Glossary

binder clip: Common clip that is useful as a battery holder for temporarily holding the Launchpad Battery in place in the circuit. Use one binder clip per Launchpad Battery tab. 

blinking slide switch: A type of switch with one switch gap and many switch contacts so that when you slide your finger across the switch,  it opens and closes the switch multiple times and makes your LED blink. 

bug: In circuits, this means a problem or mistake that causes your project (such as your circuit) to  not work the way you want it to.

closed: In a switch this means when the switch gap is connected, turning the circuit on. (p. 45) 

complete circuit: When the components of a circuit are connected in a closed loop so that electricity can flow and turn on the components.  

conductive: Able to allow electricity to flow through it.

conductive fabric tape (or fabric tape): A type of conductive tape made from fabric embedded   with metal particles. This tape is soft and sturdy, can be folded repeatedly without breaking, and   requires scissors to cut. The adhesive on conductive fabric tape is conductive enough to   create electrical connections simply by taping two pieces together. 

conductive pressure sensor sheet: This black conductive plastic material has a conductivity   that changes when pressed and is useful for making paper pressure sensors. 

conductive tape: Any tape that is made out of a conductive material so that electricity can flow  through it.

copper foil tape (or copper tape): A type of conductive tape made from thin copper metal  foil and soft enough to tear by hand. The adhesive on copper foil tape is not as conductive as the adhesive on conductive fabric tapes. You can solder to copper foil tape. 

current: The flow of electrons. 

debugging: Process of looking closely at a project (for example your circuit) when it isn’t working as you expect, figuring out what the issue is, and fixing it so that the project works the way you would like it to. 

electricity: The type of energy that powers circuits. 

electron: A tiny particle, too small to see, in circuits that can flow through components and conductive materials carrying energy. The energy of this flow makes up electricity.

fabric tape patches (or fabric patches): A form of conductive fabric tape that comes in small pieces on a sticker sheet. These patches are handy for fixing weak electrical connections or bridging gaps in circuits. They are also useful for connecting multiple pieces of conductive copper tape together or making hinges that need to fold repeatedly in copper tape circuits. 

fabric tape strips: A form of conductive fabric tape that comes as pre-cut sticker strips in a sheet.  These strips are handy for making smaller circuits and easier to peel from the paper backing than traditional conductive fabric tape in roll form. 

in parallel: When circuit components are connected side by side like rungs on a ladder. For   example with LEDs, it means that all the + sides are connected and all the – sides are all   connected. For switches, it means that all the left sides of the switch gaps are connected and all   the right sides of the switch gaps are connected. 

in series: When circuit components are connected one after the other in a single loop, like beads on a string. For example with LEDs, this means connecting the + of one LED to the – of the next   LED. For switches, this means connecting the right side of one switch gap to the left side of the   next switch gap.

Launchpad Battery: A special type of battery made by Chibitronics that has large positive and negative pads for easily taping with conductive tape. The body of Launchpad Batteries are completely wrapped to protect from short circuits, making them safer than standard coin batteries. 

Launchpad LED: A special type of LED made by Chibitronics that is reusable and has large positive and negative pads for easily taping with conductive tape. Launchpad LEDs are made up of a rigid circuit board base, an LED, and a resistor. 

LED (or light emitting diode): An electronic component that lights up when powered by electricity.

LED sticker: A special type of LED made by Chibitronics that comes in the form of a sticker, so you can connect it to your circuit by sticking it down. LED stickers are made up of an LED and resistor, a flexible circuit board base, and conductive adhesive. 

milliampere hour (mAh): Unit used for measuring how much energy a battery can store and supply and for how long it can keep powering the circuit. 

negative (marked with “-”): In batteries it is the side that electricity flows into and in LEDs it is the   side that electricity flows out of.

open: In a switch this means when the switch gap is disconnected, turning the circuit off. 

OR (switch): A type of logic switch design where multiple switches are connected in parallel   branches, so you can press any of the switches  (for example Switch A or Switch B) to turn on   the circuit.

parallel circuit: Type of circuit where multiple LEDs are connected to one battery with all the + sides   connected and all the – sides connected. There are other ways to create parallel circuits, but this   is what we mean in paper circuits.

polarity: Tells the direction that electricity must flow through electrical components. Batteries and LEDs have polarity. 

positive (marked with “+”): In batteries it is the side that electricity flows out of and in LEDs it is the side the electricity flows into. 

pressure sensor: A circuit component that can control the brightness of LED lights depending on how hard you press on the sensor. It does this by changing the amount of voltage (or energy) that is going into the lights. 

resistance: The property of a conductive material that describes how much it slows down (or   resists) the flow of electricity. If resistance is low, electricity can flow well. If resistance is high, electricity cannot flow as well.

short circuit: When electricity flows directly from the positive to the negative sides of a battery,   skipping the LED or other component that it is supposed to power. This quickly drains the battery of power and happens when the positive and negative sides of the battery are   accidentally connected directly.

simple circuit: A circuit with one battery and one LED. There are other types of simple circuits, but this is what we mean in paper circuits.

switch: A circuit component that controls when a circuit is on or off by opening and closing a   connection circuit loop. When the switch is closed, the loop is complete and electricity can flow, turning the circuit on. When the switch is  open, the loop is incomplete and electricity cannot flow, turning the circuit off. 

switch contact: A conductive material that can move to either connect or disconnect the switch   gap. 

switch gap: An opening in the circuit that can be left open or connected with a conductive   material. 

through-hole LED: A common type of LED light that has a round dome lens and two metal legs.  Unlike LED stickers and Launchpad LEDs, through-hole LEDs do not have a resistor   included in the component.

Volt (or V): Unit used for measuring voltage. 

voltage: The amount of energy that a battery has for powering the flow of electricity. It is the   amount of “push” that the battery can give to move electrons through the circuit. The higher the   voltage, the more power a battery has.