Tutorial: Electrical impedance made easy - Part 1

This is the first video of a short series in which I discuss the basics of electrical impedance from a practical standpoint.

In this video, I show how a simple LED power supply circuit can be made more efficient by replacing a resistor with a capacitor. I describe the difference between resistance, reactance, and impedance.

[AtomicElectronCo]

When teachers drop their ego and say to themselves "How could I understand this if I only had basic knowledge?" rather than "I learned it that way and so will they!" it is a fantastic gift! Thank you for helping me understand what "impedance" is!

[chrisparkhurst]

I have always had an impossible time figuring out capacitance and inductance on my own. I understand transistors and vacuum tubes so much easier than inductance and capacitance. This video is the first time I've seen anyone put it in practical terms instead of mathematical theories. I finally have some understanding to start building on. Thank you!

[vital]

"Impedance is just a resistance that depends on frequency"  - finally a clear explanation. Thank you and keep up the good work. +1 subscriber

[Mirandorl]

Your opening comments about how engineering is taught could be the topic of an entire channel. Throughout my university time I always felt this way, and so did the others in my class. The amount of times we would have lectures by professors and be confounded by derivations, only to have a tutorial class with a phd guy who would say "look, ignore all that, its just this" and explain it in physical terms. The whole class would just go "why didn't Prof. Confusing say it like that? That's simple". Then the maths would make sense and build on it. You still learn it but it takes half the time and gives a much deeper intuition.

[egertondidikallay]

Honestly you are a Masterclass. I have just realized something I never thought about my entire life as an electrical engineer. Thanks a million and God richly bless you.

[Nicedesk]

Thanks! Been working with electricity for 30 years for audio applications. Thanks to you I finally understand Z.

[lekoman]

I absolutely love that there are people on YouTube like yourself who are working to contribute to the layman's understanding of these things. I can watch videos like this for hours. Thank you so much for taking the time to record, explain, and edit all of these for us. It sounds effusive... but it's people like you who make us all smarter, and the world a better place.

[wbrue]

Great video! I learned a different analogy for the capacitor. Think of it as a tube/chamber with inlets at each end. In the middle of the chamber is a plunger that can move back and forth. When water enters one end the chamber fills with water and the plunger is pushed along until it reaches the wall at the other end and it stops, the capacitor is fully charged and no more current/water may flow (assuming a perfect seal/capacitor which we know doesn't exist). When the current changes direction the pressure (current) pushes the plunger the other direction until it hits the other wall. This is repeated as the AC current flows back and forth. The value of the capacitor can almost be thought of as the volume of the chamber but not quite. Keep the videos coming!

[QUBY-]

your a walking legend i will happily donate my money to you i wish you made more videos

[frankpitochelli]

I subscribed, I've been in electronics for 40 yrs, and your explanation of impedance actually taught me something, when I was taught impedance theory, it was always made more complicated than it had to be.
Ty for your explanation and taking time to explain it properly.!

[elsf]

What you said in the first 30 seconds is 100% accurate! It's like so much of the school curriculum is designed to destroy the joy and wonder that motivates the internal desire to keep learning. The endless hours of practice problems NEVER forced an idea into my memory longer than to take a test. But, when a physics experiment explained the concepts of an occurrence I took for granted, I would remember it forever.

[mikeschotte]

Boy, you’re taking me back to 10th Grade Electronics. Shocked at how much I actually remembered, 39 years later.

[dproduzioni]

As a teacher myself, I love how kind, efficient and poetic this guy is.
Another job well done! Keep up the good work!

[formosabrowning]

Its one of the best explanations I've witnessed in my life. So many technicians do not grasp this concept of Xc and Xl

[moussafiradil]

9years later this video is still as helpful as in J1, I can only imagine how many students/ hobbyists you've helped across the years... thank you very much in the name of all my comrades !

[circuitdesign]

Nice vid. I have an MSEE in analog design and work for one of the top semiconductor companies in the world and have 20 years industry experience. I still learned a lot from the video. Great explanation. I wish the professors in college took this approach of looking at things from a practical side first, then building the math concepts up around that. The knowledge sinks in much better.

[craigwall]

At last: a tutorial presenter that speaks well and clearly, is devoid of annoying verbal tics, hides nothing, suppresses his ego and gets straight to the point without showing off or avoiding relevant math. This is probably the best tutorial I have ever seen and ranks with only a few others for usefulness and clarity. Congratulations. I'm now a fan. I'll be searching you out and watching everything of yours I can find.

[tabliqatchi]

You are a gift to the humanity, I always read those academic definitions and scratched my head, but this video was a GEM!

[cbranalli]

as an electrical engineer who has pored over these formulae for very many hours -
i an very pleased to hear your lucid and elucidating explanations
of what's going on and why.

[grincherick]

I really respect people that take their time and invest it to help people like you do.
Thank you very much.