Understanding Electricity
Electricity is what makes speakers function. Without electrical current moving through the voice coil of a speaker it is completely lifeless. By the end of this short article you should be able to understand the basics of electricity and how it relates to the audio world.
Electricity flows much like water does. Let’s start by building a model of our comparison between the two. On top, we have our model of water flowing through pipes, and on bottom we have an electrical circuit chain. Each of the systems must start with a pump of some kind to set the system in motion. For water it’s a water pump and for electricity it’s a generator. In the water example we can use a bucket to store excess water. In the case of electricity we use a battery for storage. In both instances we can use the storage as a means to run the system but only for a short time until its reserves are depleted. The system continues and has the potential to do work when we add resistance. Water held up by a damn can spin turbines to make power to run homes. Electricity, when run through our speaker, can produce music.
Electrical “flow” is referred to as amperes or amps for short. This is the measure of the number of electrons in motion through the circuit. Ohms are what we use to measure the electrical resistance of a circuit. Voltage is the measure of work potential for electricity. If we take volts and multiply them by amps we get watts.
Let’s apply the above terms to the water analogy. Think about water freely running through a very large diameter pipe. Since the pipe is large, the resistance acting on the water is minimal. As the water leaves the faucet we notice three different things. How much water is coming out (amps), the speed of the water (volts), and the water stream’s inertia (watts). All other things equal, if we cut the resistance in half, the current will double which will cause the power, watts, to double as well. We can apply this information in the next section explaining amplifiers.
Content Written By Steven Solazzo
