d.c.

source
rheostat
globe
switch
ammeter
resistor
Parts of a simple electrical circuit
Resistors in
series
Resistors in parallel
How rheostat works
voltmeter
1
Emf & potential difference
V
Set up a circuit with the switch
open.
There is no current flow in the
circuit & the voltmeter measures
the emf (electromotive force) of
the cell say 3V.
When we close the switch, the voltmeter reading
drops to say 2V it is now measuring the external
potential difference of the circuit & no longer the emf.
The difference between 3V - 2V = 1V is called the
internal potential difference or lost volts of the cell.
EMF & external PD
2
A battery or cell
A battery or cell does not supply the
electrons that flow in a circuit.

It provides the energy required by the electrons already
in the circuit, to move them through the circuit.

As move through the filament of a light bulb, having
a high resistance, they are slowed down a lot and they
lose a lot of energy in the process.

A battery continues to supply the
with energy until it runs flat.
Make a lemon battery
3
An electric current
An electric current is a measure of how much
charge passes a certain point in 1 second.

The unit of current (I) is the ampere (A) & is
equal to charge (Q) of 1 coulomb (C) per
second (s). 1A = 1Cs
-1



t
Q
I =
And Q = I x t

What current passes through a lamp if 30 C of charge
flows in 5 seconds?

Did you get 6 A?
Current & potential
difference
Current in a circuit
4
Definition: Current is the rate of flow of charge.
Q = I t
Q
I t
The unit of charge is the
coulomb (C).
Definition:
The coulomb is the amount of charge that
passes a point in a conductor in one second,
when the current is one ampere.
5
Current is measured in ampere (A)
The current strength is one ampere when
one coulomb of charge passes a point in one
second.
I =
Q
t
Current strength is measured on an ammeter.
An ammeter has a very low resistance and is
always connected in series in a circuit.
Current & potential
difference
6
In metals, current is a flow of .
In ionic liquids or solutions & certain gases, a current
is a flow of + & - ions at the same time.
An international agreement exists in which a
conventional current is the direction in which +
charges would move in a conductor if they were free
to move in the conductor. i.e. + terminal through the
circuit to terminal.
Conventional current in a circuit is thus indicated by
means of arrows pointing from the positive terminal of
the cell to the negative terminal.
Conventional &
electron flow
7
+
-
switch
globe
When the switch is closed the bulb lights up
immediately as charge flows in the circuit.
Conventional current flow
8
+
-
switch
globe
When the switch is closed the bulb lights up
immediately as charge flows in the circuit.
We use an arrow with an electron () sign to
indicate an electron current as above




Electron flow
9
Free , moving at
random in a metal.
No current
Connecting a
cell across the
conductor
produces a
p.d. across the
conductor.
The now all move in the same
direction thus producing an
electric current in the conductor
as the move from to +.
+
_
Current in
hot wire
10
The ammeter measures
current strength.

It is connected in series in
a circuit so the current
needs to pass through the
ammeter in order for it to
work.

It has a very low
resistance so as not to
affect the current strength
N.B. Red is + and black -
Ammeter
11
+
_
A
resistor
globe
Ammeter
connected in
series.
In order for current to flow from the resistor to the
globe, it has to go through the ammeter.
+
_
Connect + from
source to + of
ammeter & of
source to of
ammeter as in
circuit below.
12
N.B. Red is + and black -
A voltmeter measures
potential difference
(voltage).

It has a very high
resistance to prevent
much current flowing
through it.

It is always connected in
parallel to measure the
potential difference across
a resistor or globe.
13
Charge loses energy as it passes through different
parts of the circuit.

A voltmeter measures how much energy is
required to move a given quantity of charge past
any 2 points in a circuit. This is called potential
difference (p d) & is measured in volt.

V = and W = V x Q

W
Q
Relationship V, I & R
Potential difference
14
+
_
Ammeter
connected in
series to measure
current strength
in circuit
Voltmeter
connected in
parallel across
the resistor to
measure
potential
difference
across resistor
15
It is required to wire up a dolls house so
that each room has d.c. current and the
light in each room can be switched on and
off separately.
16
Room 1 Room 2
Room 3
What happens when the switches in rooms
1, 2 & 3 are closed one after the other?
Explain what you would see.
Resistors in series
17
Room 1 Room 2 Room 3
What happens now if you close the
switches in each room separately?
What about the brightness of each bulb in
each case?
Resistors in parallel
18
Resistors offer resistance to the
flow of charge through a circuit.

The solid, heavy, positive nuclei of atoms in the
resistor, offer resistance to the attempting to flow
through the resistor as a current. The continue to
bump into these nuclei and this retards the flow.

This resistance is measure in ohms ()

The hotter a resistor the higher its resistance

Factors affecting resistance:
length, thickness, type, temperature
19
Resistors in series are called potential dividers since
the total potential difference across all of them is equal
to the sum across each of them.

Resistors are connected in series to increase the
effective resistance in a circuit & decrease current.

Resistors in parallel are called current dividers since
the current divides up as it moves through each of the
parallel branches between 2 points.

Resistors are connected in parallel in order to decrease
the effective resistance between 2 points in circuit &
increase the current.
Series & parallel circuits
20
Charge/current: Current/pot. difference/resistance
Q = I x t V = I x R

Potential difference/work/energy:
W = V x Q or E = V x Q (since work = energy)

Resisters in series:
R
total
= r
1
+ r
2
+ r
3

Resisters in parallel: If only 2 in parallel:
1
R
1
r
1

1
r
2

1
r
3

=
+ +
R
total
= product of resistors
sum of resistors
21