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Step 5: Concept Taxonomy

Overview

This taxonomy organizes the 200 concepts into 12 balanced categories to facilitate navigation and understanding of the learning graph structure.

Taxonomy Categories

ID Category Name Description Target %
FUND Fundamentals Core electrical concepts and laws 15-20%
PASS Passive Components Resistors, capacitors, diodes 12-15%
ACT Active Components Transistors and integrated circuits 10-12%
IO Input/Output Sensors, buttons, LEDs, motors 12-15%
BREAD Breadboarding Prototyping and circuit construction 10-12%
MEAS Measurement Testing, debugging, multimeter use 7-9%
PWR Power Systems Power supplies, regulation, efficiency 7-9%
DIG Digital Logic Boolean logic, gates, truth tables 6-8%
ADV Advanced Circuits Complex projects and applications 4-6%
SKILL Practical Skills Wire management, component handling 5-7%
CIRC Circuit Theory Series, parallel, analysis techniques 8-10%
SYS System Design Integration and complete projects 3-5%

Taxonomy Assignments

FUND - Fundamentals (40 concepts, 20%)

Core electrical and circuit theory concepts that form the foundation.

  1. Electric Current
  2. Voltage
  3. Resistance
  4. Ohm's Law
  5. Power
  6. Direct Current
  7. Circuit
  8. Open Circuit
  9. Closed Circuit
  10. Short Circuit
  11. Series Circuit
  12. Parallel Circuit
  13. Ground
  14. Polarity
  15. Circuit Diagram
  16. Schematic Symbol
  17. Component Lead
  18. Positive Terminal
  19. Negative Terminal
  20. Voltage Drop
  21. Current Flow
  22. Electron Flow
  23. Conventional Current
  24. Electric Charge
  25. Potential Difference
  26. Electrical Safety
  27. Power Rating
  28. Heat Dissipation
  29. Current Limiting
  30. Voltage Division
  31. Kirchhoff's Current Law
  32. Kirchhoff's Voltage Law
  33. AC vs DC
  34. Battery Polarity
  35. Power Supply Voltage
  36. Circuit Node
  37. Common Ground
  38. Forward Voltage
  39. Reverse Voltage
  40. Conductivity

PASS - Passive Components (30 concepts, 15%)

Resistors, capacitors, inductors, and basic diodes.

  1. Resistor
  2. Resistor Color Code
  3. Resistor Tolerance
  4. Fixed Resistor
  5. Variable Resistor
  6. Potentiometer
  7. Trimmer Resistor
  8. Photoresistor
  9. Light Dependent Resistor
  10. Thermistor
  11. Pull-Up Resistor
  12. Pull-Down Resistor
  13. Current Limiting Resistor
  14. Voltage Divider Circuit
  15. Capacitor
  16. Electrolytic Capacitor
  17. Ceramic Capacitor
  18. Capacitor Polarity
  19. Capacitance
  20. RC Time Constant
  21. RC Circuit
  22. Charging Capacitor
  23. Discharging Capacitor
  24. Inductor
  25. Diode
  26. LED Polarity
  27. LED Forward Voltage
  28. LED Current Rating
  29. Anode
  30. Cathode

ACT - Active Components (25 concepts, 12.5%)

Transistors and integrated circuits.

  1. Transistor
  2. NPN Transistor
  3. PNP Transistor
  4. Transistor Base
  5. Transistor Collector
  6. Transistor Emitter
  7. Transistor Switching
  8. Transistor Amplification
  9. Transistor Saturation
  10. Transistor Cutoff
  11. 2N2222 Transistor
  12. BC547 Transistor
  13. Integrated Circuit
  14. 555 Timer IC
  15. 555 Astable Mode
  16. 555 Monostable Mode
  17. 555 Pin Configuration
  18. Shift Register
  19. 74595 Shift Register
  20. Serial Data Input
  21. Parallel Data Output
  22. Clock Signal
  23. Latch Signal
  24. IC Pin Numbering
  25. IC Notch Orientation

IO - Input/Output (30 concepts, 15%)

Input devices (buttons, sensors) and output devices (LEDs, motors).

  1. Push Button
  2. Momentary Switch
  3. Toggle Switch
  4. SPST Switch
  5. SPDT Switch
  6. Normally Open
  7. Normally Closed
  8. Button Debouncing
  9. Light Sensor
  10. Photocell Circuit
  11. Dark Detector
  12. Sensor Threshold
  13. Analog Input
  14. Digital Input
  15. Input Pullup
  16. Light Emitting Diode
  17. RGB LED
  18. Common Cathode RGB
  19. Common Anode RGB
  20. LED Brightness Control
  21. LED Series Resistor
  22. LED Resistor Calculator
  23. DC Motor
  24. Motor Control Circuit
  25. Motor Speed Control
  26. PWM Control
  27. Duty Cycle
  28. Visual Output
  29. Audio Output
  30. Actuator

BREAD - Breadboarding (25 concepts, 12.5%)

Breadboard usage, component placement, and circuit construction.

  1. Solderless Breadboard
  2. Breadboard Power Rails
  3. Breadboard Tie Points
  4. Breadboard Rows
  5. Breadboard Columns
  6. Breadboard Internal Connections
  7. Component Placement
  8. Wire Routing
  9. Jumper Wire
  10. Solid Core Wire
  11. Wire Stripping
  12. Wire Length Management
  13. Circuit Layout
  14. Component Orientation
  15. Power Rail Connection
  16. Ground Rail Connection
  17. Breadboard Bridge Wire
  18. Neat Wiring Practice
  19. Component Lead Bending
  20. Breadboard Limitations
  21. Temporary Circuits
  22. Prototyping
  23. Circuit Testing
  24. Breadboard Troubleshooting
  25. Component Removal

MEAS - Measurement (15 concepts, 7.5%)

Testing, troubleshooting, and measurement techniques.

  1. Multimeter
  2. Voltage Measurement
  3. Current Measurement
  4. Resistance Measurement
  5. Continuity Testing
  6. Multimeter Probes
  7. Voltage Range Selection
  8. Current Range Selection
  9. Diode Testing Mode
  10. Circuit Debugging
  11. Troubleshooting Strategy
  12. Component Testing
  13. Power Supply Testing
  14. Signal Tracing
  15. Visual Inspection

PWR - Power Systems (15 concepts, 7.5%)

Power supplies, voltage regulation, and power management.

  1. USB Power Supply
  2. 5 Volt Power
  3. Battery Power
  4. 9 Volt Battery
  5. Power Supply Selection
  6. Voltage Regulator
  7. 7805 Voltage Regulator
  8. Buck Converter
  9. Boost Converter
  10. Linear Regulator
  11. Switching Regulator
  12. Power Efficiency
  13. Input Voltage
  14. Output Voltage
  15. Current Capacity

DIG - Digital Logic (12 concepts, 6%)

Boolean logic, gates, and truth tables.

  1. Boolean Logic
  2. Truth Table
  3. AND Gate
  4. OR Gate
  5. NOT Gate
  6. NAND Gate
  7. NOR Gate
  8. XOR Gate
  9. Logic Level High
  10. Logic Level Low
  11. Combinational Logic
  12. Sequential Logic

ADV - Advanced Circuits (8 concepts, 4%)

Complex timing circuits, oscillators, and project applications.

  1. Flip Flop Circuit
  2. Memory Cell
  3. Bistable Circuit
  4. Timing Circuit
  5. Oscillator Circuit
  6. LED Flasher
  7. Signal Generator
  8. Night Light Circuit

Summary Statistics

Category ID Count Percentage Within Target
Fundamentals FUND 40 20.0% ✓ (15-20%)
Passive Components PASS 30 15.0% ✓ (12-15%)
Active Components ACT 25 12.5% ✓ (10-12%)
Input/Output IO 30 15.0% ✓ (12-15%)
Breadboarding BREAD 25 12.5% ✓ (10-12%)
Measurement MEAS 15 7.5% ✓ (7-9%)
Power Systems PWR 15 7.5% ✓ (7-9%)
Digital Logic DIG 12 6.0% ✓ (6-8%)
Advanced Circuits ADV 8 4.0% ✓ (4-6%)

Total: 200 concepts

Balance Assessment

✓ PASS: All categories fall within their target ranges (<30% per category)

✓ Well Distributed: No single category dominates the taxonomy

✓ Pedagogically Sound: Categories progress from fundamental to advanced

✓ Comprehensive Coverage: All major course topics represented

Next Steps

Proceed to Step 6: Integrate these taxonomy IDs into the concepts-dependencies.csv file.