Electrical breakdown spark plugs in internal combustion engines. Spark-gap transmitters were used in early radio telegraph systems. Electrical breakdown Electrical breakdown or dielectric breakdown is when current flows through an electrical insulator when the voltage applied across it exceeds the breakdown voltage. This results in the insulator becoming electrically conductive. Electrical breakdown may be a momentary event (as in an electrostatic discharge), or may lead to a continuous arc if protective devices fail to interrupt the current in a power circuit. Under sufficient electrical stress, electrical breakdown can occur within solids, liquids, gases or vacuum. However, the specific breakdown mechanisms are different
Electrical length Electrical length In telecommunications and electrical engineering, electrical length (or phase length) refers to the length of an electrical conductor in terms of the phase shift introduced by transmission over that conductor at some frequency. Depending on the specific usage, the term "electrical length" is used rather than simple physical length to incorporate one or more of the following three concepts: The first usage of the term "electrical length" assumes a sine wave of some frequency, or at least a narrowband waveform centered around some frequency "f". The sine wave will repeat with a period of "T" = 1/"f". The