Difference Between Active Component and Passive Component

Electric circuits consist of both Active and Passive Components but both have different behavior . Following are the difference between Active and Passive Component.

ACTIVE COMPONENT	PASSIVE COMPONENT
Active component is component which only deliver power to circuit .	Passive component is component which absorb or store the energy or loss it in form of heat.
Common example of Active Components are Voltage source , current source ,diode , dc generators etc .	Common example of Passive components are Resistor ,Capacitor, Inductor , Motors etc.
It can control the flow of current in the circuit.	It cannot control flow of current in the circuit but it can influence current flow in the circuit.
They provide Power gain in circuit.	They provide Power Loss in circuit.
They need an external source for operation.	They do not require any external source.
Active Component usually have unidirectional nature.	Passive component mostly have bidirectional nature.
They can be categorized as non-linear element.	They can be categorized as linear element.
Active component act as Generator.	Passive component act as Attenuators.
They are able to do the amplification of signal that is they increase the signal strength because they have power gain more than 1.	Passive Component can not amplify the signal because they do not provide power gain and have power gain less than 1.
For Active element Slope of voltage vs current graph is negative that is ratio of voltage to current at any point is negative .	For Passive Element slope of voltage vs current is positive , ratio of voltage to current at any point is positive.
They act as power source in circuit .	They act as Load in circuit.
Active component receive energy in the form of thermal, chemical and hydraulic energy from external source and provide the energy to circuit in form of electrical energy.	They receive the energy in form of electrical energy and store it in form of either magnetic or electric field or radiate in form of heat or light .
Voltage vs current graph of Active component lies in 2^nd and 4^th quadrant.	Voltage vs current graph of Passive component lies in 1^st and 3^rd quadrant.
Active component can deliver or absorb the power depending on the direction of current through it.	Passive component cannot deliver power they can only absorb it.
They are energy donor.	They are energy absorber.

Difference Between Active and Passive Component

In the present time, we see lots of electronic devices around us like TVs, fans, ACs, laptops, etc these electronic devices have electric circuits and integrated circuits inside them. Electric Circuit can be defined as a closed-loop or path of electrical components through which current can flow. An electric circuit consists of various electrical components. All electronic circuits are made up of resistors, capacitors, inductors, voltage sources, current sources, transistors, etc. These electrical components are the basic building blocks of any electronic device. This electrical component can be an Active Component or Passive Component the power delivering and absorbing nature.

An active Component is a component that delivers power to an electric circuit or components that provide energy to an electric circuit. Passive components are the components that are responsible for absorbing power or energy, components like capacitors and inductors store the energy for further use. Active and Passive components are responsible for the power or energy conservation in the circuit. Apart from this direction of the current decides the nature of the component, componentscurrent current flows outward from the component then it is an Active Component, and if the current flows towards or inwards from the component then it is a Passive Component. In this article, we will get to know about Active, Passive Component, Differences between Active and Passive Components.

Active and Passive component in circuit

Table of Content