The Shocking Truth about Volts, Amps, and Watts
Electricity can seem mysterious. And to be fair, there is a lot of complicated stuff to learn in the modern world of electronics. Those who study electrical engineering will tell you how challenging it is. To become an expert in this area requires years of study, mathematical rigor, mastery of component behavior, problem-solving, and learning to read schematics.
Professional electricians spend years learning how to apply electricity safely in homes and businesses, satisfying complex safety codes and following over a century of accumulated wisdom.
It’s also important in both disciplines to avoid dripping molten solder on your pants, but that’s another story.
In spite of the time and hard work required to become an expert, electricity does not need to be a scary topic for the layman. There are some important and helpful concepts anyone can understand about electricity. You can learn to calculate how much it will cost to run a device, how many devices you can plug into an outlet before the circuit breaker trips, and other real-world, practical concerns.
This subject is also gratifying to understand for its own sake, as formerly mysterious things start to make sense. The right mental imagery will…
