Now on OpAmps.

You might find this information from Signetics useful.

 

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what should be nearly as much as it matters what is.

The argument for using “correct” terminology is that is a “better” way of communicating.
But wait! This argument is totally situational. Who defined better?

Depending on the communication’s recipient, strict adherence to proper communication is a barrier to communications. It often muddles the message if the recipient is unaware of proper terminology. And it coops the message by concentrating on a subject irrelevant to the question.

Someone intelligent enough to understand the subtly of terminology might be expected to translate internally the terms usage versus its meaning. “Better” communication takes into account how the recipient understands a problem and constructs one’s response with a similar understanding.

The time to be pedantic is after a successful communications exchange has taken place. And not before. That doesn’t mean an abstract discussion cannot take place before concrete terminology is defined. It is often necessary. Just that communications require a certain sequence. IMHO

 

Excuse the diagram new to the tool
View attachment 283492
I understand you need to have a path to ground for something to work and now understand roughly the flow of electrons. My question is when you do not connect to ground, is there no flow at all. No leakage from the valid flow which is connected to ground. Sound silly as I don't need to understand just follow the rules but cannot help wondering.

This will help you:

Title: Understanding Basic Electronics, 1st Ed.
Publisher: The American Radio Relay League
ISBN: 0-87259-398-3

 

The complaint about electron flow versus "electric current" arises and is quite a distraction much of that time.
If negative charge is moving in one direction then the positive charge will be moving in the opposite direction, and because we choose to use the flow of positive as the definition why waste time again????

 

Here's my simplistic view of circuits (below) and the mistakes people make.
In A and A1 you see illustrations of circles or circuits. The word circuit comes from the same Latin word for circle. They mean the same thing. A pathway around and back to the beginning. A shows an oval, but it's still a circuit. A race car traveling around the track once makes one circuit. A1 consists of a source and a load. Current flows from Positive (the top in this case) through the load and back to the source. This case the source is a battery. For the circuit to work it must have a full pathway.

Circuits B and B2 are the same with the exception of being shorted out. I often see people refer to electrical problems as "Short". Sometimes that's correct, sometimes it's incorrect. Circuit C and C1 shows an "OPEN circuit" meaning there is no complete pathway for the current to flow around the circuit.

Sometimes rather than draw out the full pathway we might use a ground symbol. There are various symbols representing different things. In circuits D & D1 I chose to draw a chassis ground. Instead of drawing wires in the schematic leading complex circuits back to the source, using ground symbols can do the job with much less confusion in the drawing. And you can have multiple grounds. Part of a circuit may share a common ground but not be grounded to earth or chassis grounds. A chassis ground doesn't necessarily need to be grounded to earth ground. Your car is "Chassis" ground for all its electrical and electronics. The Chassis ground is basically the same as the bottom of circuit A and A1. And yes, I just realized I could have numbered all the circuits with #1's instead of #2 or #3.

D shows the three basic ground symbols and D1 uses chassis ground as an example. D1 is not open because they share the same chassis ground. But it could just as well be a common ground or even an earth ground. But for a circuit to work it must be complete (not open) and not shorted. The subject of grounds can be extensive. So can circuit protection devices be. That's not being covered here. Simply stated, none of the circuits you drew were complete circuits. The comment made about the LED being blown is yet a different subject. Basically the LED would blow because there is nothing to limit the current. I'll leave that for another time.

 

Here's my simplistic view of circuits (below) and the mistakes people make.
In A and A1 you see illustrations of circles or circuits. The word circuit comes from the same Latin word for circle. They mean the same thing. A pathway around and back to the beginning.

Very nice, @Tonyr1084. That will securely resonate with some people. There is no one explanation that reaches everyone.

 

Thanks Ya’akov. I think in pictures. Reading has never been a strong suit for me. If I can see it I can understand it. If I have to read it - I struggle.