Every circuit is comprised of three major components:

• a conductive “path,” such as wire, or printed etches on a circuit board;
• a “source” of electrical power, such as a battery or household wall outlet, and,
• a “load” that needs electrical power to operate, such as a lamp.

An electronic circuit is composed of individual electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, connected by conductive wires or traces through which electric current can flow.

There are three basic types of circuits: series, parallel, and series-parallel. The type of circuit is determined by how the power source, conductors, loads, and control or protective devices are connected.

Every electric circuit, regardless of where it is or how large or small it is, has four basic parts: an energy source (AC or DC), a conductor (wire), an electrical load (device), and at least one controller (switch).

There are actually 5 main types of electrical circuits: Close circuit, open circuit, short circuit, series circuit, and parallel circuit. Each type of circuit is designed to create a conductive path of current or electricity.

A circuit diagram (also known as an electrical diagram, elementary diagram, or electronic schematic) is a simplified conventional graphical representation of an electrical circuit. Arrangement of the components interconnections on the diagram does not correspond to their physical locations in the finished device.

Electric circuit, path for transmitting electric current. An electric circuit includes a device that gives energy to the charged particles constituting the current, such as a battery or a generator; devices that use current, such as lamps, electric motors, or computers; and the connecting wires or transmission lines.

Every circuit is designed to deliver power to one or more loads. For example, in a boombox the power goes to the speakers. Similarly, the power in a lamp goes to the light bulb. The circuit allows the charge to leave from one side of the power supply and come back on the other side of the power supply.

Types of Electric Circuits There are two types of circuits found in homes and other common devices; namely series circuits and parallel circuits.

As a result energy is convert into heat, light or mechanical energy. The switch is an electric circuit is used to prevent the flow of electrons. This is called an open circuit. There are two types of electric circuits, the series and parallel circuit.

There are two kinds of current electricity: direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). With direct current, electrons move in one direction.

Common circuits are simple circuits that are easy to design, work with, and test. The circuits listed here are common circuits frequently used in electronics.

Thermal-Magnetic Circuit Breakers This circuit breaker is the most common type found in distribution boards, which are the panels of breakers controlling different circuits within a house or building.

White

The faceplate of a single, one-way switch has two terminals: “L1” is the terminal to which the neutral core wire is attached – the blue wire (traditionally black, before the change). “COM” or “Common” is the terminal to which the live core wire is attached – this is the brown wire (formerly red).

Brown

Black wire

Blue wire generally refers to a type of wire or cable that is added to a hardware product at a factory in order to resolve design problems. Blue wires are also known as bodge wires in British English.

Blue is Negative, and White is Positive. There is nothing like positive or negative in a wire unless and untill it is connected to a power source. A blue wire may be connected to negative terminal of a power source and black may be connected to positive.

In 220-volt circuits, red wires are the secondary live wires. Like black wires, they can also be used in some types of switch legs. In addition, red wires are used to connect hardwired smoke detectors to the home’s power system. It’s possible to link two red wires together or a red wire to a black wire.

Whenever two wires are at different voltages, current will pass between them if they are connected. Your body can connect the wires if you touch both of them at the same time. Current will pass through your body. In most household wiring, the black wires and the red wires are at 120 volts.

If it is in a circuit that is wired as 240 volt in the panel it can be capped and taped as said (and labeled) then the circuit could be used as a 110V however that leg (red hot wire) should be removed from the breaker in the panel, labeled and left there in case the 240V is needed again.

Black, red, white with black or red tape will always indicate a hot wire. The term “hot” means these wires carry a live current from your electric panel to the destination. Black or red wires always carry power from the service panel (breaker box) to your home’s devices.

The black wire is the “hot” (or power-source) wire. It would be connected to the power-source wire coming into the junction box, and if there was any pass-thru (to other switches & outlets), it’d be connected to those. The red wire would the “load” wire (controlled by the switch.)

The white wire is the neutral, and all other colors are hot. Electricians often use black, red or blue wires to deliver electricity to a circuit from the main panel. They may use other colors for switch wiring, such as yellow or tan. Orange wires frequently are used to interlink smoke detectors.

Normally you’ll see a red wire in places you would expect a ceiling fan. But in places like a bathroom or a wall light, if you see a red wire, it’s a good bet that the red wire is the wire that’s connected to the light switch.

hot

The black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw or into the hole in the back of the device on the same side as the brass screw. This wire is sometimes red. The green or bare copper (ground) wire, if the device has one, attaches to the green screw terminal on the switch or to the electrical box.