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Introduction To Basic Concepts

Electric charge is a fundamental property that can be positive or negative, and is measured in coulombs. Current is the flow of electric charge over time, measured in amperes. Voltage, or electric potential difference, is the work required to move a unit of charge between two points in a circuit. It is measured in volts. Power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by a current and is measured in watts. Energy is the capacity to do work and is measured in joules.

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24 views

Introduction To Basic Concepts

Electric charge is a fundamental property that can be positive or negative, and is measured in coulombs. Current is the flow of electric charge over time, measured in amperes. Voltage, or electric potential difference, is the work required to move a unit of charge between two points in a circuit. It is measured in volts. Power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by a current and is measured in watts. Energy is the capacity to do work and is measured in joules.

Uploaded by

Danial
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INTRODUCTION TO BASIC

CONCEPTS
Electric Charge
The most basic quantity in an electric circuit is the electric
charge

Charge is an electrical property of the atomic particles and is


measured in coulombs (C)

The charge e on an electron is negative and equal in


magnitude to 1.602 × 10−19 C

A proton carries a positive charge of the same magnitude as


the electron
Electric Charge
The following points should be noted about electric charge:

1) The coulomb is a large unit for charges. In 1 C of charge,


1
there are = 6.24 × 1018 electrons
1.602×10−19

2) According to experimental observations, the only charges that


occur in nature are integral multiples of the electronic charge
𝑒 = −1.602 × 10−19 C

3) The law of conservation of charge states that charge can


neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be transferred
Electric Current
We now consider the flow of electric charges

A unique feature of electric charge or electricity is the fact that it


is mobile; that is, it can be transferred from one place to
another, where it can be converted to another form of energy

When a conducting wire (consisting of several atoms) is


connected to a battery (a source of electromotive force), the
charges are compelled to move

Positive charges move in one direction while negative charges


move in the opposite direction
This motion of charges creates electric current
Electric Current
It is conventional to take the current flow as the movement of
positive charges, that is, opposite to the flow of negative
charges, as shown below

We now know that current in metallic conductors is due to


negatively charged electrons

But we will follow the universally accepted convention that


current is the net flow of positive charges
Electric Current
Electric current is the time rate of change of charge, measured
in amperes (A)

Mathematically, the relationship between current i, charge q,


and time t is:

The charge transferred between time to and t is obtained by


integrating both sides of above equation as:
Electric Current
There can be several types of current; that is, charge can vary
with time in several ways

If the current does not change with time, but remains constant,
we call it a direct current (dc)

By convention symbol I is used to represent dc current


Electric Current
A time-varying current is represented by the symbol I

A common form of time-varying current is the sinusoidal current


or alternating current (ac)

An alternating current (ac) is a current that varies sinusoidally


with time
Problem-1
The current flowing through an element is:

Calculate the charge entering the element from t = 0 to t = 2s.


Voltage
To move the electron in a conductor in a particular direction
requires some work or energy transfer

This work is performed by an external electromotive force


(emf), typically represented by the battery

This emf is also known as voltage or potential difference

The voltage between two points a and b in an electric circuit is


the energy (or work) needed to move a unit charge from a to b;
mathematically:
Voltage
Figure below shows two representations of the same voltage

In Fig. (a), point a is V above point b, so there is a 9-V voltage


drop from a to b
Voltage
Equivalently in Fig. (b), point b is V above point a, so there is a
9-V voltage rise from a to b

In other words, a voltage drop from a to b is equivalent to a


voltage rise from b to a
Power and Energy
For practical purposes, we need to know how much power an
electric device can handle

We all know from experience that a 100-watt bulb gives more
light than a 60-watt bulb

We also know that when we pay our bills to the electric utility
companies, we are paying for the electric energy consumed
over a certain period of time

Thus, power and energy calculations are important in circuit


analysis
Power
To relate power and energy to voltage and current, we recall
from physics that: Power is the time rate of expending or
absorbing energy, measured in watts (W)

From previous discussion, we have:

The power absorbed or supplied by an element is the product


of the voltage across the element and the current through it
Energy
Energy is the capacity to do work, measured in joules (J)

The energy absorbed or supplied by an element from time to to


time t is:

The electric power utility companies measure energy in watt-


hours (Wh or KWh), where

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