Electricity
Movement of electrons
Invisible force that provides
light, heat, sound, motion . . .
Conductors and Insulators
Conductors Insulators
Electrons flow easily Electron flow is difficult
between atoms between atoms
1-3 valence electrons in 5-8 valence electrons in
outer orbit outer orbit
Examples: Silver, Examples: Mica, Glass,
Copper, Gold, Aluminum Quartz
Conductors and Insulators
Identify conductors and insulators
Conductors Insulators
Electrical Circuit
A system of conductors and components
forming a complete path for current to travel
Properties of an electrical circuit include
Voltage Volts V
Current Amps A
Resistance Ohms Ω
Electrical Circuit
Electrical Circuit
Electrical Circuit
Electrical Circuit
Electrical Circuit
Current
The flow of electric charge
- measured in AMPERES (A)
Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)
Pipe (Wiring)
When the faucet (switch) is off,
is there any flow (current)?
NO
When the faucet (switch) is on,
is there any flow (current)?
YES
Current in a Circuit
off on
When the switch is off, there is no current.
When the switch is on, there is current.
Current Flow
Conventional Current assumes
that current flows out of the positive
side of the battery, through the
Conventional
circuit, and back to the negative Current
side of the battery. This was the
convention established when
electricity was first discovered, but
it is incorrect!
Electron Flow is what actually
happens. The electrons flow out of Electron
the negative side of the battery, Flow
through the circuit, and back to the
positive side of the battery.
Engineering vs. Science
The direction that the current flows does not affect what the
current is doing; thus, it doesn’t make any difference which
convention is used as long as you are consistent.
Both Conventional Current and Electron Flow are used. In
general, the science disciplines use Electron Flow, whereas
the engineering disciplines use Conventional Current.
Since this is an engineering course, we will use Conventional
Current .
Electron Conventional
Flow Current
Voltage
The force (pressure) that causes
current to flow
- measured in VOLTS (V)
Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)
Pipe (Wiring)
When the faucet (switch) is off, is there any pressure (voltage)?
YES – Pressure (voltage) is pushing against the pipe, tank, and
the faucet.
When the faucet (switch) is on, is there any pressure (voltage)?
YES – Pressure (voltage) pushes flow (current) through the
system.
Voltage in a Circuit
off on
The battery provides voltage that will push
current through the bulb when the switch is on.
Resistance
The opposition of current flow
- measured in Ohms (Ω)
Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)
Pipe (Wiring)
What happens to the flow (current) if a rock gets
lodged in the pipe?
Flow (current) decreases.
Resistance in a Circuit
Resistor
off on
Resistors are components that create resistance.
Reducing current causes the bulb to become
more dim.
Multimeter
An instrument used to measure the
properties of an electrical circuit,
including
Voltage Volts
Current Amps
Resistance Ohms
Measuring Voltage
Set multimeter to the proper V range.
Measure across a component.
Switch
Battery
Resistor
Light
Measuring Current
Set multimeter to the proper ADC range.
Circuit flow must go through the meter.
Switch
Battery
Resistor
Light
Measuring Resistance
Set multimeter to the proper Ohms range.
Measure across the component being tested.
Power must be off or removed from the circuit.
Switch
Battery
Resistor
Light
Ohm’s Law
Current in a resistor varies in direct proportion to the
voltage applied to it and is inversely proportional to the
resistor’s value
The mathematical relationship between current, voltage,
and resistance
If you know 2 of the 3 quantities, you can solve for the third.
Quantities Abbreviations Units Symbols
Voltage V Volts V
Current I Amperes A
Resistance R Ohms Ω
V=IR I=V/R R=V/I
Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.
Solve for V
V
V=IR
I R
Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.
Solve for I
V
I=V/R
I R
Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.
Solve for R
V
R=V/I
I R
Example: Ohm’s Law
The flashlight shown uses a 6 volt battery
and has a bulb with a resistance of 150 Ω.
When the flashlight is on, how much
current will be drawn from the battery?
Schematic Diagram
IR
V
+
VT = VR I R
-
Circuit Configuration
Components in a circuit can be connected in one
of two ways.
Series Circuits Parallel Circuits
• Components are • Both ends of the components
connected end-to-end. are connected together.
• There is only a single • There are multiple paths for
path for current to flow. current to flow.
Components
(i.e., resistors, batteries, capacitors, etc.)
Kirchhoff’s Laws
Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL):
The sum of all of the voltage drops in a
series circuit equals the total applied voltage
Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL):
The total current in a parallel circuit equals
the sum of the individual branch currents
Series Circuits
A circuit that contains only one path for current flow
If the path is open anywhere in the circuit, current
stops flowing to all components.
Series Circuits
Characteristics of a series circuit
• The current flowing through every series component is
equal.
• The total resistance (RT) is equal to the sum of all of the
resistances (i.e., R1 + R2 + R3).
• The sum of all of the voltage drops (VR1 + VR2 + VR3) is
equal to the total applied voltage (VT). This is called
Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law. V R1
IT + -
+ +
VT VR2
- -
- +
RT
VR3
Example: Series Circuit
For the series circuit shown, use the laws of circuit theory to
calculate the following:
• The total resistance (RT)
• The current flowing through each component (IT, IR1, IR2, &
IR3)
• The voltage across each component (VT, VR1, VR2, & VR3)
• Use the results to verify Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law.
VR1
IT + -
+ IR1 +
VT IR2 VR2
- IR3 -
- +
RT
VR3
Example: Series Circuit
Solution:
Total Resistance:
Current Through Each Component:
V
I R
Example: Series Circuit
Solution:
Voltage Across Each Component:
I R
Example: Series Circuit
Solution:
Verify Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law:
Parallel Circuits
A circuit that contains more than one path for
current flow
If a component is removed, then it is possible
for the current to take another path to reach
other components.
Parallel Circuits
Characteristics of a Parallel Circuit
• The voltage across every parallel component is equal.
• The total resistance (RT) is equal to the reciprocal of the
sum of the reciprocal:
• The sum of all of the currents in each branch (IR1 + IR2 +
IR3) is equal to the total current (IT). This is called
Kirchhoff’s Current Law. I
T
+ + + +
V VR VR VR
T - 1 - 2 - 3 -
R
Example Parallel Circuits
For the parallel circuit shown, use the laws of circuit theory to
calculate the following:
• The total resistance (RT)
• The voltage across each component (VT, VR1, VR2, & VR3)
• The current flowing through each component (IT, IR1, IR2, &
IR3)
• Use the results to verify Kirchhoff’s Current Law.
IT
IR1 IR2 IR3
+ + + +
VT VR1 VR2 VR3
- - - -
37
RT
Example Parallel Circuits
Solution:
Total Resistance:
Voltage Across Each Component:
Example Parallel Circuits
Solution:
Current Through Each Component:
I R
Example Parallel Circuits
Solution:
Verify Kirchhoff’s Current Law:
Combination Circuits
Contain both series and parallel arrangements
What would happen if you removed light 1? light
2? light 3?
2 3
Electrical Power
Electrical power is directly related to
the amount of current and voltage
within a system.
Power is measured in watts
Image Resources
Microsoft, Inc. (2008). Clip Art. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from
[Link]