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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Circuits and Components

Circuit

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/ˈsɝkɪt/nounCore term

In electrical & electronics engineering, circuit means: A closed path through which electric current can flow, made of a source, conductors and components. In building wiring it also means one branch protected by its own breaker.

In Turkish: devre, hat, linye

How it is used

Used in both electronics and installations. You design, build, test and simulate a circuit; in buildings you say 'the lighting circuit' or 'the kitchen circuit'. Common terms are circuit diagram, circuit board and control circuit.

Example sentences

  1. I built the circuit on a breadboard first to check that the timing works.

  2. Each socket circuit in the office has its own 16 A breaker.

Common collocations

  • build a circuit
  • circuit diagram
  • circuit board
  • control circuit
  • lighting circuit
  • short circuitAn unwanted low-resistance connection between two points that should be kept apart, such as live and neutral. It causes a very large current that can damage equipment or start a fire.
  • open circuitA circuit with a break in its path, so no current can flow. It can be intentional, like an open switch, or a fault, like a broken wire or a cracked solder joint.
  • schematicA drawing that shows how the components of a circuit are connected, using standard symbols instead of their real shape or position on the board.
  • circuit breakerAn automatic switch that opens a circuit when it detects too much current, for example from an overload or a short circuit. Unlike a fuse, it can be reset and used again.
  • in seriesConnected one after another along a single path, so the same current flows through each component. Resistances connected in series add up.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Circuits and Components

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