Electronic Current Quiz
October 1963 Popular Electronics

October 1963 Popular Electronics

October 1963 Popular Electronics Cover - RF CafeTable of Contents

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Popular Electronics, published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

This Electronics Current Quiz from the October 1963 edition of Popular Electronics is recent enough (if you consider half a century ago to be recent) that it uses both transistors as well as vacuum tubes in the example circuits. I have to admit to only scoring 60% on the quiz, which is pretty lame. You will probably do better, especially if you are my age or older. As when looking up the solution to problems in the back of the textbook and the answers seem obvious (well, not always), so too do these. 

Electronic Current Quiz

By Robert P. Balin

Electronic Current Quiz, October 1963 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe

Despite the fact that any electric current is a movement of electric charges, a variety of odd names have been devised for currents that operate specific electronic circuits or parts. See if you can match each special current name (A-J) listed below with the circuit of the component (1-10) to which it relates.

 

A)  Pull-in current ___

B)  Exciting current ___

C)  Bleeder current ___

D)  Eddy current ___

E)  Dark current ___

F)  Bias current ___

G)  Leading current ___

H)  Leakage current ___

 I)  Field current ___

 J)  Beam current ___

 

 

See answers below.


Quizzes from vintage electronics magazines such as Popular Electronics, Electronics-World, QST, and Radio News were published over the years - some really simple and others not so simple. Robert P. Balin created most of the quizzes for Popular Electronics. This is a listing of all I have posted thus far.

RF Cafe Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Quiz Answers

A - 10 The PULL-IN current for a relay is the minimum coil current that will move the armature to the closed position.

B - 6 The EXCITING current in a transformer is the primary current which flows when the secondary winding is open.

C - 3 A BLEEDER current, usually about 10% of the rated output current, flows in the bleeder resistor of a power supply, and improves the regulation of the output voltage.

D - 5 EDDY currents are induced in the work piece by transformer action in the r.f. induction heating process.

E - 4 The DARK current in a photoelectric tube is the current which flows in the absence of light.

F - 2 The d.c, BIAS current in a transistor common-emitter circuit determines the operating point for the signal current.

G - 8 A LEADING current is present in a capacitive circuit because of the current surges into the capacitor.

H - 9 The LEAKAGE current, or Iceo in a transistor, is the collector current which flows with zero base current.

I - 7 The FIELD current is the current that energizes the electromagnet of an electrodynamic loudspeaker. It is often obtained by using the field coil as the choke in the amplifier power supply.

J - 1 The BEAM current in a cathode-ray tube is the electron stream which is accelerated toward the fluorescent screen.

 

 

Posted May 8, 2019
(updated from original post on 1/31/2013)