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Glossary
decibels logarithmic units of gain ratio.
dielectric correct term for the layer of insulating material
between the two plates of a capacitor.
digital one of the two operating modes of a transistor, in
which presence or lack of base current to the transistor is
used to turn on or off the transistor’s collector current.
diode a semiconductor electronic component with two
electrodes: an anode and a cathode, which in essence allows
current flow in only one direction (apart from when breakdown
has occurred).
diode characteristic curve a graph of voltage across the
current through a diode.
discrete term implying a circuit built up from individual
components.
electrolytic capacitor a capacitor whose function is due to
an electrolytic process. It is therefore polarised and must be
inserted into circuit the correct way round.
exponential curve capacitor charging and discharging
curves are examples of exponential curves. An exponential
curve rises/falls to about 0.63/0.37 of the total value in one
time constant, and is within 1% of the final value after five
time constants.
farad (F) the unit of capacitance.
feedback when all or part of an op-amp’s output is fed back
to its input, to control the gain of the circuit.
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