1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
QUANTITIES AND UNITS
Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1
Objectives
Discuss the SI standard
Use scientific notation (powers of ten) to
represent quantities
Use engineering notation and metric prefixes to
represent large and small quantities
Convert from one unit with a metric prefix to
another

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1
Passive Components
You will study important ideas that are used in
electronics. You may already be familiar with a
few of the important parts used in electronic
circuits. Resistors are introduced in Chapter 2.

Colorbands

Resistors

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Resistancematerial
(carboncomposition)
Insulationcoating
Leads

Chapter 1

Summary

Passive Components
Capacitors will be introduced in Chapter 12.
Capacitors

Foil
Mica
Foil
Mica
Foil
Mica
Foil

Micacapacitor_

Tantalumelectrolytic
capacitor(polarized)

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

Summary

Passive Components
Inductors will be introduced in Chapter 13.
Inductors

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

Summary

Some Important Electrical Units

Except for current, all electrical and magnetic
units are derived from the fundamental units.
Quantity

Unit

current
charge
voltage
resistance
power

ampere
coulomb
volt
ohm
watt

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Symbol
A
C
V

Chapter 1

Summary

Scientific and Engineering Notation

Very large and very small numbers are
represented with scientific and engineering
notation.
47,000,000 = 4.7 x 107 (Scientific Notation)
= 47. x 106 (Engineering Notation)

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

Summary

Scientific and Engineering Notation

0.000 027 = 2.7 x 10-5 (Scientific Notation)
= 27 x 10-6 (Engineering Notation)

0.605 = 6.05 x 10-1 (Scientific Notation)

= 605 x 10-3 (Engineering Notation)

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1
Examples

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

10

Summary
Engineering Metric Prefixes

Can you
name the
prefixes and
their
meaning?

peta

1015

tera

1012

giga

109

mega

106

kilo

103

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

11

Summary
Engineering Metric Prefixes

Can you
name the
prefixes and
their
meaning?

milli

103

micro

106

nano

109

pico

1012

femto

1015

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

12

Chapter 1
Examples

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

Summary

Metric Conversions
Whenconvertingfromalargerunittoasmallerunit,
movethedecimalpointtotheright.Remember,a
smallerunitmeansthenumbermustbelarger.
Smaller unit
0.47 M = 470 k
Larger number
Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

13

Chapter 1

Summary

Metric Conversions
Whenconvertingfromasmallerunittoalargerunit,
movethedecimalpointtotheleft.Remember,a
largerunitmeansthenumbermustbesmaller.
Larger unit
10,000 pF = 0.01 F
Smaller number
Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

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15

Chapter 1
Examples

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

Summary

Metric Arithmetic
Whenaddingorsubtractingnumberswithametric
prefix,convertthemtothesameprefixfirst.
10,000 + 22 k =
10,000 + 22,000 = 32,000
Alternatively,
10 k + 22 k = 32 k

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

16

Chapter 1

Summary

Metric Arithmetic
Whenaddingorsubtractingnumberswithametric
prefix,convertthemtothesameprefixfirst.
200 + 1.0 mA =
200 A + 1,000 A = 1,200 A
Alternatively,
0.200 m + 1.0 mA = 1.2 mA

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

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18

Chapter 1
Examples

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

19

Chapter 1
Examples

Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd

Chapter 1

Selected Key Terms

20

Engineering Asystemforrepresentinganynumberasaone,
notation two,orthreedigitnumbertimesapoweroften
withanexponentthatisamultipleofthree.
Exponent Thenumbertowhichabaseisraised.

Metricprefix Asymbolthatisusedtoreplacethepowerof
teninnumbersexpressedinscientificor
engineeringnotation.
Scientific A system for representing any number as a
notation number between 1 and 10 times a power of ten.
Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd