FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTRONICS

1.0 Fundamentals of Electronics

Atomic Structure

Democritus - Was the first person to come up with the idea of atom

Believed that all matter was composed of indivisible particles he called “ATOMS”

Which is derived from the Greek word “Atoms” – meaning indivisible

He also believed that different atoms:

Are different sizes

Have different properties

Dalton is the “Father of Atomic Theory”

JJ Thomson - is credited with discovering electrons

Used cathode rays to prove that Dalton’s Solid-ball model could be broken into smaller particles

•          Overall, the atom is neutral atom because the atom had the same number of positive and negative charges.

 

Rutherford used the “Gold Foil Experiment” to discover the existence of:

An atomic Nucleus

Protons (in later experiments)

 

The electrons orbit the nucleus like the planets revolve around the sun

Bohr

Energy Level Model:  Electrons are arranged in circles around the nucleus.  Each circle has a different energy.

Electrons are in constant motion, traveling around the circle at the speed of light.

Electrons can “jump” from one circle to the next

But they can’t go to the nucleus they traveling too fast to be fully attracted

He proposed the following:

1. Protons and neutrons are in the nucleus

2. Electrons can only be certain distances from the nucleus.

3. The electrons orbit the nucleus at fixed energy levels.

4. The electrons must absorb or emit a fixed amount of energy to travel between these energy levels

Electronics

Electronics is the branch of science that deals with the study of flow and control of electrons (electricity) and the study of their behavior and effects in vacuums, gases, and semiconductors, and with devices using such electrons. This control of electrons is accomplished by devices that resist, carry, select, steer, switch, store, manipulate, and exploit the electron.