway system, is an enclosed conduit that forms a physical pathway for electrical wiring.
radio frequency (RF, rf) - Radio frequency (RF) is a measurement representing the oscillation rate of electromagnetic radiation spectrum, or electromagnetic radio waves, from frequencies ranging from 300 GHz to as low as 9 kHz.
random numbers - As the term suggests, a random number is a number chosen by chance -- i.
reactance - Reactance is a form of opposition generated by components in an electric circuit when alternating current (AC) passes through it.
resistance - Resistance is the opposition that a substance offers to the flow of electric current; the term contrasts with conductance, which is a measure of the ease with which current flows through a substance.
resistor - A resistor is an electrical component that limits or regulates the flow of electrical current in an electronic circuit.
resolution - Resolution is the number of pixels -- picture elements or individual points of color -- that can be contained on a display screen or in a camera sensor.
resonance charging - Resonance charging is a wireless charging method for items that require large amounts of power, such as an electric car, robot, vacuum cleaner or laptop computer.
RFID tagging - RFID tagging uses small radio frequency identification devices to track and identify objects.
RGB (red, green and blue) - RGB (red, green and blue) refers to a system representing the colors used on a digital display screen.
robot - A robot is a machine designed to execute one or more tasks automatically with speed and precision.
S-Video (Super-Video, Y/C Video, component video) - S-Video (Super-Video, sometimes referred to as Y/C Video, or component video) is a video signal transmission in which the luminance signal and the chrominance signal are transmitted separately to achieve superior picture clarity.
scanner - A scanner is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages and similar sources for computer editing and display.
screen door effect - The screen door effect is the occurrence of thin, dark lines or a mesh appearance caused by the gaps between pixels on a screen or projected image.
Seebeck effect - The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.
semiconductor - A semiconductor is a substance that has specific electrical properties that enable it to serve as a foundation for computers and other electronic devices.
semiconductor fab - A semiconductor fab -- short for fabrication -- is a manufacturing plant in which raw silicon wafers are turned into integrated circuits (ICs).
sensor - A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) - Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs).
serial peripheral interface (SPI) - A serial peripheral interface (SPI) is an interface commonly used in computers and embedded systems to facilitate short-distance communication between a microcontroller and one or more peripheral integrated circuits (ICs).
seven wastes - The seven wastes are categories of unproductive manufacturing practices identified by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
shift register - A shift register is a digital memory circuit found in calculators, computers, and data-processing systems.
siemens (mho) - (Siemens AG is a German company engaged in electrical engineering and electronics.
soap opera effect (motion interpolation) - The soap opera effect is the colloquial name for a visual effect caused by motion interpolation on television sets that some people find undesirable.
solar cooling - Solar cooling is a system that converts heat from the sun into cooling that can be used for refrigeration and air conditioning.
solar power - Solar power is a renewable form of energy harvested from the sun for the purpose of producing electricity or thermal energy (heat).
solid - A solid is a state of matter that retains its shape and density when not confined.
solid-state - Solid-state is a common descriptor used to refer to electronic components, devices and systems based entirely on semiconductor materials such as silicon, germanium or gallium arsenide.
solid-state storage - Solid-state storage is a type of computer storage media that stores data electronically and has no moving parts.
sound card - A sound card is a computer component responsible for generating and recording audio.
sound wave - A sound wave is the pattern of disturbance caused by the movement of energy traveling through a medium (such as air, water or any other liquid or solid matter) as it propagates away from the source of the sound.
space - Space is a term that can refer to various phenomena in science, mathematics and computing and generally encompasses the concept of an area or region.
spatial computing - Spatial computing broadly characterizes the processes and tools used to capture, process and interact with three-dimensional (3D) data.
SRAM (static random access memory) - SRAM (static RAM) is a type of random access memory (RAM) that retains data bits in its memory as long as power is being supplied.
stack pointer - A stack pointer is a small register that stores the memory address of the last data element added to the stack or, in some cases, the first available address in the stack.
standard temperature and pressure (STP) - Standard temperature and pressure (STP) refers to the nominal conditions in the atmosphere at sea level.
standing wave ratio (SWR) - Standing wave ratio (SWR) is the ratio of the maximum magnitude or amplitude of a standing wave to its minimum magnitude.
state of charge (SOC) - The state of charge (SOC) is a measurement of the amount of energy available in a battery at a specific point in time.
Stefan-Boltzmann constant - The Stefan-Boltzmann constant, symbolized by the lowercase Greek letter sigma (σ), is a physical constant expressing the relationship between the heat radiation emitted by a black body and its absolute temperature.
stereoscopy (stereoscopic imaging) - Stereoscopy, sometimes called stereoscopic imaging, is a technique used to enable a three-dimensional effect, adding an illusion of depth to a flat image.
superconductivity - Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct a direct electric current (DC) with practically zero resistance.
tablet (tablet PC) - A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touchscreen interface.
teleoperations (telerobotics) - Teleoperation, also called telerobotics, is the technical term for the remote control of a robot.
thyristor - A thyristor is a four-layer semiconductor device, consisting of alternating P-type and N-type materials (PNPN).
toroid - A toroid is a coil of insulated or enameled wire wound on a donut-shaped form made of powdered iron.
torque - Torque is a twisting or turning force that tends to cause rotation around an axis; it can also be thought of as the ability of something that is rotating, such as a gear or a shaft, to overcome turning resistance.
touch screen - A touch screen is an electronic display screen that is also an input device.
transconductance - Transconductance is an expression of the performance of a bipolar transistoror field-effect transistor (FET).
transducer - A transducer is an electronic device that converts energy from one form to another.
Transistor - A transistor is a miniature semiconductor that regulates or controls current or voltage flow.
transistor-to-transistor logic (TTL) - Transistor-to-transistor logic -- also known as simply transistor-transistor logic or TTL -- is a family of digital logic design built from a family of bipolar junction transistors that act on direct-current pulses.
transponder - A transponder is a wireless communication, monitoring or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal.
virtual assistant (AI assistant) - A virtual assistant, also called an AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural language voice commands and completes tasks for the user.
volt-ampere (VA) - A volt-ampere (VA) is a measurement of power in a direct current (DC) electrical circuit.
voltage - Voltage, also called electromotive force, is a quantitative expression of the potential difference in charge between two points in an electrical field.
voltage reference - A voltage reference is an electronic component or circuit that produces a constant DC (direct-current) output voltage regardless of variations in external conditions such as temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, current demand, or the passage of time.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive - The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is a legislative act that the European Union adopted to address the growing amounts of e-waste that come from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) at the end of its life.
water cooling - Water cooling, also called liquid cooling, is a method used to lower the temperature of computer processor units (CPUs), and sometimes graphics processor units (GPUs).
watt - A watt (symbolized W) is the standard unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI).
watt-hour (Wh) - The watt-hour, which is symbolized Wh, is a unit of energy equivalent to one watt of power expended for one hour of time.
wave number - A wave number, or wavenumber, refers to the spatial frequency of a wave over a specific unit distance.
wavelength - Wavelength is the distance between identical points (adjacent crests) in the adjacent cycles of a waveform signal propagated in space or along a wire.
wireless charging - Wireless charging is any of several methods of charging batteries without the use of cables.
x86-64 - x86-64 (also called x86_64, x64, or amd64) is the 64-bit CPU architecture that is used in Intel and AMD processors.