Best Layman's Book on Electricity

Decades ago, like in the 1950's perhaps, the US Navy created a training manual about electricity and electronics for its personnel (a reasonable facsimile of laymen). This was used as the basis for a book called Basic Electricity.

1970:

https://www.amazon.ca/Basic-Electricity-Bureau-Naval-Personn...

2002:

https://www.amazon.ca/Handbook-Basic-Electricity-Naval-Perso...

2020:

https://www.amazon.ca/Basic-Electricity-Bureau-Naval-Personn...

For small scale circuits, I like Scherz's "Practical Electronics for Inventors". For a good high level overview of the grid, along with other civil engineering topics, Grady Hillhouse's "Engineering in Plain Sight" is good. Hillhouse's videos pop up on HN occasionally (e.g., https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34472122)

If you're interested in digital electronics (e.g. computers), I strongly recommend "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software"[0].

It's a bit of a history book on the invention of computers, starting from the telegram. By the end of the book, you should know enough to create a computer from wires and a power source alone. The section on the physics of electricity is only a few pages though.

Personally, for a more high level and intuitive understanding of electrical concepts, I generally find educational YouTube videos more effective than books. I strongly recommend "The Engineering Mindset" channel on YouTube[1] but there are many others.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code:_The_Hidden_Language_of_C...

[1] https://www.youtube.com/@EngineeringMindset

I like All About Circuits: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/

"Practical Electronics for Inventors" by Paul Scherz [0]. Not only does it have practical circuits it also has chapters on theory presented in such a way as to have me understand it.

I think many of the books I read in the past shied away from complex math, linear algebra, etc. whereas PEfI uses them as needed. "The Art of Electronics", for example, I found to be absolutely abysmal.

It's not an in depth book, it's pretty much a beginners book, but it's thorough and practical.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourt...

You might start with something like [1] which is a 63 "slide" | page introductory overview to a first year engineering (common core) electrical fundementals course (the linked version is from Oregon State niversity in the USofA but looks similar to courses elsewhere).

It's not the course handbook (there are many) and doesn't have any heavy math (aside from a few descriptive relationships) but it does a helicopter overview of the concepts that would be covered in a course that is fundemental to both electrical (grid | household | industrial) and electronic (circuits, sensors, computers) engineering.

If you skim through that you'll have an idea of what interests you and what to further ask about.

[1] https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~webbky/ENGR201_files/SECTI...

Here's a good reading about problems with teaching electricity: "Why Electricity is hard to understand?" http://amasci.com/miscon/whyhrd3.html

Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest M. Mims III

It makes basic electronics very intuitive.

If you're interested in how the grid works and has evolved, I really enjoyed The Grid: Biography of an American Technology by Julie A. Cohn (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262537407/the-grid/).

Since it is important not to die, NFPA 70. No multivariable calculus required.

https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-stand...

If you want to know the why, get the handbook too.

https://catalog.nfpa.org/NFPA-70-National-Electrical-Code-NE...

Alternatively, Epigram 48.

Good luck.

Reading sucks; check out "The Mechanical Universe" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtMmeAjQTXc&list=PL8_xPU5epJ...

Basics of electricity start here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyMmRRIB5yw

It glosses briefly over the mathematical parts with advanced-for-the-time animations that may or may not be instructive.

Look around for an older edition of the ARRL Handbook (no need to spend a lot on a newer copy, based on what you're asking.)

Once you are more comfortable with the basics, the usual next recommendation is Horowitz & Hill's Art of Electronics. For that, you do want the newest edition. This ia an incredible book but it will be far too much to deal with at first, so I'd strongly suggest starting with the ARRL Handbook.

The Grid[1] by Gretchen Bakke. May not get as low-level as you like (physics of electricity) but great for learning about how the grid came to be, the operation of it, and the regulatory environment surrounding it.

[1]The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future https://a.co/d/g78jGlx

Closely related to this! Does anyone know of any good books that would build upon this knowledge as an introduction to integrating RF / the theory of RF circuits, antennae's etc?

I'd separate electricity topic which has more to do with energy generation / distrubution / usage from electronics which is a specialized niche in the field of electrical engineery.

If you’d like to know about BIG circuits (the power grid), “Electric Power System Basics for the Nonelectrical Professional” is good.

Electric Power System Basics for the Nonelectrical Professional (IEEE Press Series on Power and Energy Systems) https://a.co/d/2tlLXfN

Not sure it will go deep enough for what you’re asking here but the “Practical Engineering” YouTube channel (which has some great videos about random bits of civil infrastructure) recently released a book “Engineering in Plain Sight”

https://practical.engineering/book

I watched "Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity" by Jim Al-Khalili (it's available to stream on Amazon Prime Video), and enjoyed it. In fact, Jim Al-Khalili has produced excellent documentaries about other topics of scientific interest as well.

For electronics i highly recommend

Bebop to the boolean boogie by Clive Maxfield

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL25558880M/Bebop_to_the_boole...

For power systems, I like Blume's "Electric Power System Basics For the Nonelectrical Professional". It does a good job of introducing all the parts of the distribution/transmission/generation system.

I learned electronics from Forest Mims III.

“There are no electrons”

YouTube + personal labs were far more effective and enjoyable in my experience.

Electroboom and Eeevblog are a couple great channels to get started.

The recommendation engine will pick up pretty quickly.