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electrical switch

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electrical switch

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Also known as switch, electric switch

thumb|upright=1.4|Electrical switches. Top, left to right: circuit breaker, mercury switch, wafer switch, [[DIP switch, surface mount switch, reed switch. Bottom, left to right: wall switch (U.S. style), miniature toggle switch, in‑line switch, push-button switch, rocker switch, microswitch.]]

AI overview

An electrical switch is a device that controls the flow of electric current by opening or closing a circuit, and they come in many different types and sizes depending on their intended use. Switches matter because they allow us to safely turn electrical devices on and off, and to control when electricity flows through our homes, appliances, and equipment.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, electrical switch is referenced by 1,018 other articles, and connects out to electronic component, disconnector and vacuum tube.

It is catalogued under topics including Electrical components, Human–machine interaction and Switches.

Its subject is documented across 61 Wikipedia language editions.

Wikidata facts

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On-Off Switch.jpg
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Commons category
Electric switches
OpenStreetMap tag
power=switch
Commons gallery
Electrical switch
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~28 min read

Encyclopedic overview

26 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Contacts
  • Contact terminology
  • Contact bounce
  • Bounce
  • Debouncing
  • Arcs and quenching
  • Power switching
  • Inductive loads
  • Incandescent loads
  • Wetting current
  • Actuator
  • Biased switches
  • Rotary switch
  • Toggle switch
  • Special types
  • Mercury tilt switch
  • Knife switch
  • Reversing switch
  • Slide switches
  • Electronic switches
  • Other switches
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • External links

thumb|upright=1.4|Electrical switches. Top, left to right: circuit breaker, mercury switch, wafer switch, [[DIP switch, surface mount switch, reed switch. Bottom, left to right: wall switch (U.S. style), miniature toggle switch, in‑line switch, push-button switch, rocker switch, microswitch.]]

In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of switch is an electromechanical device consisting of one or more sets of movable electrical contacts connected to external circuits. When a pair of contacts is touching, current can pass between them, while the contacts are separated no current can flow.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “electrical switch” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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