Have you ever felt lost when choosing a home entertainment system, wondered how to test an electrical outlet to see if it’s grounded, or puzzled over how to make the Wi-Fi in the front room reach the back? If so, read on!
Here’s a question that people occasionally ask me, and that baffles me as much as it does them: “What is electricity, really?” I’ll never forget the day my eighth-grade science teacher showed the class a celluloid “movie” of a lecture where a professor concluded by saying, “We learn about electricity not by knowing what it is, but by codifying what it does.” I adopted that attitude as I set out to write this book as a how-to guide for nontechnical people who want to learn more about home and automotive electrical and electronic systems, and in particular, what “makes them tick” (or not).
You’ll find out why things sometimes fail, and I’ll offer you some solutions to common problems (and tips on how to avoid them). You’ll find sidebars to clear up points of confusion and offer targeted bits of advice. In the last chapter, I’ll suggest some projects for those of you who might like to try out some “off-the-wall” projects and experiments. In the back of the book, you’ll find a glossary that defines common terms in easy-to-understand language.
I welcome your suggestions for future editions. Please visit me on the Web at www.sciencewriter.net.