Scientific notation
A 12 V supply into one resistor: write currents as 1.2e-2 and 2.55e-6, multiply and divide by adding exponents, and check every answer against the resistor's own reading.
Open it in the simulatorAll paths
Math for electronics
Metric prefixes, scientific notation, Ohm's law rearranged, ratios and tolerance, watts and squares, RMS and decibels: every answer set on a real part and proved on a meter, ending in a component calculator.
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What you will build
3 projects, built step by step
8 lessons in 5 chapters, about 6 hours on a simulated breadboard. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator.
Ratios, percent and tolerance
A divider is a ratio machine: make a tap at half, at 20 percent, then knock two resistors 5 percent high and work out how far the output moves.
Open it in the simulatorSquare roots and RMS
A function generator into a load, a scope for the peak and a meter for the RMS: why 1.414 shows up everywhere in AC, and why a square wave and a triangle break the rule.
Open it in the simulatorThe map
Chapter by chapter
Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project.
Chapter 1
Big and small numbers
Kilo, milli and micro, and numbers with an exponent.
- Open175 XP
Kilo, milli, micro and mega
Three resistors from 5 V to ground and a meter on the bottom one: read kilohms, milliamps and microamps off real parts, and move between prefixes without a calculator.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked350 XP
Scientific notation
A 12 V supply into one resistor: write currents as 1.2e-2 and 2.55e-6, multiply and divide by adding exponents, and check every answer against the resistor's own reading.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 2
Ohm's law and ratios
Solve for any letter, and make a divider hit a percent.
- Locked175 XP
Ohm's law, three ways round
Solve V = I x R for whichever letter is missing: find a current, pick a resistor for a current you want, pick a voltage, and read a current limit as Ohm's law in disguise.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked350 XP
Ratios, percent and tolerance
A divider is a ratio machine: make a tap at half, at 20 percent, then knock two resistors 5 percent high and work out how far the output moves.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 3
Powers and roots
Watts and squares, and the square roots inside AC.
- Locked175 XP
Watts, squares and power ratings
P = V x I, then P = I squared x R and V squared over R: why half the volts is a quarter of the heat, and how to pick a resistor that will not cook.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked350 XP
Square roots and RMS
A function generator into a load, a scope for the peak and a meter for the RMS: why 1.414 shows up everywhere in AC, and why a square wave and a triangle break the rule.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 4
Decibels
Logs that turn ratios into numbers you can add.
- Locked175 XP
Decibels and logs
An RC low pass on a function generator: find the -3 dB point, see -20 dB a decade above it, and turn voltage ratios into decibels and back with a log.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 5
Boss project
A component calculator that you redo for a new supply.
- Locked200 XP
Boss: the component calculator
One bench supply, three jobs: pick an LED resistor for 20 mA, a divider for 3.3 V and a load resistor's power rating, then swap the supply to 12 V and do it all again.
0 of 7 steps
Syllabus
Every lesson in the course
All 8 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away.
Big and small numbers
- Kilo, milli, micro and megaThree resistors from 5 V to ground and a meter on the bottom one: read kilohms, milliamps and microamps off real parts, and move between prefixes without a calculator.
- Scientific notationA 12 V supply into one resistor: write currents as 1.2e-2 and 2.55e-6, multiply and divide by adding exponents, and check every answer against the resistor's own reading.
Ohm's law and ratios
- Ohm's law, three ways roundSolve V = I x R for whichever letter is missing: find a current, pick a resistor for a current you want, pick a voltage, and read a current limit as Ohm's law in disguise.
- Ratios, percent and toleranceA divider is a ratio machine: make a tap at half, at 20 percent, then knock two resistors 5 percent high and work out how far the output moves.
Powers and roots
- Watts, squares and power ratingsP = V x I, then P = I squared x R and V squared over R: why half the volts is a quarter of the heat, and how to pick a resistor that will not cook.
- Square roots and RMSA function generator into a load, a scope for the peak and a meter for the RMS: why 1.414 shows up everywhere in AC, and why a square wave and a triangle break the rule.
Decibels
- Decibels and logsAn RC low pass on a function generator: find the -3 dB point, see -20 dB a decade above it, and turn voltage ratios into decibels and back with a log.
Boss project
- Boss: the component calculatorOne bench supply, three jobs: pick an LED resistor for 20 mA, a divider for 3.3 V and a load resistor's power rating, then swap the supply to 12 V and do it all again.
Kits
Build it on your bench too
Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts.
Find your kit
Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins.
See every kitQuestions
About Math for electronics
Is Math for electronics free?
Yes. All 8 lessons of Math for electronics are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start.
Do I need any parts?
No. Every circuit is built on a simulated breadboard, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same parts and wiring work on a real bench.
How long does Math for electronics take?
About 6 hours: 8 lessons in 5 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off.
What will I build?
Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Scientific notation, Ratios, percent and tolerance and Square roots and RMS.
Where do I start?
With "Kilo, milli, micro and mega", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.