Unlike college finals, little “unofficial” quizzes can be fun. Plus, it’s been a while since the first electronics quiz, which many of you seemed to enjoy. Enter Electronics Quiz #2.
This post is another short electronics quiz to assess your knowledge, perhaps learn something along the way, and most of all, have some fun — just as last time.
However, this electronics quiz is a bit different than the last.
Unlike the last quiz, the answers to all the questions in this quiz are hiding in the various blog posts on this site.
Once again, the questions aren’t engineering level questions and aren’t terribly difficult. For some you may know the answer right away; for others you may need to browse some of the posts to find an answer.
Hint: the search box is your helpful friend.
And, if you find yourself reading a post, be sure to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section.
Like last time, don’t worry if this particular quiz didn’t contain a question about a certain topic. There are a myriad of questions one can ask concerning electronics, programming, circuit design, and much more.
First, you’ll see the questions.
There are 12 questions. After the last one, I’ll post the answers to each question with an explanation (or I’ll work the problem out, if appropriate). I’ll also post a link to the appropriate post with each answer.
Ready to go?
No cheating!
Now let’s test your electrical knowledge again…
Electronics Quiz #2
1) You need a resistor with a tight tolerance and good temperature stability. Which type of resistor should you pick?
a) A carbon composition resistor
b) A thermistor
c) A carbon film resistor
2) How would you write 19210 in binary?
3) Which is technically the correct way current flows?
a) Current flows from positive to negative
b) Current flows from negative to positive
4) There are a few ways to make terminating nodes on a CAN bus, some of which are better than others. Out of the two below, which is best?
a) Using 2 60-Ohm resistors with a bypass capacitor
b) Invoke the KISS principle: keep it simple, stupid. Just use a 120-Ohm resistor
5) Describe the difference between power and energy.
6) You’re going to enclose your project in a plastic box you made with your 3D printer. Which ground symbol below is the correct one to use on your schematic?
7) You need a circuit that creates a periodic rectangular wave with a 60% duty cycle. You could use a microcontroller or Arduino, but there is a cheaper, much simpler method. What is it?
8) A 3-input XNOR gate has a 1 on input A and a 0 on inputs B and C. What is its output?
9) A circuit has a power factor of 0.92 and draws 5 W of real power. How much apparent power does it consume?
10) The image below depicts:
a) AC
b) DC
c) Neither
d) Both
11) True or false: it’s OK for two or more gadgets on the same network to have the same MAC address.
12) A quartz crystal oscillator can be modeled with a certain type of circuit. What type of circuit is this? What does it look like?
Congratulations!
You’ve made it to the end. To keep everyone honest, the answers are written in invisible ink. To reveal them, simply highlight the area below with your mouse. This is a little trickier on a phone or tablet, but if you hold your finger on the screen for a sec, a menu should pop up. Pick “select all” to highlight the answers.
Become the Maker you were born to be. Try Arduino Academy for FREE!
Electronics Quiz #2 Answers
1) Answer: C
Carbon film resistors generally have tighter tolerances and better temperature stability than carbon composition resistors. A thermistor is a special type of resistor which is purposefully made sensitive to temperature.
Post: Resistor Types
2) Answer: 011000000
Post: A Bit of Fun with Binary Number Basics
3) Answer: B
Electrons flow from negative to positive.
Post: Conventional Current vs. Electron Flow: Which is Correct?
4) Answer: A
Post: You CAN Do It: A CAN Networking Tutorial for Beginners
5) Power is the rate at which work is performed, energy is the total amount of work. For example, suppose 2 people, each weighing the same, circle a track. One person takes their time and walks around the track, while the other person sprints. Both people use the same amount of energy since they did same amount of work. However, the runner used his energy in a shorter amount of time while the walker spaced it out. Although both used the same amount of energy, the runner used more power since his energy was used up quicker.
Post: One Powerful Post: A Primer on Electric Power Part 1
6) Answer: C
Post: Getting Grounded: Types of Electrical Grounding and What They Mean
7) Answer: You can get a 555 timer for way under a buck the use it in an astable circuit. You can accomplish this with a 555, 2 resistors, and a capacitor.
Post: An Introduction to 555 Timers
8) Answer: Low
Post: A Tutorial On Logic Gates
9) We know that power factor = cos (ϴ) of the power triangle and that the cosine is the adjacent side of the power triangle over the hypotenuse. Using this information, we can write: (0.92 = 5 W / (some amount of VAs)) Rearranging algebraically, we can write: 0.92 x (some amount of VAs) = 5 W. Dividing both sides by 0.92, we see that the apparent power is equal to roughly 5.43 VA.
Post: Another Powerful Post: A Primer on Electric Power Part 2
10) Answer: B
This is known as pulsating DC. It’s DC because the wave form never switches polarity.
Post: AC vs DC: What’s the Difference?
11) Answer: false.
No two gadgets on the same network are supposed to have the same MAC address. If they do, neither device will be able to communicate properly.
Post: What DHCP is & How it Works
12) Answer: A series-parallel RLC circuit, like this one:
Post: Let’s Get Crystal Clear: A Primer on Crystal Oscillators
How’d You Do on Electronics Quiz #2?
If you read (or at least skimmed) the right posts, you should have scored 100%, regardless of your level of electronics experience. If you scored an A or a B without reading or skimming any of the posts, props to you!
Because all the answers are freely available on this blog, I won’t use a grading scale like I did last time. If you didn’t score 100%, go back and read the appropriate posts ?
Were the questions too easy? Too hard? Were there too many or too few questions?
Leave us a comment and tell us how you did and your thoughts!
Become the Maker you were born to be. Try Arduino Academy for FREE!
Electronics Tips & Tutorials Sent Directly to Your Inbox
Submit your email & you'll get:
- Exclusive content that I don't put on the blog
- The checklist 10 mistakes all electronics enthusiasts make (& how to avoid them)
- And more!
ANDREW eliason says
Question 3. If asked the direction of “current flow” you must answer positive to negative, opposite the direction of electron flow. I DON’T like it, but it is true. Citation:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_current
Brian says
You’re right! I should have called it electron flow. Even though the current flowing in a circuit is electrons, conventional current flow says current flows from positive to negative. I’m not a huge fan either and have always leaned towards electron flow. Looks like I’ll have to be more careful about the words I use!
Charles Riechers says
Couldn’t check the answers as the didn’t come through on the quiz. The only one that showed was the drawing for the Crystal oscillator.
Charles Riechers says
sORRY, i DIDN’T SEE THE PART ABOUT REVEALING THE ANSWERS, TILL LATER.
Brian says
No problem! Glad you were able to “decode the secret ink”