Electricity - Electrical Circuits 03

Symbols for electrical components have been standardised to ensure that electrical drawings can be understood by anybody of any nationality. Not only does this allow everyone to understand them, but it also allows us to create circuit diagrams faster as they have been designed to be easy to draw.

The circuit diagram does not usually look much like the final circuit, it is neat and the wires are drawn as straight lines and right angles and no connectors are shown. When using a circuit diagram to build a circuit, you need to be organised and methodical. Firstly, arrange the individual components as they appear in the circuit diagram. Next, you can begin to connect them together to form the electrical circuit.

Start at one side of the power source, whether it is a cell, battery of cells or a power pack running from the mains supply. It doesn't matter whether you start on the positive side or the negative side, just so long as you follow the circuit around. If you build out from both positive and negative terminals, there is more chance that you could make an error. Following the circuit diagram in one direction makes it easier to check that you do have a complete circuit with no short circuits. To double check that your electrical circuit is built properly, before you switch on, run your finger round the wiring, following the route that the flow of electrons will follow. If you can get back to the power source without touching a component, you have a short circuit. If your finger touches the components in the correct order, then the circuit is completed. Where you have components connected in parallel, you will need to use more than one finger at the same time.