Engineering4 min read
Reading a circuit diagram
Symbols, loops and the one rule that makes it click.
A circuit diagram is a map of loops, not a picture of the board. Wire length means nothing; the connections mean everything.
Current needs a complete loop from the source, through components, back to the source. If you can't trace the loop with a finger, the circuit does not work.
Series means one path (current shared, voltage split). Parallel means branches (voltage shared, current split).
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