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== Overview ==
Many of the [[electrical component]]s used in simple electric circuits, such as [[resistor]]s, [[inductor]]s, and [[capacitor]]s are [[linear circuit|linear]]. Circuits made with these components, called [[linear circuit]]s, are governed by [[linear differential equation]]s, and can be solved easily with powerful mathematical [[frequency ___domain]] methods such as the [[Laplace transform]].
In contrast, many of the components that make up ''electronic'' circuits, such as [[diode]]s, [[transistor]]s, [[integrated circuit]]s, and [[vacuum tube]]s are [[linear circuit|nonlinear]]; that is the current through them is not proportional to the voltage, and the output of [[two-port network|two-port]] devices like transistors is not proportional to their input. The relationship between current and voltage in them is given by a curved line on a graph, their [[Current-voltage characteristic|characteristic curve]] (I-V curve). In general these circuits don't have simple mathematical solutions. To calculate the current and voltage in them generally requires either [[graphical method]]s or simulation on computers using [[electronic circuit simulation]] programs like [[SPICE]].
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