Electrical Basics Course Prof.

Aldo Canova

Elettrotecnica e Macchine elettriche

aldo.canova@polito.it
Dipartimento Energia (DENERG)
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Contenuti del corso: Elettrotecnica

Soluzione di circuiti elettrici in regime stazionario e non
finalizzata a comprendere i fenomeni elettroenergetici
all’interno dei componenti elettrici ed elettromeccanici più
diffusi nell’ambito civile ed industriale.

4 principali argomenti
1) Reti adinamiche o resistive
2) Reti dinamiche
3) Regime sinusoidale
4) Sistemi trifase
Electrical Basics Course
Books
http://www.editrice-
esculapio.it/shop/product/15/Ca
nova-Gruosso-Introduction-to-
Electrical-Circuits.asp
Prof. Aldo Canova
http://www.editrice-
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits
esculapio.it/shop/product/696
Charles K. Alexander, Matthew N.
/Canova-Gruosso-Repetto-
O. Sadiku
Elettrotecnica-Esercizi-
McGraw-Hill, 2009
svolti.asp
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Basic Course

Lesson 1
Definition of electrical quantities
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Items
•Boundaries of the Electrical Basic Course
•Two-terminal and N-terminal component
•Basic electrical quantities
•Electrical Current
•Electrical Voltage
•Electrical Power: Two-terminal component convention
•Electrical Circuit: Topological definitions
•Node
•Edge
•Graph
•Loop
•Cut set
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Boundaries of the Electrical Basic Course

•All the electromagnetic phenomena are subjected to Maxwell equations.
•The aim of the proposed Electrical Basic Course is the study of the relations
among elementary components which exchange electric energy among
them only by they terminals and no energy comes from the surrounding air
(no propagation).
•The Electrical Basic Course will be based on a simplification set of Maxwell
equations called Kirchhoff’s Laws

Terminals

a) 2-terminal components, b) 3-terminal components, c) 4-terminal component

Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

N-terminal components
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

N-terminal components
•The terminal are ideal and so can have arbitrary shape and length
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Current
•Let’s assume that is known the existence of Electric Charge: q [C]
•Let’s suppose of having a tube (electrical conductors) where the charges
can flow and to consider the charge ∆q which flows through the cross section
of the tube in the time interval ∆t, we define the current i as:

Or better:
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Current
•The terminals of the component are conductors and when the charge enter
in one terminal of the component exit from the other terminal:

Possible current representation

•Current SI unit is Ampere [A] (1 A = 1 Coloumb/second)

Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Current
•The instrument which measures current is called Ammeter
•The Ammeter is characterized by a pointed terminal

* A
•If the measured value is positive, it means that a positive current enter in
the pointed terminal of the ammeter

0
i=10A - +
*
A
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Voltage
•The electrical voltage is the difference of the voltage potential between
two points
•The voltage potential of a point is the work has to be done in order to
move a unitary charge from the infinite to the considered point

vA

8
Q=1 C

•The electrical voltage between a point A and a point B is the work has to be
done in order to move a unitary charge from the point A and a the point B
vB VAB=VA-VB
vA Q=1 C B
A

•Voltage SI unit is Volt [V]

Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Voltage
•From electrical voltage definition:

VAB=VA-VB
VAB= - VBA
VBA=VB-VA
•An electrical voltage occurs across the terminals of a component:
v

•Other possible representation:

v

v
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Voltage
•The instrument which measures current is called Voltmeter
•The voltmeter is characterized by a pointed terminal

*
V
•If the measured value is positive, it means that a positive voltage point
versus the pointed terminal of the voltmeter

0
- +
*

v=+5V
V
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Power
•Is defined as the product between voltage and current of two-terminal
component:
p=v i
•Power SI unit is Watt [W]
•The power can be absorbed or generated depending from the direction choice
of voltage and current:
•Load Convention: voltage and current point the same terminal (a and b)
•Source Convention: voltage and current point different terminal (c and d)
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Power

•In the Load Convention the calculated power is absorbed

•In the Source Convention the calculated power is generated

•The calculated power can be positive or negative, this means that:

•Load Convention and positive power = Load
•Load Convention and negative power = Source
•Source Convention and positive power = Source
•Source Convention and negative power = Load

•The instrument which measures electrical power is called Wattmeter

Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Power
•The wattmeter is characterized by four terminals: *
•Two voltage terminals
*
•Two current terminals
•One voltage and one current terminals are pointed
W
•Connection:
* Voltage terminals
i i
* Current terminals
W
v
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Circuit
•Given a set of elementary component and Electrical Circuit is obtained by a
possible connection of the set of component

•Many connections are possible and so many circuit can be created

Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Electrical Circuit
•What are important are the connections and not their length
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Basic Topological definition

•Node: namely the points of connection of 2 or more terminal
•Branch: namely the part of the circuit connecting 2 nodes

Branch

Branch

Node Node
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Basic Topological definition

Graph: describe the topology of a circuit by a diagrams in which are drawn only
the nodes and the branches without reporting the components
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Derived Topological definition: Loop

Loop: is as a subset of branches of a graph that satisfies the following
properties:
1) each branch of the loop is connected with the other ones
2) two and only two branches are connected to the nodes belonging to the loop

1
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Derived Topological definition: Loop

3, 4 and 5 is a Loop 3, 4, 5 and 6 is not a Loop

3 branches are
connected to the
node D

1 branch is
connected to the
node A
Electrical Basics Course Prof. Aldo Canova

Derived Topological definition: Loop

• All the loops are:

• 1,5,6
• 1,3,2
• 3,4,5
1
• 2,4,6
• 1,3,4,6
• 1,5,4,2
• 3,5,6,2