Skip to content

What is an Electric Circuit Diagram and How Does it Work?

The electrical circuit can be described as something created whenever electrons flow and then create electricity. Circuits may be defined as any pathway by which electric current flows. Also, whenever electric current passes or flows inside a circuit, different electrical appliances can use them.

What Does Electrical Circuit Diagrams Mean?

Circuit diagram may be described as a graphical description or representation of any electrical circuit. This can also be called wiring diagram, electrical diagram, elementary diagram, and electronics schematics. In circuit diagrams, an electrical circuit’s components can be indicated making use of standard symbols. This represents electrical connections that are found inside the circuit.

You can use these diagrams in the field of construction, designing as well as maintaining electronic and electrical equipment. Different electrical circuits come with a

  • Source of power i.e. battery
  • Resistor or load i.e. light bulbs – these results due to the completion of the electrical circuits, like stoves, computers, televisions, fans, electric heaters, as well as many other devices and equipment.
  • Conductor for carrying current i.e. copper wire
  • Switch, for example a light switch that is installed on the wall – the switch may close or open the circuit as well as control electricity flow. Take note: not all the electrical circuits out there come with a switch; although, a large number of them do.

The power source or battery delivers the required energy for ensuring the flow of electrons. This electrons flow, as well as how fast the flow is, is referred to as the current. In batteries, chemical reactions take place, which creates differences in the electrical potential in-between the battery’s two electrodes. This potential difference, which is referred to as the voltage, helps in providing energy for electrons to move via the circuit. Its unit of measurement is volts.

What is the Significance of the Electric Circuit Diagram?

Electric circuit diagrams can be described as an electrical circuit’s simplified drawing. It makes use of a solid line for showing the wires or conductor that determines the circuit’s path. Symbols are present on this path for representing the different parts of a circuit like the resistors and power source. The diagrams are utilized for designing, constructing, as well as maintaining the electrical circuits. Also, you can use them for calculating the current present in the different parts of a circuit.

What goes on in the light bulb that lights it up? Looking inside a bulb’s filament, you will see a lot of tiny and small charged particles known as electrons that move through the bulbs. While passing through, some of the energy would be transformed in other forms. What ensures the movement of the electrons? What gives energy to them?

The creation of circuit diagrams is to serve as the circuit design’s blueprint. Circuit diagram offers a graphical description of the arrangement of a circuit’s components as well as the wire relationships that form between them. This technician helps in creating the electric circuit diagram to serve as a guideline for the implementation of the circuit designs or for different communication purposes.

What are the Components of the Circuit Diagram?

In this section, we will be listing some of the circuit diagram’s components.

Closed circuit: This permits electron flow in a path from a battery’s negative terminal to its positive terminal. This circuit is a complete one, and therefore, current will be able to flow through.

Open circuit: This is a circuit whereby the electrons’ path is interrupted or there is an incomplete circuit. As explained above, whenever there is an open switch, the current flow between two terminals is incomplete. This is why current doesn’t flow throughout the circuit and this is why it is an open circuit.

Short circuits: This occurs whenever both terminals i.e. negative and positive terminals are connected to themselves and a high current begins to flow in this case.

Parallel Circuits: For this electric circuit type, it is made up of branched components. This is why current can be further divided and only a part of current will flow through these components.

Series Circuit: For series electric circuits, the flow of current takes place in equal amounts all through every component inside the circuit.

What is a Simple Electric Circuit Diagram Composed of?

Electric circuit diagrams are simple combinations of switches, batteries, or cells, whereby electricity flows into. You can draw a simple electric circuit diagram making use of these components.

  • Battery: This is when cells are combined together. This has the anode, cathode, as well as the electrolyte.
  • Electric cells: Electric cell serve as a current source inside the circuit
  • Electric bulbs: This device glows whenever it receives electric current
  • Ammeter: It is useful in measuring any current that passes a specific point
  • Switch: The switch will permit or stop the current flow inside a circuit
  • Voltmeter: This helps in measuring the voltage present between two points inside a circuit

What are the Applications of an Electric Circuit Diagram?

An electric circuit diagram makes use of symbols in representing the components of a circuit. Also, they will show you ways of connecting a circuit as well as make it function. It is also useful in determining the current present in several parts of a circuit. The circuit diagram will also show resistors which are connected in parallel or inn series. Whenever these resistors are in the series form, current flowing through each resistor would remain the same. Whenever these resistors are in parallel, current passing through every resistor would be different; however, the voltage formed across each of these resistors would be the same.

Circuit diagrams are useful for circuit design, PCB layout construction, as well as for maintaining the electronic and electrical equipment.

Parallel and Series Circuits

A wireless anti-theft alarm circuit diagram
A wireless anti-theft alarm circuit diagram

Circuits come in two main types; these include parallel circuits and series circuits. Both the parallel and series circuits may have many resistors as well as other features present.

Series Electrical Circuits

For the series circuit, just one path is available for electricity to follow. These resistors are all in a series pattern, and all inside a chain along the circuit’s path. The quantity of current that passes through every resistor is similar to that inside the series circuit. In addition, with series circuits, electricity goes to either nothing or to everything. It isn’t possible for part of these series to receive electricity while the others are not.

Parallel Electrical Circuits

Parallel circuits feature different branches whereby electricity would be able to flow. This is beneficial because when one of the circuit’s branches breaks, then the other branches will keep working.

Electricity would keep flowing along the remaining branches, despite the problems which might occur in a section. You can set up household appliances using parallel circuits. When one appliance in your kitchen stops functioning, then it will not cause the remaining appliances to stop functioning as well.

Softwares for Electrical Circuit Diagrams

EdrawMax

EdrawMax is a comprehensive tool featuring the circuit design function. This maker of circuit diagrams can create not just a circuits’ graphical representation, it could also help in drawing other diagrams. These include organizational charts, floor plans, flow charts, etc.

This is therefore important for professionals and scholars from all areas such as computer networking, software engineering, industrial architecture, building architectures, etc.

Visual Paradigm

This is viewed as a very efficient tool available today. Although this program has both online and desktop versions, most users prefer the online version so as to be updated with the recent additions which developers continue introducing from time to time.

Circuit Lab

This is a reliable electric circuit diagram creator, which justifies its name perfectly. Putting this simply, this tool is focused on just circuit diagrams. In contrast to other electric circuit diagram makers, this maker ensures that diagrams created can be simulated, therefore assisting you to check the circuits’ correctness before going ahead as well as investing your funds and time in their implementation to suit the production environment.

Related Questions

What is an electric circuit diagram?

This is also referred to as electrical diagrams, electronics schematics, or elementary diagrams. It is a simple graphical representation or description of electrical circuits.

What Purpose Does an Electric Circuit Diagram Serve?

Circuit diagrams are very important for the designing, constructing, as well as maintaining the electronic and electrical equipment.

What are the symbols used in electric circuit diagrams?

Different electrical devices like electric bulbs, resistors, and batteries have electrical symbols which are useful in circuit diagrams.

Conclusion

Electric circuit diagrams can be described as an electrical circuit’s simplified drawing. It makes use of a solid line for showing the wires or conductor that determines the circuit’s path. Electric circuit diagrams are simple combinations of switches, batteries, or cells, whereby electricity flows into. An electric circuit diagram makes use of symbols in representing the components of a circuit. Also, they will show you ways of connecting a circuit as well as make it function. It is also useful in determining the current present in several parts of a circuit.

 

 

 

                Get Fast Quote Now