Electrical Parts

The electrical system of a car is a closed circuit with an independent power source the battery. It operates on a small fraction of the power of a household circuit.

Current, Voltage and Resistance

The energy needed to push current through a resistance is transformed into heat. This can be useful, for example in the very thin filament of a light bulb, which glows white hot.

Short circuits and fuses

The current in the wire may become dangerously high and melt the wire or cause a fire. To guard against this, ancillary circuits have fuses.

Ancillary circuits

The starter motor has its own heavy cable, direct from the battery. The ignition circuit furnishes the high-tension impulses to the sparkplugs; and the charging system includes the generator, which recharges the battery.

Positive and negative polarity

Electricity flows from a battery in one direction only, and some components work only if the flow through them is in the correct direction.

Series and parallel circuits

A circuit usually includes more than one component, such as bulbs in the lighting circuits. It matters whether they are connected in series one after the other or in parallel side by side.

Wires and printed circuits

A circuit usually includes more than one component, such as bulbs in the lighting circuits. It matters whether they are connected in series one after the other or in parallel side by side.