An electrical circuit is a set of electrical components connected in such a way that current flows in a loop from a voltage source, through the circuit elements and back to the voltage source.
Below is a basic circuit representing a 9-volt [battery](/Electronics_and_Hardware/Analogue_circuits/Cells_and_batteries.md#cells-and-batteries) with a 10,000$\Omega$ [resistor](/Electronics_and_Hardware/Analogue_circuits/Resistance.md) attached accross its terminals. Through the application of [Ohm's Law](/Electronics_and_Hardware/Physics_of_electricity/Ohms_Law.md) we can determine that the maximum current will be 0.9 miliamps.
A circuit with a break in its loop is called an **open circuit**. When a circuit is open, no current flows. We can induce an open circuit through the use of a switch component that closes and breaks the circuit when invoked.
A **short circuit** is a path in a circuit that allows current to flow with little or no resistance. This is usually unintentional and results in excessive current flowing through the circuit. A short circuit is the opposite to an open circuit. With an open circuit there is an infinite resistance between the two terminals.
Sometimes circuits can be represented in a vertical manner rather than in an actual circuit. This is done to simplify the representation. In this approach current is represented as flowing in a straight line from the voltage source (represented with a circle) to ground.
