The spelling of "tank circuit" is influenced by the sounds of the English alphabet, as well as the conventions of spelling in technical vocabulary. In IPA phonetic transcription, the word is spelled /tæŋk sɜːrkɪt/, indicating the "t" sound at the beginning, the "a" sound in "tank," followed by the "ng" sound, and the stressed "e" sound in "circuit." The "c" is followed by two unstressed vowel sounds, the "ɜ" and the "ɪ", which indicate the secondary stress and the final syllable, respectively.
A tank circuit refers to an electrical circuit in which an inductor (coil) and a capacitor are connected in parallel. It is named so because the inductor stores energy during one half of the cycle, while the capacitor stores energy during the other half, similar to a tank at alternating times being filled and emptied.
The tank circuit is essentially a resonant circuit that has the ability to store and release energy oscillating at a specific frequency. When a sinusoidal voltage is applied to the circuit, the alternating current flowing through the inductor and capacitor causes them to exchange energy continuously. At the resonant frequency, the energy transfer between the inductor and capacitor is maximum, leading to an amplified output voltage.
The resonant frequency of a tank circuit can be calculated using the formula 1/(2π√LC), where L is the inductance of the coil and C is the capacitance of the capacitor. By manipulating either the inductance or the capacitance, the resonant frequency can be adjusted to achieve desired results, such as frequency selection or signal amplification.
Tank circuits find applications in various electronic devices, particularly in radio frequency (RF) circuits, where they are used to select a specific frequency or tune into different channels. They are also employed in oscillators, filters, and impedance matching circuits due to their ability to resonate strongly at a specific frequency.
The word "tank circuit" is derived from the military term "tank", which refers to an armored combat vehicle. This term was adopted for the electrical circuit due to its similarity in function and appearance. In electronic circuits, a tank circuit typically consists of inductors (coils) and capacitors, which work together to store and exchange energy at a specific frequency or in a resonating manner. The term "tank circuit" was likely coined to describe the robust and powerful behavior of this circuit, similar to the strength and resilience exhibited by a military tank.