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Subject area A of 12

Fundamentals of Electricity and Electronics

5-15% of the A&P General test, about 3 to 9 of the 60 questions. The FAA's test standard lists 38 knowledge elements and 4 risk management elements for this area. Here is every one, plus sample questions to try.

What the FAA tests

From the aviation mechanic test standard, FAA-S-ACS-1.

Knowledge: what you must know

  • AM.I.A.K1Electron theory (conventional flow vs. electron flow).
  • AM.I.A.K2Magnetism.
  • AM.I.A.K3Capacitance in a circuit.
  • AM.I.A.K4Inductance in a circuit.
  • AM.I.A.K5Alternating current (AC) electrical circuits.
  • AM.I.A.K6Direct current (DC) electrical circuits.
  • AM.I.A.K7Electrical laws and theory.
  • AM.I.A.K7aOhm's Law
  • AM.I.A.K7bKirchhoff's Laws
  • AM.I.A.K7cWatt's Law
  • AM.I.A.K7dFaraday's Law
  • AM.I.A.K7eLenz's Law
  • AM.I.A.K7fRight-hand motor rule
  • AM.I.A.K8Electrical measurement tools, principles, and procedures.
  • AM.I.A.K9Voltage.
  • AM.I.A.K9aRegulation
  • AM.I.A.K10Current.
  • AM.I.A.K11Resistance.
  • AM.I.A.K11aImpedance
  • AM.I.A.K11bResistance in series
  • AM.I.A.K11cResistance in parallel
  • AM.I.A.K11dTotal resistance
  • AM.I.A.K12Power.
  • AM.I.A.K13Series circuits.
  • AM.I.A.K14Parallel circuits.
  • AM.I.A.K15Aircraft batteries.
  • AM.I.A.K16Transformers.
  • AM.I.A.K17Circuit continuity.
  • AM.I.A.K18Controlling devices, including switches and relays.
  • AM.I.A.K19Protective devices, including fuses, circuit breakers, and current limiters.
  • AM.I.A.K20Resistor types and color coding.
  • AM.I.A.K21Semiconductors, including diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits.
  • AM.I.A.K22Digital logic, including RAM, ROM, NVRAM, logic gates, inverter, rectifier, and flip flop.
  • AM.I.A.K23Binary numbers.
  • AM.I.A.K24Electrostatic discharge.
  • AM.I.A.K25Electrical circuit drawings.
  • AM.I.A.K26Complex/combined circuits.
  • AM.I.A.K27AC and DC motors.

Risk management: hazards you must be able to spot and manage

  • AM.I.A.R1Taking voltage, current, resistance, and capacitance measurements.
  • AM.I.A.R2Handling, storage, and inspection of different types of batteries (i.e., lead acid, NiCad, lithium ion, gel cell).
  • AM.I.A.R3High-voltage circuits (e.g., strobe lighting).
  • AM.I.A.R4Working around batteries.

Try a sample question

Fundamentals of Electricity and Electronics ยท AM.I.A.K26

Refer to the figure. Chafed wiring has shorted out R1, so R1 now has zero resistance. What total current flows?

FAA-CT-8080-4G, Appendix 1, Figure 14

Practice all of fundamentals of electricity and electronics

The full course has questions on every element listed here, with an explanation and FAA source for each.

See the courseFree mock test