In an incredibly short period of time, that powerful force of nature known as electricity has completely revolutionized to the world, with every country now using it for a variety of purposes. On an atomic level, electricity is actually the flow of charged particles (usually electrons) through metal, and it is created through magnetic forces. This power has been harnessed for countless purposes over the years, so here is a handy breakdown of the way most electronic devices work.
Circuits
One of the most significant parts of an electronic device is the circuit in which electricity travels around, allowing it to fulfill its purpose (whatever that may be). The circuit board contains numerous small components which behave differently when electricity is flowing through them.
They vary in size depending on the device and what its purpose may be, and the way their components are arranged governs how the device will behave. A circuit board is essentially a map for the electrons to follow to reach their ‘goal’ (turning a motor, for instance).
Analog/Digital
It is worth noting that there are some fairly significant differences between different electronic devices. Before the digital revolution, the majority of electronic devices were analog, which means that they worked by using electricity directly in one form or another (old radios carried radio waves directly through their antenna and into the circuit, for instance).
Now, however, the majority of electronic devices make use of digital technology, which means signals are transmitted as coded numbers which the device converts into useful information with electricity. This has facilitated the creation of devices like the modern day computer.
Components
There are many different components which a circuit board can be made up of. These include resistors, which control the flow of electrons around a circuit board, diodes, which force electrons to flow in one direction, and transistors, which switch small electronic currents on or off (and allowed electricity to be used for much more advanced purposes, like computing).
Many people now purchase their own components from suppliers like XP Power, as it is more than possible to experiment and build electronic devices from scratch.
It is fair to say that electronic devices have come an incredibly long way since electricity’s inception, and now it is hard to imagine a world without them. It is likely that more and more users will continue to be found for electricity in the future.