Electrical quantities
Current in electric circuits:
Current – The rate at which electric charge passes a point in a circuit
(SI unit is Ampere, amps (A))
Current = charge / time
I=Q/t
Cell – A device that provides an electromotive force (e.m.f.) in a circuit by means of a
chemical reaction
Battery – Two or more electrical cells connected together in series
Direct current (d.c.) – Electrical current that flows in the same direction all the time
(produced by battery)
Alternating current (a.c.) – Electrical current that (periodically) changes direction
(produced by generators)
Conductor – A material that allows an electric current to flow through it
Most metals, including copper, silver, gold and steel are good conductors
Insulator – A material that makes it very difficult for an electrical current to flow through it
Polymers (plastic, etc.), minerals, glass are good insulators
Charge – Carried around a circuit by the current; negative charge is carried by electrons
(SI unit is coulombs (C))
To measure an electric current we can use two different devices:
Ammeter – A meter for measuring electric current
Galvanometer – A meter for measuring tiny electric current
Electron flow
Current flow
Current flows out of the positive terminal while electrons flow out the negative terminal
Voltage in electric circuits:
Voltage – The energy transferred or work done per unit charge, it can be imagined as the
push of a battery or power supply in a circuit
voltage = work done (J) / charge (C)
V=W/Q
Potential difference (p.d.) – The work done by (a unit) charge passing through an electrical
component; another name for the voltage between two points
p.d. = work done by the charge (J) / charge (C)
V=W/Q
Electromotive force (e.m.f.) – The electric work done by a source (cell, battery, ect.) in a
moving (a unit) charge around a circuit; the voltage across the terminal of a source
e.m.f. = work done on the charge (J) / charge (C)
E=W/Q
Volts (V) – The SI unit of voltage (p.d. or e.m.f.); 1V = 1J/C
Voltmeter – A meter for measuring the p.d. (voltage) between two points
Electrical resistance:
Resistance – A measure of how difficult it is for an electric current to flow through a device
or a component in a circuit; it is the p.d. across a component divided by the current through
it
Ohm (Ω) – The SI unit of electrical resistance
V
Resistance (Ω) = potential difference (V) / current (A)
R = V/I
I R
Cell
A Ammeter
Resistor
V
Voltmeter
Ammeters are connected in series so that the current can flow thorugh them
Voltmeters are connected in parallel to measure the p.d. across the component
Resistance and thickness:
The longer the wire, the greater its resistance is (it is proportional to its length)
The greater the diameter of wire, the less its resistance (inversely proportional to its
cross-sectional area)
Current-voltage characteristics – A graph of current on the vertical axis and voltage on the
horizontal axis
The p.d. is on the x-axis, because this is the
quantity we vary. It is the independent variable
The current I is on the y-axis because this is the
quantity that varies as we change V. it is the
dependent variable
I = V/R (This shows that the current I is proportional)
Ohmic resistor – Has a constant resistance; its I-V characteristic is a straight line, so that the
current through it is directly proportional to the voltage
Diode Filament lamp
Electrical energy, work and power:
Power (W) = current (A) * p.d. (V)
P = VI
Power = energy transferred (J) / time taken (s)
P = ∆E/t
1W = 1J/s
Watts = amps * volts
W = AV
Energy transferred (J) = Current (A) * p.d. (V) * time (s)
E = IVt