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Circuit Theory: For The Theory of Monetary Economics, See
Circuit Theory: For The Theory of Monetary Economics, See
Circuit theory is the theory of accomplishing work by means of routing matter through a loop.
The types of matter used are:
In electronic or electrical circuits: electrons (and charged ions, both positive and
negative)
In pneumatic circuits: compressed gas (normally ordinary air)
In hydraulic circuits: pressurized, relatively incompressible fluid
Contents
[hide]
1 Parts of a circuit
2 Circuit vs. network
3 Open circuit vs. closed circuit
4 Short circuit
5 Loops
6 Types
o 6.1 Electronic circuit
o 6.2 Pneumatic circuit
o 6.3 Hydraulic circuit
7 See also
8 References
A gun, a rocket and an internal combustion engine all use compressed gas to do work, but the
spent gas is vented to the atmosphere and is not reused in the system, so these are not examples
of pneumatic circuits. Refrigeration systems do, however, recycle the compressed gases they use,
but are not typically thought of as circuits.
Gears, levers, linkages, pulleys/ropes and sprockets/chains transmit work energy from one
location to another, but there is no loop, so these are not examples of circuits.
In electrical circuits, closing a switch creates a closed loop for the electrons to flow through. This
is sometimes referred to as "completing the circuit." Other synonyms are also used.
[edit] Loops
In Graph theory, an edge whose two ends meet is called a loop, which is an entirely different
usage of the word. In any kind of circuit, such a loop has no distinct function. An argument can
be made that redundant lines for transmission of power do have a function, even if it is only a
backup function.
[edit] Types
There are three basic types of circuit currently used in industry:
Electronic or electrical
Pneumatic
Hydraulic
The following is a rough list of the types of components which make up each type of circuit.
Sources of energy
o Batteries
o Generators
o Solar cells
Transmission lines
o Wires
o Switches
Passive components
o Transducers
Sources of energy
o Compressor
Transmission lines
o Air tank
o Pneumatic hoses
o Open atmosphere (for returning the spent gas to the compressor)
o Valves
Passive components
o Pneumatic cylinders
Sources of energy
o Power pack
Transmission lines
o Hydraulic hoses
Passive components
o Hydraulic cylinders