What are Passive and Active Electrical Components?

Active and Passive components are fundamental elements in electrical and electronic circuits.

What are Passive Components?

Passive components are electrical components that do not require an external power source to operate. They cannot amplify or generate electrical signals but can store energy in the form of voltage or current.

  1. Resistors: Devices that resist the flow of electrical current, producing a voltage drop. They are used to control current in a circuit.
  2. Capacitors: Components that store electrical energy temporarily in an electric field. They are used in filtering, timing, and energy storage applications.
  3. Inductors: Components that store energy in a magnetic field when electrical current flows through them. They are used in filtering, energy storage, and inductive coupling applications.
  4. Transformers: Devices that transfer electrical energy between two or more circuits through electromagnetic induction. They are used to change voltage levels.

What are Active Components?

Active components are electrical components that require an external power source to operate and can control the flow of electricity. They can amplify electrical signals and are essential in electronic circuits.

  1. Transistors: Semiconductor devices used to amplify or switch electronic signals. They are the building blocks of modern electronic devices.
  2. Diodes: Components that allow current to flow in one direction only. They are used in rectification, signal modulation, and protection circuits.
  3. Integrated Circuits (ICs): Complex circuits consisting of multiple active and passive components integrated into a single chip. They perform various functions such as amplification, signal processing, and digital computation.
  4. Operational Amplifiers (Op-Amps): High-gain voltage amplifiers with differential inputs. They are used in signal conditioning, filtering, and analog computing.