CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
TO ELECTRICAL
CIRCUITS

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Understand

basic Electrical Quantities (units and

symbols)
Explain

types of Electrical Circuits

Understand

Ohms Law

Understand

Electrical Power

Understand

the characteristics of series and parallel

circuits

ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES
Electromotive Force ( EMF )
Electromotive Force is the voltage produced by an electric
battery or generator in an electrical circuit or more
precisely, the energy supplied by a source of electric power
in driving a unit charge around the circuit.

Unit
: volt
Symbol : V

Charge
Electric charge is a physical property of matter which
causes it to experience a force when near other electrically
charged matter.
Electric charge comes in two types, called positive and
negative.
Two positively charged substances, or objects, experience a
mutual repulsive force, as do two negatively charged
objects.
Positively charged objects and negatively charged objects
experience an attractive force.

Unit
: coulomb (C)
Symbol : Q

Current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a
medium.

Unit
: ampere (A)
Symbol : I
Potential Energy ( Voltage )
Voltage is a measure of the energy of electricity,
specifically, it is the energy per unit charge.

Unit
: volt (v)
Symbol : V

Resistance
Resistance is defined as the ability of a substance to
prevent or resist the flow of electrical current.

Unit
: ohm ()
Symbol : R

FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE RESISTANCE OF

CONDUCTOR MATERIALS

Material (Resistivity)
Resistance of a uniform conductor is directly
proportional to its resistivity.

Length
Resistance of a uniform conductor is directly
proportional to its length.

Cross-sectional area
Resistance of a uniform conductor is inversely
proportional to its cross- sectional.

Temperature
The resistance of a metallic conductor increases as the
temperature increases.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESISTANCE, LENGTH,

CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND RESISTIVITY USING
THE FORMULA

Example 1
A length of copper is 125m long, having an area of 2.0mm2
has a specific resistance of 1.67x10-8. What is the resistance?

Example 2:
A copper wire has a length of 160 m and a diameter of 1.00 mm.
If the wire is connected to a 1.5-volt battery, how much current
flows through the wire? Given the copper = 1.72 x 10-8 m.

The area is the cross-sectional area of the wire. This can be calculated using
A = r2
= (0.0005) 2
= 7.85 x 10-7 m2

The resistance of the wire is then:

R = L/ A
= (1.72 x 10-8 )(160) / 7.85 x 10-7 m2
= 3.50

Units And
Symbols

Electromotive
Force ( EMF )
Charge
Current

Potential
Energy
Resistance

Factors That
Affect The
Resistance
1.1
ELECTRICAL
QUANTITIES

Length
Material
(Resistivity)

Crosssectional area
Temperature

TYPES OF ELECTRICAL
CIRCUITS
Simple Circuits
It is also known as basic circuit as shown in figure below.
It is close circuit which allows flow of current perfectly from
source to other components and back to the source. The circuit
consists of voltage supply (V), electric current (I) and
resistance (R).

Simple Circuit

Complex Circuits

A complex set of electronic components and their

interconnections that are etched or imprinted onto a tiny slice
of semiconducting material.

Complex Circuit

Short Circuits
A circuit element with resistance approaching zero is called
short circuit. It would expect a short circuit to allow for
unimpeded flow of current.
A SHORT circuit occurs when the LOAD is by passed.
Because the LOAD helps to restrict and control electron flow,
this results in an uncontrolled movement of electrons which
causes damage to the CONDUCTOR or the SOURCE due to
overheating.

Short Circuit

Open Circuits
A circuit element with resistance approaching infinity is called
open circuit. It would expect no current to flow through an
open circuit.
An OPEN circuit occurs when part of the conductor is
missing. This can be intentional (for example - controlling a
light with a switch) or accidental (a broken wire). This results
in NO electron flow in the circuit.

Open Circuit

USE OF VOLTMETERS,
AMMETERS AND OHMMETERS
Voltmeter
The Voltmeter is a device that can measure the voltages across
the a circuit element.
The voltmeter need to be connected across the element whose
voltages we wish to measure.

A voltmeter also must fulfill two requirement:

i. The voltmeter must be connected in
parallel with the element whose voltage
to be measured.
ii. The voltmeter should draw no current
away from the element whose voltage
to be measured, or else it will not
measuring the true voltages across the
element. Thus, an ideal voltmeter has
infinite internal resistance.

Ammeter

The ammeter is a device that when connected in series with the a circuit element,
can measure the current flowing through the element.

Two requirements are evident for obtaining a correct measurement of current:

i. The ammeter must be placed in series with the element whose current is to
be measured.
ii. The ammeter should not restrict the flow of the current (i.e cause the
voltage drop), or else it will not be measuring the true current flowing in the
circuit. An ideal ammeter has zero internal resistance.

Ohmmeter

The ohmmeter is a device that when connected across a circuit element, can
measure the resistance.
The resistance of an element can be measured only when the element is
disconnected from any other circuit.

complex
circuits

sho
circ rt
uits

1.2
ELECTRICAL
CIRCUIT

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ccii

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sim cuit
cir

Function
OHMMETER

VOLTMETER
AMMETER

OHMS LAW

Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between

two points is directly proportional to the potential difference
across the two points, and inversely proportional to the
resistance between them.
V = volts
I = amperes
R = ohms
Current is the rate of flow of electrons through a
circuit.
Voltage is the electrical pressure.
Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electrons in
a
material.

RELATIONSHIP THAT VOLTAGE IS DIRECTLY

PROPORTIONAL TO CURRENT

V = IxR

I =V
R

R=V
I

Example 1
The current flow through the circuit of the flashlight is 0.1
amperes. The power source is two D cells, providing 3 volts.
What is the resistance of the light bulb?

R=V
I

3V
0.1A

= 30

Example 2

What is the current flow through a light bulb of 30-ohm

resistance when the voltage drop across the light bulb is 12
volts?

I =V ;
R

= 12V
30
= 0.4A

1.3
OHMS
LAW

V = IxR

V
I
R

=
=
=

volts
amperes
ohms

I =V
R

R=V
I

ELECTRICAL POWER
Electrical power is defined as the amount of electric current
flowing due to an applied voltage. It is the amount of electricity
required to start or operate a load for one second.

Unit
: watts (W)
Symbol : P

CLARIFY THAT ELECTRICAL POWER CAN BE

DELIVERED AS DEFINED BY DERIVATION OF
THE VOLTAGE AND THE DIRECTION OF THE
CURRENT.

P = VI

P = I2 R

P = V2
R

V = IR;
So,
P = VI
= (I R)I
= I2 R

I = V/R ;
So,
P=VI
= V(V/R)
P = V2
R

USE OF WATTMETER
Wattmeter

The wattmeter is an instrument that provides a measurement of the power

dissipated by a circuit element, since the wattmeter is in effect made up of a
combination of a voltmeter and an ammeter.
In effect, the wattmeter measure the current flowing through the load and
simultaneously, the voltages across it and multiplies the two to provide a
reading of the power dissipated by the load.

SOLVE PROBLEM RELATED

TO ELECTRICAL POWER

Example 1
A toaster has current of 5A and home voltage supply is 240V.
Calculate the power consumption needed for the toaster.
P =
=
=
=

VI
240 X 5
1200 W
1.2 kW

1.4
L
A
C
I
R
T
C
E
L
E
POWER

Unit
: watts (W)
Symbol : P
P = VI

P = I2 R

P = V2
R

SERIES AND
PARALLEL CIRCUITS
Series Circuit
Current through each load resistance is the same.
Total current in the circuit is the sum of load resistance.
Total voltages drop equal the source current.

+
_
Bulb

Parallel Circuit
Voltages across each load resistance is the same.
Current flow through each load will be different if the load
resistance is different.
Equivalence resistance of the circuit is less than the lowers
load resistance.
Total current in the circuit equal the sum of the branch current.

+
_

FORMULAS USED IN
SERIES CIRCUITS
Current

in Series Circuit is:

IT = I 1 = I 2 = I 3 = = I N
Voltage

in Series Circuit is:

VT = V1 + V2 + V3 + + VN
Resistance

in Series Circuit is:

RT = R1 + R + R3 ++ RN2

Example 1

a. What is the total resistance?

b. What is the current in the circuit?
c. What is the potential difference across each
resistor?

a. total resistance

b. current in the circuit

V

c. potential difference across each resistor

Example 2
The diagram shows a series circuit.
a. What is the total resistance?
b. What is the current in the circuit?
c. What is the potential difference
across the 50 ohm
resistor?
a. Total resistance = 30 + 40 + 50
= 120
b. Current, I = V/R
= 12 V / 120
= 0.1 A
c. Voltage, V = IR
= 0.1 A X 50
=5V

FORMULAS USED IN
PARALLEL CIRCUITS
Current

in Parallel Circuit is:

IT = I 1 + I 2 + I 3 + + I N
Voltage

in Parallel Circuit is:

VT = V1 = V2 = V3 = = VN
Resistance

in Parallel Circuit is:

Example 1
This circuit is a parallel circuit

a.What is the total resistance?

b.What is the current in the circuit?
c.What is the current through the 30
Ohm resistor?

a.

1/Rt = 1/30 + 1/40 + 1/50 = 47/600

Rt = 600/47
= 12.8

b.

Current, I = V/R
= 12 V / 12.8
= 0.94 A

c.

Current, I = V/R
= 12 V / 30
= 0.4 A

CURRENT DIVIDER RULE

Current Divider Rule
We can use Current Divider Rule for determine current value in every junction
in circuit
1.

Let's analyze a simple parallel circuit, determining the branch currents

through individual resistors:

2. Knowing that voltages across all components in a parallel circuit are the
same, we can fill in our voltage/current/resistance table with 6 volts across
the top row:
3. Using Ohm's Law (I=V/R) we can calculate each branch current:

4.

Knowing that branch currents add up in parallel circuits to equal the total
current, we can arrive at total current by summing 6 mA, 2 mA, and 3 mA:
V

5.

The final step, of course, is to figure total resistance. This can be done with
Ohm's Law (R=V/I) in the "total" column, or with the parallel resistance
formula from individual resistances. Either way, we'll get the same answer:
V

VOLTAGE DIVIDER RULE

Voltage Divider Rule
We can use volatge divider rule in order to calculate the value of individual
voltage through every resistor in series circuit .
1.

Let's analyze a simple series circuit, determining the voltage drops across
individual resistors:

2. From the given values of individual resistances, we can determine a total

circuit resistance, knowing that resistances add in series:
V

3.

From here, we can use Ohm's Law (I=E/R) to determine the total current,
which we know will be the same as each resistor current, currents being
equal in all parts of a series circuit:
V

4.

Now, knowing that the circuit current is 2 mA, we can use Ohm's Law
(V=IR) to calculate voltage across each resistor:
V

VOLTAGE DIVIDER RULE AND

CURRENT DIVIDER RULE

SERIES-PARALLEL CIRCUIT

Figure 1: RAB = 500

Figure 2: RAB = 750
Figure 3: RAB = 1.517 k

Example1

a.What is the total resistance?

b.What is the current in the circuit?
c.What is the potential difference
across the 30 ohm resistor?
d.What is the current through the 40
ohm resistor?

a. Parallel combination: 1/40 + 1/50 = 9/200

R = 200/9
= 22
Total resistance
= 30 + 22
= 52

c. Voltage, V = IR
= 0.23 X 30
= 6.92 V

b. Current. I = V/R
= 12/52
= 0.23 A

d. across the 40 ohm resistors = 12 6.92

= 5.08 V
Current = 5.08 / 40
= 0.127 A

PARALLEL

SERIES

IT = I 1 + I 2 + I 3 + + I N

IT = I 1 = I 2 = I 3 = = I N

VT = V1 = V2 = V3 = = VN

VT = V1 + V2 + V3 + + VN
RT = R1 + R + R3 ++ RN2

CIR 1.5
CU
IT

SERIES-PARALLEL