We began class by discussing how our lack of knowledge in engineering or physics does not withhold us from understanding the concepts presented. Our professor told us to be confident in what we should know about power, voltage, and current based on previous lessons. We learned that in engineering there are abstractions. An abstraction in engineering is the concept of hiding major details so that you can focus on a few regions. In other words you do not need to know the make up or every detail about the object such as a software program, as long as you know what it is or does. An example is not knowing the complicated coding behind excel; all you need to know is that it is a spreadsheet where you to make calculations and graphs.
We learned that there is a distinction between math and reality. In the real world, a complete circuit without a resistor shortens the power source. However, in mathematical terms this circuit is incorrect since there is no voltage difference (a resistor divides a voltage). The role of a resistor is to limit the amount of current running through the circuit. It allows us to measure current.
After reviewing and going over resistors, we got down to business. We set up a circuit on a breadboard with potentiometers (blue knobs below).
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| circuit set up |
We were able to see how the voltage jumped from +12V to -12V as the input voltage (V+) switched from greater than the output voltage (V-) to less than V-. This "motion" is known as hysteresis.
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| Hysteresis credited to DC/ AC Circuit Reference |
Here is my attempt to explain this concept. Once the line crosses its limit at either 12 volt or -12 volts, the output voltage will jump in the opposite direction.
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