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Basics of Electrical Circuits Explained

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27 views8 pages

Basics of Electrical Circuits Explained

GOOD

Uploaded by

sangamary90
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Module 102 Building Simple Electrical Circuit

Unit 102.5 Fundamental of Electricity


Element 102.5.2 Basic Electrical Quantities
Instructional and learning objectives:-
Describe three basic electric quantities
State ohms law

BASIC ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES


Electric Current or Current
In conducting material, some of the free electrons are freely moving at
random or migrating from atom to atom. When a voltage is applied
across the ends of a conductor, the electron which up to now have
been moving in many different directions are forced to move in the
same direction through a conductor.
Electrical current may be defined in any of the followings:
is the continuous movement of electrons or negative charge through a
conductor or is the continuous flow of electrons also is a flow of electric
charge or flow of electron through a material. It is symbolized by I. The
SI unit of measuring an electric current is AMPERE and symbolized by
A, which is the flow of electric charges through a conductor at rate of
one coulomb per second or the net amount of charge that passes or
transferred through the material per unit time or the term ampere
refers to a number of electrons passing to a given point in 1 sec. also
a current of one ampere being equivalent to a flow of one coulomb per
second or electric quantity in movement, or quantity per unit time, The
SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb C. mathematically is given by

i . dq/ dt
Where
i = current in amperes
dq/q = charge in coulombs
dt/t = time in sec.
1 Ampere = 1 Coulomb per second (C/s)

Or
The following where
holds:
I = Q/t I current
intensity
Q charge
quantity
t time

Example
If a charge of 180 coulombs (180 C) flows through a luminaire every
minute, what is the electric current in the luminaire?

Given
Q = 180 C
t = 1 minute (or 60 seconds)
I = Qt

Voltage V/ E/U
In order that a current flows through a conductor, an electrical “pressure” must be exerted on the freely
mobile charge carriers. This “pressure” is the electrical drive phenomenon on the charge carriers which
is called voltage. There is no current without an electrical voltage. Voltage cannot flow; it is like pressure
in a water system. Voltage pushes current through a conductor but DOES NOT “flow” though a
conductor.
Voltage may be defined as a force which causes current to flow in a circuit or is the force which keep
electron into movement. It may symbolized by E, V, U, P.D or EMF. The SI unit of voltage is Volts (V).but
it can be Potential difference (p.d) or Electromotive force (emf)
Resistance
Every conductor and every electrical device (electric bulb, heater,
electromotor, wireless reciever, etc.) has the property of resisting any
current passage. This property is called electrical resistance,
depending on the material used and the design of the conductor or the
device, it has a different magnitude.
Resistance may be defined as the property of a substance (conductor)
to opposes the flow of current or the property of a conductor which
opposes the flow of electric current. Also is the opposition that limits
the amount of current produced by applied voltage. It is symbolized by
R. The resistance R is expressed in the unit of OHM, symbolized (Ω)

Electric Power

Electrical power may define as the rate at which a device converts


electrical energy into another form of energy, such as heat, light,
mechanical etc. Devices in which this occurs are called passive devices
or loads; they consume electric power, converting it to other forms
such as mechanical work, heat, light, etc. Examples are electrical
appliances, such as light bulbs, electric motors, and electric heaters.
Power is measured in watts, which are power equal to work or energy
divide by time. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second.

P=V×I

or

P = I2× R

or

P = V2 / R

Where

P is the electric power in watt (W).

V is the voltage in volts (V).

I is the current in amps (A).

R is the resistance in ohms (Ω).

VOLTAGE, CURRENT, RESISTANCE, AND OHM'S LAW

Georg Ohm found that, at a constant temperature, the electrical current


flowing through a fixed linear resistance is directly proportional to the
voltage applied across it, and also inversely proportional to the resistance.
This relationship between the Voltage, Current and Resistance forms the
basis of Ohms Law and is shown below.

Ohms Law Relationship


Examples 1
If the resistance of heater is 25Ω is connected across 250V supply, find
its current.

Basic Electrical Quantities Formulas with Simple Explanation (in DC Circuits.)

1. Voltage
2. Current
3. Resistance
4. Power
Power
Power is defined as the rate energy (U\text UUU) is transformed or transferred over time. We measure
power in units of joules/second, also known as watts.

(1watt=1joule/second1 \,\text{watt} = 1\,\text{joule}/\text{second}1watt=1joule/second1, space, w, a, t,


t, equals, 1, space, j, o, u, l, e, slash, s, e, c, o, n, d)

power=dUdt\text{power} = \dfrac{\text dU}{\text dt}power=dtdUp, o, w, e, r, equals, start fraction, d, U,


divided by, d, t, end fraction
An electric circuit is capable of transferring power. Current is the rate of flow of charge, and voltage
measures the energy transferred per unit of charge. We can insert these definitions into the equation
for power:

power=dUdt=dUdq⋅dqdt=vi\text{power} = \dfrac{\text dU}{\text dt} = \dfrac{\text dU}{\text dq} \cdot \


dfrac{\text dq}{\text dt} = v \,i power=dtdU=dqdU⋅dtdq=vip, o, w, e, r, equals, start fraction, d, U,
divided by, d, t, end fraction, equals, start fraction, d, U, divided by, d, q, end fraction, dot, start fraction,
d, q, divided by, d, t, end fraction, equals, v, space, i

Electrical power is the product of voltage times current. in units of watts.

Summary

Power in inductive/capacitive Alternating current circuits

In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductance


and capacitance may result in periodic reversals of the direction of energy
flow. The portion of power flow that, averaged over a complete cycle of the
AC waveform, results in net transfer of energy in one direction is known as
real power (also referred to as active power). That portion of power flow due
to stored energy, which returns to the source in each cycle, is known as
reactive power. The real power P in watts consumed by a device is given by

Where

Vp is the peak voltage in volts


Ip is the peak current in amperes
Vrms is the root-mean-square voltage in volts
Irms is the root-mean-square current in amperes
θ is the phase angle between the current and voltage sine waves

Common questions

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Electric current is defined as the continuous flow of electrons or negative charges through a conductor, and it is represented by the symbol 'I'. The SI unit of electric current is the ampere (A), quantified as one coulomb per second. Mathematically, it is expressed by I = Q/t, where 'I' is the current in amperes, 'Q' is the charge in coulombs, and 't' is the time in seconds .

Inductors and capacitors in AC circuits both store energy temporarily but behave differently: inductors store energy in a magnetic field and create lagging reactive power, whereas capacitors store energy in an electric field and produce leading reactive power. In terms of impact, inductors cause the current to lag behind the voltage, while capacitors make the current lead the voltage, influencing the phase angle and thus affecting circuit stability and power factor corrections .

Joule's Law states that the heat produced by current flowing through a conductor is proportional to the square of the current, the resistance of the conductor, and the time the current flows, expressed as H = I²Rt. This explains resistance heating, where, for example, an electric heater uses high resistance wire to convert electrical energy into heat efficiently as the high resistance increases the heat generation by restricting current flow, thus raising temperature .

Ohm's Law states that the current (I) flowing through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage (V) across the two points and inversely proportional to the resistance (R) of the conductor. Mathematically, it is expressed as V = I × R, demonstrating that voltage is the product of current and resistance .

Voltage acts as the electrical 'pressure' that causes current to flow through a circuit. It is the force that keeps electrons moving, but it does not 'flow'. Voltage is similar to pressure in a water system where it pushes current through a conductor. It is a potential difference or electromotive force that is essential for current flow but itself remains static at the point of application and does not move like current does .

Electrical devices transform electrical energy into different forms, such as heat, light, or mechanical work, depending on the device's function. This is significant as it defines the operational purpose of devices; for instance, light bulbs convert electrical energy into light and heat, electric motors convert it into mechanical energy, and electric heaters predominantly convert electrical energy into thermal energy, crucial for device effectiveness and efficiency .

In AC circuits with inductive or capacitive elements, reactive power refers to the portion of power flow due to stored energy, which periodically returns to the source each cycle. Unlike real power, which contributes to actual energy transfer, reactive power does not perform useful work but affects voltage and current waveforms. It is associated with phase differences between voltage and current, impacting devices' efficiency and power factor .

Electrical resistance is the property of a substance or conductor that opposes the flow of electric current. It is symbolized by 'R' and measured in ohms (Ω). It indicates how much a material resists the flow of current. Different materials and designs of conductors have varying magnitudes of resistance, affecting the amount of current that can flow through a circuit depending on the applied voltage .

Electric power is defined as the rate at which electrical energy is converted into another form of energy, such as heat or light. It is measured in watts, which is equivalent to one joule per second. The power in a circuit can be calculated using the formula P = V × I, where 'P' is the power in watts, 'V' is the voltage in volts, and 'I' is the current in amperes. Alternatively, power can also be calculated with P = I² × R or P = V²/R depending on known parameters of the circuit .

Electric charge is a property of subatomic particles that causes them to experience a force when placed in an electric field. Current, defined as the flow of electric charge, is directly related to the movement of these charges through a conductor. The fundamental principle governing this relationship is that the flow of charge is quantified by current, with I = Q/t, linking directly to how many electrons (charges) move past a point per second .

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