Simple Definition Of Electronics For Beginners [2024]

The simple definition of electronics is that it is the branch of science that deals with the study and application of the flow of electrons through semiconductor devices.

In my experience it is easy to define electronics in the following way:

Electronics is the study of how to use various circuit components to make electronic circuits that perform a certain function or task. For example, we make a TV remote circuit which performs the function of changing the TV channels. Or we make a circuit for flashing LEDs which turns ON and OFF the LEDs.

Let’s get into detail.

A simple definition of electronics

You know ..

The end goal of electronics is to make electronic circuits. These circuits can be DIY circuits used for learning. They can also be used in various electronic products (for example, mobile) to solve a specific problem (for example, mobile is used in connecting people across the globe) for humans – making their lives easier.

A circuit is made of various components mostly made of semiconductor materials. Electrons can flow through these components. We call this electron flow a current.

So,

Electronics is the name of making useful circuits using various components – it is that simple

If you pay attention, you will discover that the word electronics is somewhat similar to the word electrons.

Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles that revolve around the nucleus of an atom.

The special property of electrons is upon the presence of external energy they can free themselves from the atom and can freely move and flow within the material structure.

This flow of free electrons is very important and the discovery of this led to the beginning of a new engineering field called Electronics.

Simply we can say that electronics is the study of the flow of electrons, and that is the reason we use the word electronics.

But this is not a complete definition because the question arises in which material we are guessing the flow of electrons.

Right!

So to understand the complete definition, we need to first know some basic electrical classification of materials.

Material Classifications

Just so you know up till now we have understood half of the definition, we somehow know that electronics has something to do with electrons.

Alright!

Materials can be classified electrically into three categories.

• Conductors
• Insulators
• Semiconductors

1. Conductors

When we talk about conductors, we mean the materials that can pass electricity, i.e., electrons can easily flow through them.

As you should know, whenever there are no hurdles for electricity to flow, it means there is low or no electrical resistance (shortly represented by the word R).

In other words, conductors are low or no electrical resistance materials that we see all around us, mostly in the form of electrical copper wires.

Now I want you to write it down, whenever we talk about and study the flow of electronics in conductors we are mostly doing electrical engineering, not electronics engineering.

Moving towards the insulators.

2. Insulators

These are the materials that offer very high or infinite electrical resistance (R). This means the flow of electronics or electricity is nearly impossible, and that is the reason we use insulators for protection purposes.

Insulators are used to stop the flow of electricity. You can say it is used for protection. That is why you see the plastic coating on all electrical wires.

I guess there left the last but not the least one, i.e., semiconductors.

3. Semiconductors

These materials lie somewhat in between the conductors and insulators. They partially allow the passage of electricity and partially don’t.

The property that makes semiconductors so special and valuable is we can control the flow of electrons through them. This control has made today’s modern world possible.

Electronics Definition

Now we are in the position to give a simple definition of electronics.

I could write this definition right away at the beginning, but I thought it would be great to present it in the above manner.

We can simply define electronics as, “The field of science (more specifically Physics) in which we study and analyze the flow of electrons through semiconductor devices to create electronics circuits that are solutions (perform a specific function or task) for human problems”

By now it should be clear to you that in electronics we study semiconductor devices, we study their behaviors so that we have a better understanding of their applications.

The main goal of electronics engineering is to use semiconductor devices to build systems that solve the problems we face as humans from all walks of life i.e., health care, military, communications, and much more.

Semiconductor materials: Silicon and Germanium

There are two main semiconductor elements, one is Silicon (Si) and the other is Germanium (Ge).

Both are nice and are being used in the industry. However, Si is the better one because it stays stable for a wide range of temperatures compared to that of Ge.

China has most of Si and that’s the reason they are leaders when it comes to electronics manufacturing. Even big brands like Apple use their services when it comes to electronics manufacturing.

Electronics Engineering

Electronics Engineering is the pure application of electronics. It primarily focuses on the design, development, testing, and manufacturing of electronic devices and systems.

It is a very interesting field to study.

You will be exposed to so many magical things that are happening across the globe. You will be able to design your own solution to global problems.

In electronic engineering, we use semiconductor devices to design circuits and systems that serve an issue or try to solve a problem.

Following are the basic components we work with in electronics engineering to make circuits:

• Resistor
• Capacitor
• Diode
• Transistors
• Switches
• LEDs
• Inductors

Beginners often get confused about electronics and electrical. Both fields are identical, and it’s normal at early stages to find it challenging to differentiate both.

Difference between electronics and electrical

Electrical engineering is the first and the oldest engineering discipline. In the early days, this field was mainly concerned with the generation, distribution, and transmission of high power and voltage across the world.

But with time as new research emerged and people started talking about semiconductors a new subfield of this large discipline was introduced -called electronics engineering.

Now following are a few basic differences that you should keep in mind.

• Electronics is the sub-field of Electrical Engineering.
• When we deal with the flow of electrons through semiconductors we are working with electronics i.e., diode and transistor circuits.
• But when we deal with the flow of electrons through conductors, we are working with electrical terminologies and techniques.
• Electronics are mostly low voltage while in electrical we deal with high voltages and currents.

The above are the basic differences. If we go a little advanced we can say in electronics engineering we can program and design smart circuits. While electrical circuits are mostly high voltage and very dangerous to work with.

Different fields in electronics

There are many fields of electronics and each field has its own applications. Following are some fields that I think are very exciting. I believe the demand for experts in these fields will be very high.

a. Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT stands for the Internet of Things. In this field of electronics, we try to connect every possible electronic device to the internet so that we can control and interact with it any time, and anywhere we want.

b. Intelligent robots

With artificial intelligence on the horizon, we are able to make intelligent robots that can learn all themselves and take the right actions just like humans do.

Future careers

If someone is really looking to get into learning electronics, this is the right time. The world is going for 6G and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The electronics design engineers will be in high demand. These jobs are high-paying.

People are deploying Machine Learning algorithms on embedded hardware, especially on Arduino. This means a freelance job (or corporate job) as an Arduino coder or embedded designer will always be in demand.

It is not necessary to be a freelancer but just so you know the world is going digital and that corporatize lifestyle and conventional office thing is no longer fun.

Where to begin with electronics

There are so many ways you can get started with electronics. Everything is available online these days. I believe if you are interested in this subject from the heart you will find ways, people, and everything you need to succeed.

Everyone is different, and I can’t say for sure which way would be effective for everyone to get started with electronics.

But with limited experience and knowledge. I found that if someone starts to learn the basic terms and concepts of electronics, then start learning about the various electronic components, then by using those terms and components start making basic circuits.

These basic circuits will give you the confidence to make more complex circuits in the future. And while you are making circuits you will make mistakes. Learning from these mistakes and troubleshooting the circuits you make you an expert in the long learn.

In summary, the following are my steps to start learning electronics.

• Step 1: Introduction to basic concepts and terms of electronics and circuits
• Step 2: Understanding and working with various electronic components
• Step 3: Start making basic circuits
• Step 4: Make mistakes
• Step 5: Troubleshoot those mistakes and learn from them

These steps may not be ideal. But I believe it is a very strategic and effective way to start.

Conclusion

To summarize the simple definition of electronics, electronics is nothing but the study of the flow of electrons through semiconductor devices.

Electronics is a subfield of electrical engineering in which we study how to use various components to make useful circuits.

Definition of electronics

You can think of electronics engineering as the applied version of electronics. In electronics engineering (a sub-field of electrical engineering) we apply all the concepts of electronics to make basic and complex circuits.

There are so many subfields of electronics like embedded electronics, industrial electronics, power electronics, IoT, and so many more.

The question is how to start learning electronics because it is so promising field in the future. And I believe the demand for these experts will always be increasing.

Ideally, there are many ways to start with this field: But following are some strategic steps one can follow.

• Step 1: Learning about the basic concepts and terms
• Step 2: Learning the basics of electronic components
• Step 3: Start making basic circuits
• Step 4: Make mistakes
• Step 5: Learning how to troubleshoot those mistakes

That’s set.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learned the simple and very basic definition of electronics. If not completely, please leave a comment. I will for sure answer that for you.

Next to learn:

• Difference between electrical and electronics

Other useful posts:

• Basic electronics for beginners
• Learn electronic circuits for beginners