University of Hargeisa

Faculty of Electrical and Telecommunication Engineering

ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT ANALYSIS
(Semester 1 Year 2)

Chapter 1: Introduction To Electric Circuit

Lecturer:- Mohamed ismail Jibril ([Link]&[Link] in EEE And PGDE)

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INTRODUCTION:
• An Electric circuit is an interconnection of various elements in which
there is at least one closed path in which current can flow.
• An Electric circuit is used as a component for any engineering system.
• The performance of any electrical device or machine is always studied by
drawing its electrical equivalent circuit.
• By simulating an electric circuit, any type of system can be studied for
e.g., mechanical, hydraulic thermal, nuclear, traffic flow, weather
prediction etc.
• All control systems are studied by representing them in the form of
electric circuits.
• The analysis, of any system can be learnt by mastering the techniques of
circuit theory.

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ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

What is an Electric Circuit?

In electrical engineering, we are usually interested in transferring energy

or communicating signals from one point to another.
To do this, we often require an interconnection of electrical components.
“An electric circuit is an interconnection of electrical components.’’

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Electric Circuit Components
• “A circuit includes:
1. A battery or a generator that gives energy to the charged particles;
2. Devices that use current, such as lamps, motors, or electronic computers; and
3. connecting wires or transmission lines.

• Circuits can be classified according to the type of current they carry:

1. Alternating current (A.C Circuit)
2. Direct current (D.C Circuit )
• Or according to whether the current remains whole or divides:
1. The current remains whole (Series Circuit)
2. The current divides to flow through several branches simultaneously (Parallel Circuit).
• Two basic laws that describe the performance of electric circuits are Ohm's law and
Kirchhoff's circuit rules."
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Electric charge
• Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that causes
particles to experience a force when placed in an electric or magnetic
field.
• It can be positive or negative, with like charges repelling and unlike
charges attracting each other. The unit of electric charge is the
coulomb (C), where one coulomb equals the charge carried by
approximately electrons.

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Elements of an Electric circuit:
An Electric circuit consists of following types of elements.
Active elements:
Active elements are the elements of a circuit which possess energy of their own and
can impart it to other element of the circuit.
Active elements are of two types
a) Voltage source
b) Current source

A Voltage source has a specified voltage across its terminals, independent of current
flowing through it.
A current source has a specified current through it independent of the voltage
appearing across it.

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Passive Elements:
• The passive elements of an electric circuit do not possess energy of
their own. They receive energy from the sources. The passive elements
are the resistance, the inductance and the capacitance.
• When electrical energy is supplied to a circuit element, it will respond
in one and more of the following ways.
1. If the energy is consumed, then the circuit element is a pure resistor.
2. If the energy is stored in a magnetic field, the element is a pure
inductor.
3. And if the energy is stored in an electric field, the element is a pure
capacitor.

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Linear and Non-Linear Elements.
• Linear elements show the linear characteristics of voltage & current. That is its
voltage-current characteristics are at all-times a straight-line through the origin.
• For example, the current passing through a resistor is proportional to the
voltage applied through its and the relation is expressed as V I or V = IR.
• A linear element or network is one which satisfies the principle of
superposition, i.e., the principle of homogeneity and additivity.
• Resistors, inductors and capacitors are the examples of the linear elements
and their properties do not change with a change in the applied voltage and the
circuit current.
• Non linear element’s V-I characteristics do not follow the linear pattern i.e. the
current passing through it does not change linearly with the linear change in the
voltage across it.
• Examples are the semiconductor devices such as diode, transistor.

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Bilateral and Unilateral Elements:
• An element is said to be bilateral, when the same relation exists
between voltage and current for the current flowing in both directions.
• Examples: Voltage source, Current source, resistance, inductance &
capacitance.
• The circuits containing them are called bilateral circuits.
• An element is said to be unilateral, when the same relation does not
exist between voltage and current when current flowing in both
directions.
• The circuits containing them are called unilateral circuits.
• Examples: Vacuum diodes, Silicon Diodes, Selenium Rectifiers etc.

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Lumped and Distributed Elements

• Lumped elements are those elements which are very small in size & in
which simultaneous actions takes place. Typical lumped elements are
capacitors, resistors, inductors.

• Distributed elements are those which are not electrically separable for
analytical purposes.

• For example a transmission line has distributed parameters along its

length and may extend for hundreds of miles.

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Types of Sources:
Independent & Dependent sources:
• If the voltage of the voltage source is completely independent source of
current and the current of the current source is completely independent of the
voltage, then the sources are called as independent sources.
• The special kind of sources in which the source voltage or current depends on
some other quantity in the circuit which may be either a voltage or a current
anywhere in the circuit are called Dependent sources or Controlled sources.
There are four possible dependent sources:
a. Voltage dependent Voltage source
b. Current dependent Current source
c. Voltage dependent Current source
d. Current dependent Current source

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• The constants of proportionalities are written as B, g, a, r in which B & a has no units, r has units of
ohm & g units of mhos.
• Independent sources actually exist as physical entities such as battery, a dc generator & an
alternator. But dependent sources are used to represent electrical properties of electronic devices
such as OPAMPS & Transistors.

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Ideal & Practical sources:
1. An ideal voltage source is one which delivers energy to the load at a constant terminal
voltage, irrespective of the current drawn by the load.

2. An ideal current source is one, which delivers energy with a constant current to the load,
irrespective of the terminal voltage across the load.

3. A Practical voltage source always possesses a very small value of internal resistance r.
The internal resistance of a voltage source is always connected in series with it & for a current
source; it is always connected in parallel with it.

As the value of the internal resistance of a practical voltage source is very small, its terminal
voltage is assumed to be almost constant within a certain limit of current flowing through the
load.

4. A practical current source is also assumed to deliver a constant current, irrespective of the
terminal voltage across the load connected to it.
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Ambiguous= not clear

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Circuits and networks
A network is the interconnection of two or more simple devices as
shown in Figure 1.13.

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A circuit is a network which contains at least one closed path. Thus
every circuit is a network but not all networks are circuits.
An example is shown in Figure 1.14.

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Necessary Conditions for Current Flow
There are two conditions which are necessary to set up and maintain a flow of current in a network
or circuit. These are:
1. There must be a voltage source (potential difference) present to provide the electrical work
which will force current to flow.
2. The circuit must be closed.
• These conditions are illustrated in Figures 1.15 through 1.17.

• Figure 1.15 shows a network which contains a voltage source but it is not closed and therefore,
current will not flow.

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Summary
• Independent and Dependent voltage and current sources are
active devices; they normally (but not always) deliver power to
some external device.
• Resistors, inductors, and capacitors are passive devices; they
normally receive (absorb) power from an active device.
• A network is the interconnection of two or more simple devices.
• A circuit is a network which contains at least one closed path.
Thus every circuit is a network but not all networks are circuits.

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Summary Continue
• An active network is a network which contains at least one active
device (voltage or current source).
• A passive network is a network which does not contain any active
device.
• To set up and maintain a flow of current in a network or circuit there
must be a voltage source (potential difference) present to provide the
electrical work which will force current to flow and the circuit must be
closed.
• Linear devices are those in which there is a linear relationship between
the voltage across that device and the current that flows through that
device.

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Summary Continue
• The International System of Units is used extensively by the
international scientific community. It was formerly known as
the Metric System.

• The principal sources of energy are from chemical processes

(coal, fuel oil, natural gas, wood etc.)

• and from mechanical forms (water falls, wind, etc.). Other

sources include nuclear and solar energy.

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