Electronics

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

42 (h2g2, meaning of life, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) - In Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," 42 is the number from which all meaning ("the meaning of life, the universe, and everything") can be derived.
720p - 720p is a high-definition (HD) display standard used to describe the resolution of a television or computer display that measures 1280 x 720 pixels.
A-weighted decibel (dBA or dB(A)) - A-weighted decibel (dBA or dB(A)) is an expression of the relative loudness of sounds as perceived by the human ear.
accumulator - An accumulator is a type of register for short-term, intermediate storage of arithmetic and logic data in a computer's central processing unit (CPU).
agri-tech - Agri-tech, sometimes ag-tech, agtech or digital agriculture, is the application of technology and digital tools to farming.
ambient temperature - Ambient temperature is the air temperature of any object or environment where equipment is stored.
American Wire Gauge (AWG) - American Wire Gauge (AWG) is the standard way to denote wire size in North America.
ampere - An ampere is a unit of measure of the rate of electron flow or current in an electrical conductor.
ampere hour (Ah or amp hour) - Ampere hour -- sometimes abbreviated as Ah or amp hour -- is the amount of energy charge in a battery that enables 1 ampere of current to flow for one hour.
ampere per meter (A/m) - The ampere per meter (A/m) is the measure for magnetic field strength, as defined by the International System of Units (SI).
amplifier - An amplifier is an electronic device that increases the voltage, current, or power of a signal.
analog telephone adapter (ATA) - An analog telephone adapter (ATA) is a device used to connect an analog telephone, fax machine or similar equipment to a computer or network to enable communications over the internet.
analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) - Analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) is an electronic process in which a continuously variable, or analog, signal is changed into a multilevel digital signal without altering its essential content.
Android OS - Android OS is a Linux-based mobile operating system that primarily runs on smartphones and tablets.
antenna - An antenna is a specialized transducer that converts electric current into electromagnetic (EM) waves or vice versa.
apparent power - Apparent power is a measure of alternating current (AC) power that is computed by multiplying the root-mean-square (rms) current by the root-mean-square voltage.
Apple - Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer Inc.
Apple 3D Touch - Apple 3D Touch was a hardware-based feature Apple introduced in iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices running iOS 9 that perceives the amount of force a user puts on the touchscreen to activate different functions.
Arm processor - An Arm processor is one of a family of CPUs based on the RISC architecture for computer processors.
attenuation - Attenuation is a general term that refers to any reduction in the strength of a signal.
audio - Audio is sound that is within the acoustic range of human hearing.
augmented reality (AR) - Augmented reality (AR) is the integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time.
barcode reader - A barcode reader, also called a price scanner or point-of-sale (POS) scanner, is a hand-held or stationary input device used to capture and read information contained in a barcode.
Bohr radius - The Bohr radius is a physical constant that represents the most probable distance between the electron and nucleus of a hydrogen atom at its ground state (lowest energy level).
calculator - A calculator is a device that performs arithmetic operations on numbers.
cathode ray tube (CRT) - A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a specialized vacuumtube in which images are produced when an electron beam strikes aphosphorescent surface.
CD-ROM - A CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) is a type of compact disc that can only be read, not written to.
charge-coupled device - A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a light-sensitive integrated circuit that captures images by converting photons to electrons.
circuit - In electronics, a circuit is a complete circular path that electricity flows through.
clean electricity - Clean electricity, or carbon-free electricity, is electricity without high voltage spikes and drops, meaning it is low on emitting electrical pollution.
CMOS sensor - A CMOS sensor is an electronic chip that converts photons to electrons for digital processing.
coexistence testing - Coexistence testing, similar to compatibility testing, is a method of measuring the ability of multiple devices to interact in a single environment with limited bandwidth.
conductance - Conductance is an expression of the ease with which electric current flows through materials like metals and nonmetals.
conservation of angular momentum - Conservation of angular momentum is a physical property of a spinning system such that its spin remains constant unless it is acted upon by an external torque; put another way, the speed of rotation is constant as long as net torque is zero.
coulomb (C) - A coulomb (C) is the standard unit of electric charge in the International System of Units (SI).
crosstalk - Crosstalk is a disturbance caused by the electric or magnetic fields of one telecommunication signal affecting a signal in an adjacent circuit.
current - Current is a flow of electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or electron-deficient atoms.
debouncing - Debouncing is removing unwanted input noise from buttons, switches or other user input.
decibels relative to isotropic (dBi) - Decibels relative to isotropic (dBi) is a unit of measurement that describes how much power an antenna transmits in a single direction when compared to an isotropic radiator, which transmits in all directions at once.
delivery drone - A delivery drone is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used for distributing packages to consumers through advanced AI technology.
dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) - Dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) is an optical fiber multiplexing technology that is used to increase the bandwidth of existing fiber networks.
dielectric constant - The dielectric constant of a substance or material is a measure of its ability to store electrical energy.
dielectric material - A dielectric material is a poor conductor of electricity but an efficient supporter of electrostatic fields.
digital signal processing (DSP) - Digital signal processing (DSP) refers to various techniques for improving the accuracy and reliability of digital communications.
digital television (DTV) - Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using a digital broadcast format rather than conventional analog methods.
digital video - Digital video is audio/visual content in a binary format, with information presented as a sequence of digital data rather than in a continuous signal as analog information is.
digital wallet - In general, a digital wallet is a software application, usually for a smartphone, that serves as an electronic version of a physical wallet.
DisplayPort - DisplayPort is an interface for digital displays, particularly computer monitors.
dot product (scalar product) - The dot product, also called scalar product, is a measure of how closely two vectors align with each other, in terms of the directions they point.
dual Wi-Fi antenna - A dual Wi-Fi antenna is a pair of identical antennas on a wireless router or Wi-Fi-equipped device, intended to eliminate signal fading and dead spots.
e-waste - Electronic waste, also known as end-of-life (EOL) electronics or e-waste, refers to discarded, recycled or refurbished electrical and electronic products.
EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) - EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) is a user-modifiable ROM.
electric field strength - Electric field strength is a quantitative expression of the intensity of an electric field at a particular location.
electric vehicle charging station - An electric vehicle charging station is equipment that connects an EV to a source of electricity to recharge electric cars, neighborhood electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
electromagnetic field - An electromagnetic field, sometimes referred to as an EM field, is generated when charged particles, such as electrons, are accelerated.
electromagnetic interference (EMI) - Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is unwanted noise or interference in an electrical path or circuit caused by an outside source.
electron - An electron is a negatively charged subatomic particle that can be either bound to an atom or free (not bound).
electrostatic discharge (ESD) - Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the release of static electricity when two objects come into contact.
electrostatic field - When two objects in each other's vicinity have different electrical charges, an electrostatic field exists between them.
element - An element is a fundamental item that can't be easily broken into smaller pieces.
embedded device - An embedded device is part of a larger computing system and has a specific purpose.
Energy Star - Energy Star is a government-backed labeling program that helps people and organizations save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by identifying factories, office equipment, home appliances and electronics that have superior energy efficiency.
EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) - EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) is memory that does not lose its data when the power supply is cut off.
fan-out - In digital circuitry, fan-out is a measure of the maximum number of digital inputs that the output of a single logic gate can feed without disrupting the circuitry's operations.
field of view (FOV) - Field of view (FOV) is the open, observable area a person can see through their eyes or via an optical device, such as a camera.
field-effect transistor (FET) - A field-effect transistor (FET) is a type of transistor commonly used for weak-signal amplification (for example, for amplifying wireless signals).
field-replaceable unit (FRU) - In electronic hardware, particularly computer systems, a field-replaceable unit (FRU) is a circuit board or part that can be easily removed and replaced by the user or technician without having to send the product or system to a repair facility.
flash storage - Flash storage is any type of drive, repository or system that uses flash memory to write and store data for an extended period.
floating gate transistor (FGT) - A floating gate transistor (FGT) is a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology capable of holding an electrical charge in a memory device that is used to store data.
frequency - For an oscillating or varying current, frequency is the number of complete cycles per second in alternating current direction.
frequency band - In telecommunications, a frequency band -- sometimes called a band -- refers to a specific range of frequencies in the electromagnetic frequency spectrum assigned to certain applications.
frequency jammer - Frequency jamming is the disruption of radio signals through use of an over-powered signal in the same frequency range.
frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) - Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transmission is the repeated switching of the carrier frequency during radio transmission to reduce interference and avoid interception.
functional requirements - Functional requirements are the desired operations of a program, or system as defined in software development and systems engineering.
G-code - G-code (also known as geometric code or RS-274) is the most prevalent programming language for computer numerical control (CNC) machines used in computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM).
gas - A gas is a substance that is in a gaseous, or vaporous, state of matter.
graphic equalizer - A graphic equalizer is a high-fidelity audio control that allows the user to see graphically and control individually a number of different frequency bands in a stereophonic system.
green networking - Green networking is the practice of selecting energy-efficient networking technologies and products and minimizing resource use whenever possible.
harmonic - A harmonic is a wave or signal whose frequency is an integral (whole number) multiple of the frequency of the same reference signal or wave.
HDTV (high-definition television) - HDTV (high-definition television) is a television display technology that provides picture quality similar to 35 mm movies with sound quality similar to that of a compact disc.
horsepower (hp) - Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement in the foot-pound-second (fps or ft-lb/s) or English system, sometimes used to express the rate at which mechanical energy is expended.
hydraulics - Hydraulics is a mechanical function that operates through the force of liquid pressure.
IBM Roadrunner - Roadrunner was a supercomputer developed by IBM at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
instant app (Google Android instant app) - A Google Android instant app is a small software program that enables users to test out a portion of a native Android app without installing it on a device.
integrated circuit (IC) - An integrated circuit (IC), sometimes called a chip, microchip or microelectronic circuit, is a semiconductor wafer on which thousands or millions of tiny resistors, capacitors, diodes and transistors are fabricated.
intellectual property core (IP core) - An intellectual property core (IP core) is a functional block of logic or data used to make a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit for a product.
intelligent system - An intelligent system is an advanced computer system that can gather, analyze and respond to the data it collects from its surrounding environment.
interlaced display - An interlaced display, or interlaced scan video, is when a video only changes every other row of pixels in the image at each screen refresh.
International System of Units (SI) - The International System of Units is a global standard for expressing the magnitudes or quantities of important natural phenomena.
iPhone - The iPhone is a smartphone made by Apple that combines a computer, iPod, digital camera and cellular phone into one device with a touchscreen interface.
kill switch - A kill switch in an IT context is a mechanism used to shut down or disable a device or program.
laser - A laser is a coherent and focused beam of photons; coherent, in this context, means that it is all one wavelength, unlike ordinary light which showers on us in many wavelengths.
lithium polymer battery (LiPo) - A lithium polymer battery is a rechargeable battery with a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyte.
logical equivalence - Logical equivalence is the condition of equality that exists between two statements or sentences in propositional logic or Boolean algebra.
machine-to-machine (M2M) - Machine-to-machine, or M2M, is a broad label that can be used to describe any technology that enables networked devices to exchange information and perform actions without the manual assistance of humans.
magnetic field strength - Magnetic field strength is a measure of the intensity of a magnetic field in a given area of that field.
memristor - A memristor is an electrical component that limits or regulates the flow of electrical current in a circuit and remembers the amount of charge that has previously flowed through it.
MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) - A MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) is a miniature machine that has both mechanical and electronic components.
metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) - The metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, pronounced MAWS-feht) is the most common type of field-effect transistor (FET).
micro USB - A micro USB is a miniaturized version of the Universal Serial Bus interface developed for connecting compact and mobile devices, such as smartphones, MP3 players, Global Positioning System devices, printers and digital cameras.