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    The following are the basic electrical terms used to describe the action occuring
within electrical circuits:

    EMF - Electromotive Force

    EMF is the "pressure" - or difference in potential between two points in a circuit that cause
electrons to flow.  It is measured in VOLTS and the electrical symbol is [E].

    CURRENT

    CURRENT is the rate at which electrons move past any point in a circuit - or more simply,
the number of electrons that move through the circuit in a certain amount of time.  It is
measured in AMPERES and the electrical symbol is [I].

    RESISTANCE

    RESISTANCE is the amount any object will attempt to restrict electron flow.  If a
material has a HIGH RESISTANCE - very few electrons can pass through it.  It is
measured in OHMS and the symbol is [R].

    POWER

    POWER is the rate at which electrical energy is changed to some other form.  It is
measured in WATTS and the electrical symbol is [P].  Power is seldom used in working
with automotive electrical circuits.
 
 

    Ohm's Law is the most important basic law of electricity.  Ohm's Law states that "the
rate of current flow in an electrical circuit is directly proportional to the voltage in the circuit
and inversely proportional to the resistance in the circuit".  Or - more simply:

    To make it easier to work with - a circle diagram fomula is often used to determine the
unknown variable when the other two are known.  In the diagrams below, all you have to do
is to cover the unknown variable and you have the correct formula: