Embedded Vocab Flashcards
Define: Conductor
A material that allows electricity to flow. Conductors are generally metals. The best conductor of electricity is gold.
Define: Insulator
A material that resists the flow of electricity. Rubber and glass are the best insulators.
Define: Electricity
The flow of loosely coupled electrons from one atom to another.
Define: Voltage
The potential for electricity to flow. The pressure from an electrical circuit’s power source that pushes charged electrons through a conducting loop
Define: Current
The flow(movement)of electric charge in a circuit.
Define: Amperes
The unit of measurement for electricity flow.
Define: Electric Circuit
An unbroken path of conductive material that allows electrons to flow.
Define: Resistor
A material the resists the flow of electricity. Generally used to limit electrical flow.
Define: Digital Signal
Square wave with only two values–high and low.
Define: Microcontroller
An integrated circuit (IC)that has a CPU, memory, interfaces and video all embedded on a single chip.
Define: Pulse Wave Modulation (PWM)
A signal which is made up of a continual sequence of pulses. Used to control voltage levels for motors, servos, light (LED) brightness, etc.
Define: Light Emitting Diode (LED)
An electrical component that emits light when electricity flows through it.
Define: General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO)
Pins (signals) that can be configured to perform different functions such as inputs, outputs, PWM, etc.
Define: Relay
A relay is an electromagnetic switch operated by a relatively small electric current that can turn on or off a much larger electric current. The heart of a relay is an electromagnet (a coil of wire that becomes a temporary magnet when electricity flows through it)
Define: Pi4J
A Java library of classes and methods used to control Raspberry Pi GPIO pins.
