Some Basic Electrical Engineering Questions:

1. What is electricity?

 Electricity is the flow of electrical charge, usually in the form of electrons, through a
conductor.

2. What is voltage?

 Voltage is the difference in electric potential energy between two points in a circuit.

3. What is current?

 Current is the flow of electric charge, measured in amperes (A).

4. What is resistance?

 Resistance is the opposition to the flow of current, measured in ohms (Ω).

5. What is Ohm’s Law?

 Ohm’s Law states that voltage (V) equals current (I) times resistance (R): V=I×RV = I \
times RV=I×R.

6. What is AC and DC current?

 AC (Alternating Current) changes direction periodically, while DC (Direct Current)

flows in one direction.

7. What is power?

 Power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred, measured in watts (W).
P=V×IP = V \times IP=V×I.

8. What is the unit of electric charge?

 The unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C).

9. What is a circuit?

 A circuit is a closed loop that allows current to flow, consisting of a power source, load,
and conductors.

10. What is a conductor?

  A conductor is a material that allows the flow of electric current, such as copper.

11. What is an insulator?

 An insulator is a material that resists the flow of electric current, like rubber or plastic.

12. What is a capacitor?

 A capacitor is a component that stores electrical energy in an electric field.

13. What is inductance?

 Inductance is the property of a conductor to oppose a change in current, typically

measured in henries (H).

14. What is a transformer?

 A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy between two or more circuits
through electromagnetic induction.

15. What is a diode?

 A diode is a semiconductor device that allows current to flow in one direction only.

16. What is a transistor?

 A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals.

17. What is a relay?

 A relay is an electrically operated switch that opens and closes circuits.

18. What is a fuse?

 A fuse is a safety device that protects a circuit from overcurrent by melting and breaking
the circuit.

19. What is the difference between a fuse and a circuit breaker?

 A fuse melts and needs replacement, while a circuit breaker can be reset after tripping.

20. What is impedance?

 Impedance is the total opposition to current in an AC circuit, combining resistance and

reactance.
21. What is the difference between resistance and impedance?

 Resistance opposes current in DC circuits, while impedance includes both resistance and
reactance in AC circuits.

22. What is an RLC circuit?

 An RLC circuit consists of a resistor (R), inductor (L), and capacitor (C) connected in
series or parallel.

23. What is Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL)?

 KCL states that the total current entering a junction equals the total current leaving it.

24. What is Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL)?

 KVL states that the total voltage around a closed loop equals zero.

25. What is a three-phase system?

 A three-phase system is a type of AC power system that uses three alternating currents,
each out of phase with the others by 120 degrees.

26. What is phase angle?

 Phase angle is the angular difference between the voltage and current waveforms in an
AC circuit.

27. What is power factor?

 Power factor is the ratio of real power to apparent power in a circuit, indicating
efficiency.

28. What is reactive power?

 Reactive power is the power that flows back and forth between the source and load,
measured in volt-amperes reactive (VAR).

29. What is a ground?

 Ground is a reference point in an electrical circuit from which voltages are measured.

30. What is earthing?

 Earthing connects electrical equipment to the ground to prevent electric shock.

31. What is a neutral wire?

 A neutral wire completes the electrical circuit by returning current to the source.

32. What is a live wire?

 A live wire carries current from the power source to the load.

33. What is a short circuit?

 A short circuit occurs when current bypasses the normal load and takes a shortcut, often
causing damage.

34. What is a circuit breaker?

 A circuit breaker is a device that automatically interrupts the flow of current when it
exceeds a certain level.

35. What is a synchronous motor?

 A synchronous motor runs at a constant speed, synchronized with the frequency of the
AC power supply.

36. What is an asynchronous motor?

 An asynchronous motor (induction motor) runs at a speed slightly less than the supply
frequency.

37. What is a generator?

 A generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

38. What is a rectifier?

 A rectifier converts AC to DC.

39. What is a voltage regulator?

 A voltage regulator maintains a constant output voltage regardless of changes in input

voltage or load conditions.

40. What is a load?

 A load is any device or component that consumes electrical power.

41. What is a passive component?

 Passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors) do not generate power but store or
dissipate it.

42. What is an active component?

 Active components (transistors, diodes) control the flow of current and can amplify
signals.

43. What is a circuit diagram?

 A circuit diagram is a graphical representation of an electrical circuit.

44. What is electrical grounding?

 Electrical grounding is connecting an electrical system to the earth to ensure safety and
prevent overload.

45. What is a switch?

 A switch controls the flow of electricity by opening or closing a circuit.

46. What is an alternator?

 An alternator is a type of generator that produces AC.

47. What is a battery?

 A battery is a device that stores chemical energy and converts it to electrical energy.

48. What is a step-up transformer?

 A step-up transformer increases the voltage from primary to secondary winding.

49. What is a step-down transformer?

 A step-down transformer decreases the voltage from primary to secondary winding.

50. What is electromotive force (EMF)?

 EMF is the energy provided by a source per unit charge, measured in volts (V).

51. What is a solenoid?

  A solenoid is a coil of wire that generates a magnetic field when current flows through it.

52. What is mutual inductance?

 Mutual inductance is the property where a change in current in one coil induces a voltage
in another coil.

53. What is a signal?

 A signal is an electrical or electromagnetic transmission conveying information.

54. What is resonance?

 Resonance occurs in an RLC circuit when the inductive and capacitive reactances cancel
out, resulting in maximum current.

55. What is a zener diode?

 A zener diode allows current to flow in the reverse direction when the voltage exceeds a
certain value, called the breakdown voltage.

56. What is leakage current?

 Leakage current is the small current that flows through an insulating material.

57. What is an oscilloscope?

 An oscilloscope is a device used to view and analyze the waveform of electrical signals.

58. What is a relay coil?

 A relay coil generates a magnetic field when energized, which moves contacts to open or
close circuits.

59. What is a fault?

 A fault is an abnormal condition in a circuit that causes a deviation from normal

operation.

60. What is load shedding?

 Load shedding is the deliberate shutdown of electric power in parts of a system to prevent
a complete system failure.

61. What is a harmonic?

  Harmonics are multiples of the fundamental frequency that distort electrical signals.

62. What is electrical efficiency?

 Electrical efficiency is the ratio of useful power output to the total power input.

63. What is a single-phase system?

 A single-phase system uses one alternating voltage, typically in homes and small
appliances.

64. What is an autotransformer?

 An autotransformer is a transformer with only one winding that acts as both the primary
and secondary sides.

65. What is power transmission?

 Power transmission is the movement of electrical energy from a power plant to

substations and users.

66. What is a control system?

 A control system manages and regulates the behavior of other devices or systems using
control loops.

67. What is a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)?

 A PLC is a digital computer used for automation of industrial processes.

68. What is surge protection?

 Surge protection prevents electrical devices from voltage spikes.

69. What is a shunt?

 A shunt is a device used to divert or limit the amount of current flowing in a circuit.

70. What is a varistor?

 A varistor is a voltage-dependent resistor used to protect circuits from high-voltage

surges.

71. What is load factor?

  Load factor is the ratio of average load to maximum load over a period of time.

72. What is a thermistor?

 A thermistor is a temperature-sensitive resistor.

73. What is a potentiometer?

 A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with an adjustable center tap to change

voltage.

74. What is line regulation?

 Line regulation is the ability of a power supply to maintain a constant output voltage
despite changes in input voltage.

75. What is load regulation?

 Load regulation refers to the ability to maintain a constant output voltage as the load
changes.

76. What is an inverter?

 An inverter converts DC to AC.

77. What is a thyristor?

 A thyristor is a semiconductor device used to control large amounts of power.

78. What is the difference between a thyristor and a transistor?

 A thyristor controls power in high-voltage applications, while a transistor controls current

in low-power circuits.

79. What is a semiconductor?

 A semiconductor is a material that has conductivity between that of a conductor and an

insulator.

80. What is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board)?

 A PCB is a board used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic

components using conductive pathways.

81. What is RMS (Root Mean Square)?

  RMS is a statistical measure of the magnitude of a varying quantity, used in AC circuits
to calculate effective voltage or current.

82. What is a synchronous generator?

 A synchronous generator produces electricity in sync with the system’s frequency.

83. What is reactive load?

 Reactive load consumes reactive power, causing a phase shift between voltage and
current.

84. What is a filter circuit?

 A filter circuit removes unwanted frequencies from a signal.

85. What is frequency?

 Frequency is the number of cycles of an alternating signal per second, measured in hertz
(Hz).

86. What is a balun?

 A balun is a device that converts between balanced and unbalanced signals.

87. What is a differential amplifier?

 A differential amplifier amplifies the difference between two input signals.

88. What is an operational amplifier (op-amp)?

 An op-amp is a high-gain voltage amplifier with differential inputs.

89. What is the skin effect?

 Skin effect is the tendency of AC current to flow near the surface of a conductor,
increasing resistance.

90. What is a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)?

 A GFCI protects against electric shock by breaking the circuit when it detects an
imbalance between live and neutral wires.

91. What is a voltage drop?

  Voltage drop is the reduction in voltage in a part of a circuit due to resistance or
impedance.

92. What is a solenoid valve?

 A solenoid valve is an electromechanical valve controlled by a solenoid for fluid flow.

93. What is a synchronous rectifier?

 A synchronous rectifier uses active components like MOSFETs to rectify current,

increasing efficiency.

94. What is a synchronous speed?

 Synchronous speed is the speed at which the magnetic field in an AC motor rotates.

95. What is a universal motor?

 A universal motor can operate on both AC and DC power sources.

96. What is stray capacitance?

 Stray capacitance is unwanted capacitance that occurs between parts of an electrical

circuit due to proximity.

97. What is a rheostat?

 A rheostat is a variable resistor used to control current.

98. What is a toggle switch?

 A toggle switch is a mechanical switch that alternates between two states, on and off.

99. What is surge impedance?

 Surge impedance is the characteristic impedance of a transmission line, important for

power transmission efficiency.

100. What is a brushless motor?

 A brushless motor is an electric motor that operates without mechanical brushes,

reducing wear and maintenance.