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Chapter 1 - Circuit Variables Study Guide: Objectives

This document provides a study guide for understanding circuit variables including: 1) SI units and prefixes for powers of 10 2) Definitions of voltage, current, power, and energy 3) Using the passive sign convention to determine if voltage and current expressions use positive or negative signs 4) Examples of applying definitions and conventions to circuits The study guide lists objectives and provides exercises to master the key concepts covered in the chapter.

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Ralph Somers
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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47 views

Chapter 1 - Circuit Variables Study Guide: Objectives

This document provides a study guide for understanding circuit variables including: 1) SI units and prefixes for powers of 10 2) Definitions of voltage, current, power, and energy 3) Using the passive sign convention to determine if voltage and current expressions use positive or negative signs 4) Examples of applying definitions and conventions to circuits The study guide lists objectives and provides exercises to master the key concepts covered in the chapter.

Uploaded by

Ralph Somers
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 1 – Circuit Variables


Study Guide
Objectives:
1. Understand and be able to use SI units and the standard prefixes for powers of 10.
2. Know and be able to use the definitions of voltage and current.
3. Know and be able to use the definitions of power and energy.
4. Be able to use the passive sign convention to calculate the power for an ideal basic circuit
element given its voltage and current.

Mastering the Objectives:


1. Read the Introduction and Section 1.1.
a) What is an electric circuit?
b) What is a lumped-parameter system?
c) If a signal is transmitted at a frequency of 106 Hz, what is its wavelength?
d) If the signal in (c) is transmitted by a communication system, what is the largest
relevant dimension of that communication system if it is to be treated as a
lumped-parameter system?
e) Think about the problem-solving techniques you have developed in your math
and science classes. Do you already use the steps enumerated on pages 8 and 9?
Why or why not?
2. Read Section 1.2.
a) 10 mA is the same as __________ A and ____________ µ A.
b) 50 kΩ is the same as __________ MΩ and ____________ Ω .
c) 600 nF is the same as __________ µ F and ____________ pF.
d) Solve Assessment Problem 1.2 and Chapter Problem 1.1.
3. Read Sections 1.3 and 1.4
a) What blocks and arrows in Fig. 1.4 are covered in the circuits class you are now
taking?
b) Define voltage in words and with an equation.
c) Define current in words and with an equation.
d) Use the equations for voltage and current to confirm the definition of the units
“volt” and “ampere” (see Tables 1.1 and 1.2).
4. Read Section 1.5.
a) List the three attributes of an ideal basic circuit element.
i. Which of the attributes describes “ideal”?
ii. Which of the attributes describes “basic”?
iii. Which of the attributes describes “circuit element”?
b) What symbol do we use to describe the direction of current flow? This symbol
should remind you that current flows through a circuit element.
c) What symbols do we use to describe the polarity of voltage? These symbols
should remind you that voltage is defined across a circuit element.
d) Redraw the ideal basic circuit elements below so that the voltage and current are
both positive numbers.
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e) Redraw the ideal basic circuit elements below so that the voltage and current are
both positive numbers.

f) The passive sign convention is extremely important, so make sure you understand
it. We will use the passive sign convention to determine whether a given equation
involving voltage and current should use a positive sign or a negative sign. One
way to remember the passive sign convention is to realize that the current arrow
always points to the correct sign! Consider the following ideal basic circuit
element with current and voltage defined as shown:

Here, the passive sign convention tells us to use a “+” sign in any expression
involving voltage and current. You can see that the current arrow points to the
“+” sign. Consider the next example:

Now the passive sign convention tells us to use a “–” in any expression involving
voltage and current. You can see that the current arrow points to the “–” sign.
Finally, consider the following example:

In this example the current doesn’t appear to


point at either the “+” or “–” sign. But since current must flow through the
circuit element, we can redraw the current on the other side of the circuit element
in the same direction:

Now we can see that the current arrow points at the “+” sign so we should use the
“+” sign in any expression involving voltage and current.
g) Decide whether the passive sign convention tells you to use a “+” or a “–” sign
for the following circuit elements:
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h) Solve Assessment Problem 1.3.

5. Read Section 1.6.


a) Define power in words and with an equation.
b) Use the defining equation for power to confirm the definition of the unit “watt”
(see Table 1.2).
c) Use the equation for power as a product of voltage and current to confirm the
definition of the unit “watt” (see Tables 1.1 and 1.2).
d) Write an equation for energy in terms of power. Write another equation for
energy in terms of voltage and current.
e) If you are given a plot of power versus time, what is one way to find the energy
for a given time interval without integrating? Use this technique to solve Chapter
Problem 1.19.
f) Write the equation for power in terms of voltage and current for each of the
circuit elements shown in Study Guide Section 4(g). Also state whether power is
being delivered to or extracted from the circuit element.
g) Note that in this text, when the power associated with a circuit element is positive,
we will use one of the following interchangeable expressions:
Power is delivered to the circuit element
The circuit element absorbs power
When the power associated with a circuit element is negative, we will use one of
the following interchangeable expressions:
Power is extracted from the circuit element
The circuit element generates power
The circuit element delivers power
h) Solve Assessment Problem 1.5 and Chapter Problem 1.26.

Assessing Your Mastery:


Review the Objectives for this unit. Once you are satisfied that you have achieved these
Objectives, take the Chapter 1 Test.

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