Resistance is opposition to the flow of current and is measured in ohms (Ω). An ohmmeter is used to measure the amount of resistance at a certain point in a circuit.

A diode allows current to pass easily in one direction and blocks current in the other direction. Diodes are commonly used for rectification which is the conversion of alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). Because a diode only allows current flow in one direction, it will pass either the upper or lower half of AC waves (half-wave rectification) creating pulsating DC. Multiple diodes can be connected together to utilize both halves of the AC signal in full-wave rectification.

Insulators have valence shells that are more than half full of electrons and, as such, are tightly bound to the nucleus and difficult to move from one atom to another.

Direct current flows in only one direction in a circuit, from the negative terminal of the voltage source to the positive. A common source of direct current (DC) is a battery.

Connecting the 4 batteries in series multiplies their voltage while keeping their current the same yielding a 60V 5A configuration. Connecting the 4 batteries in parallel multiplies their current while keeping their voltage the same yieleding a 15V 20A configuration. Using a series-parallel connection, 2 batteries can be connected in series and 2 can be connected in parallel resulting in a 30V 10A configuration.