Unit 2 · Computer Electronics · Chapter 5
Basic Electronic Components
Week 5 · Day 1 · Benchmark 11.5.1.2 Identify and describe basic electronic components used in computers
Essential question
What are the tiny parts inside every computer, and what do they do?
Learning objectives
- Identify resistor, capacitor, diode, transistor and integrated circuit (IC)
- State the function of each component
- Match a symbol to a physical component
Overview
Every motherboard is covered in tiny black, silver and coloured parts. Five of them — resistor, capacitor, diode, transistor, IC — do most of the work. Learn to recognise them and you can start reading a circuit like a map.
Through-hole resistors. The coloured bands encode the resistance value — one of the first component-reading skills.
Nunikasi / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
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Transistors in different packages. All do the same core job — switch or amplify a signal — and billions of them sit inside every CPU.
Ulfbastel / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The five components
Each has a distinct symbol on schematics and a distinct look on a board.
Five must-know components:
- Resistor: Limits current. Coloured stripes tell you the resistance in ohms (Ω).
- Capacitor: Stores small amounts of electrical energy; smooths voltage.
- Diode: Lets current flow only one way — like a one-way valve.
- Transistor: A tiny electronic switch/amplifier — the building block of all digital logic.
- Integrated Circuit (IC): Thousands to billions of transistors packed into one chip (e.g. CPU, RAM).
Symbols vs real parts
On a schematic, a resistor is a zig-zag line; on a board, it is a small cylinder with coloured bands. Practise matching the two — sysadmins read both.
Activity
Motherboard component hunt
- In pairs, use a magnifier on a discarded motherboard.
- Find one of each: resistor, capacitor, diode, transistor, IC.
- Draw a labelled sketch of any 4 components you found.
Review questions
- Which component limits current?
Reveal answer
The resistor.
- Which component only lets current flow one way?
Reveal answer
The diode.
- What is inside an IC?
Reveal answer
Thousands to billions of transistors and other components on one chip.
Take it home
Look at any electronic device at home (radio, remote). Guess which of the five components it contains and why.
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