What is a Passive Component

Passive components are electronic component that absorb or store the energy in circuit . These components do not depend on external power source for their operation . They are not able to control the flow of current rather it influence the current in circuit . As the name suggest “Passive” they perform operation like storing , releasing energy . They can only receive energy and can either store , absorb or release it in one or other form of energy . They can not provide gain or amplification to signal rather they decrease the energy or strength of signal without distorting it .

Following are some example of Passive Component

Resistor

Resistor is two terminal passive device that can not deliver energy but when current flows across it voltage drop takes place and energy is lost in the form of heat . It influence or regulate the current flow in circuit . If resistor is large than current flows in circuit is small and vice versa . It is linear element that follows ohm’s law V= I/R . Unit of resistor is ohm (Ω) .

Capacitor

Capacitor is two terminal device that store energy in form of electric field between its two plates for future use. When DC source is applied than it get fully charge and after fully charging it does not allow flow of current through it or we can say that in steady state it becomes open circuit . When AC source is applied it continuously charges and discharges as the direction of current changes. It is also linear element and it is given as C= Q / V . Its unit is Farads (F)

Inductor

Inductor is two terminal Passive component that store electrical energy in form of magnetic field between its coil . It allows DC source to pass through it and in steady state it become short circuit . It does not allow AC and at frequency it does not support flow of current through it . DC passes through it as like it passes in conductor but large magnetic filed is generated in AC . It is also linear element and its unit is Henry (H).

Transformer

Transformer is passive component used to transform power from one circuit to other in form of magnetic field through coils. It has two coil Primary core and Secondary coil . In Primary coil input power is supplied and in Secondary coil load is connected to which power is delivered . It work in principle of Electromagnetic Induction. It is used to step up and step down the voltage but energy and power remain constant .

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.