CHAPTER 1

Basic Electrical Engineering Principles

 INTRODUCTION TO
ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
What is Matter?
■ Matter is anything that has mass and
takes up space
What is Matter?
■ Matter is often taken to mean anything
composed of atoms and molecules.
■ Thus, matter is anything made of protons,
neutrons, and electrons.
Pure Substances
- A sample of matter that has definite chemical and
physical properties.

Element Compound
 ELEMENTS
• An element is a pure substance made up of only one type of
atom.
• There are over 100 known elements, each with its own unique
properties.
• A pure substance that cannot be separated into simpler
substance by physical or chemical means.
Compounds
Pure substance composed of two or more
different elements joined by chemical bonds.

– Made of elements in a specific ratio

that is always the same
– Has a chemical formula
– Can only be separated by
chemical means, not physically
Mixtures
■ A combination of two or more pure substances that are not
chemically combined.
■ substances held together by physical forces, not chemical
■ No chemical change takes place
■ Each item retains its properties
in the mixture
■ They can be separated physically

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Element, Compound, or Mixture?
Rocks
Element, Compound, or Mixture?
Rocks
Element, Compound, or Mixture?
Copper
Element, Compound, or Mixture?
Copper
Element, Compound, or Mixture?
Table Sugar
Element, Compound, or Mixture?
Table Sugar
Atom
■ Smallest piece of an element containing all of the
properties of that element
Components of an Atom
Nucleus
The center portion of
an atom containing the
protons and neutrons
Protons
Positively charged
atomic particles
Neutrons
Uncharged atomic
particles
Electricity at the Atomic Level
Atomic Number
The atomic number is
equal to the number of
protons in the nucleus
of an atom.

The atomic number

identifies the element.

How many
protons are in
this nucleus?
Electricity at the Atomic Level

Electrons
Negatively charged
particles

Electron Orbitals
Orbits in which
electrons move around 2D
3D
the nucleus of an atom

Valence Electrons
The outermost ring of
electrons in an atom
Electricity at the Atomic Level
Electron Orbits
Orbit Maximum
Number Electrons
1 2
2 8
3 18
4 32
5 50
6 72
Valence 8
Orbit

Orbits closest to the nucleus fill first

Electricity at the Atomic Level
Electron Orbits
Atoms like to have their valence ring either filled (8) or empty(0) of
electrons.

Copper
How many electrons are
Cu in the valence orbit? 1
29
Is copper a conductor
or insulator? Conductor

Why?
Electricity at the Atomic Level
Electron Orbits

Sulfur

S
16

How many electrons are in the valence orbit?

6
Is Sulfur a conductor or insulator?
Insulator
Why?
 Electricity at the Atomic Level
Electron Flow

An electron from one orbit can knock out an electron from another orbit.

When an atom loses an

electron, it seeks another
to fill the vacancy.

Copper

Cu
29
Electricity at the Atomic Level
Electron Flow
Electricity is created as electrons collide and transfer from atom to atom.

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Conductors and Insulators

Conductors Insulators

Electrons flow easily Electron flow is difficult

between atoms between atoms

1-3 valence electrons in 5-8 valence electrons in

outer orbit outer orbit

Examples: Silver,
Copper, Gold, Aluminum Examples: Mica, Glass,
Quartz
Conductors and Insulators
Identify conductors and insulators

Conductors Insulators
Semi - Conductor
■ Are materials that are neither
good conductor nor good
insulator
■ 4 valence electrons in outer
orbit
BASIC ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES
BASIC ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES
CHARGE (Q) CURRENT (I)
■ SI unit is Coulomb (C) ■ SI unit Is Ampere (A)
■ Property of matter that causes it to ■ Is defined as the rate at which the
experience a force when placed in charge flows past a point on the
an electromagnetic field circuit
Law of Electrical Charges: Formula: I =
𝑸
– Unlike Charges = Attract 𝒕

– Like Charges = Repel Where:

t = time in seconds (s)
Q = Charge in coulombs (C)
Current
The flow of electric charge
- measured in AMPERES (A)

Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)

Pipe (Wiring)

When the faucet (switch) is off,

is there any flow (current)?
NO
When the faucet (switch) is on,
is there any flow (current)?
YES
Current in a Circuit

off on

When the switch is off, there is no current.

When the switch is on, there is current.
Types of Electric Current
Alternating Current (ac) Direct Current (dc)
■ is a current that changes ■ Flows only in one direction and
direction with respect to time. can be constant or time varying
Current Flow
Conventional Current Electron Flow
■ assumes that current flows out ■ is what actually happens. The
of the positive side of the electrons flow out of the
battery, through the circuit, and negative side of the battery,
back to the negative side of the through the circuit, and back to
battery. This was the convention the positive side of the battery.
established when electricity was
first discovered, but it is
incorrect!

Conventional Electron
Current Flow
Example

■ The total charge entering a terminal is given by q = 5 t sin 4

πt mC. Calculate the current at t = 0.5 s.
Example

■ A constant current of 4A charges a capacitor. How

long will it take to accumulate charge of 8 coulombs
on the plates?
Example

■ The current in an electric lamp is 5 amperes. What

quantity of electricity flows towards the filament in 6
minutes?
BASIC ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES
VOLTAGE (E) Methods of Producing Voltage:
■ SI unit is Volt (V) ■ Friction
■ Is the difference in electric potential ■ Pressure
between two points
■ Heat (thermoelectricity)
■ Electrical pressure on a circuit that
pushes the charges to move ■ Light(Photoelectricity)

■ Is the work done per unit charge ■ Chemical Action

𝑾 ■ Magnetism
FORMULA: V =
𝑸

Where:
W = Work in Joules
Q = Charge in Coulombs (C)
Voltage
The force (pressure) that causes
current to flow
- measured in VOLTS (V)

Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)

Pipe (Wiring)

When the faucet (switch) is off, is there any pressure (voltage)?

YES – Pressure (voltage) is pushing against the pipe, tank, and
the faucet.
When the faucet (switch) is on, is there any pressure (voltage)?
YES – Pressure (voltage) pushes flow (current) through the
system.
Voltage in a Circuit

off on

The battery provides voltage that will push

current through the bulb when the switch is on.
Example

■ An energy source forces a constant current of 2 A for 10 s to

flow through a light bulb. If 2.3 kJ is given off in the form of
light and heat energy, calculate the voltage drop across the
bulb.
Example:
Find the energy is transferred when the potential
difference is 12 volts and the charge is 7.C.
BASIC ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES
CONDUCTANCE (G) RESISTANCE (R)
■ SI unit is Ohms (Ω)
■ SI unit is Siemens (S)
■ Is the property of a material that
■ Is the property of a material that
resists or opposes the flow of
allows the flow of current
current
■ Opposite or reciprocal of resistance
FORMULA: G =
Where:
R = resistance in ohms (Ω)
Resistance
The opposition of current flow
- measured in Ohms (Ω)

Tank (Battery) Faucet (Switch)

Pipe (Wiring)

What happens to the flow (current) if a rock

gets lodged in the pipe?
Flow (current) decreases.
Resistance in a Circuit

off on

Resistors are components that create resistance.

Reducing current causes the bulb to become
more dim.
Factors Affecting Resistance
1. The length L of the material. Longer
materials have greater resistance.
L 2L

1W 2W

2. The cross-sectional area A of the material.

Larger areas offer LESS resistance.

A 2A

2W
1W
 Factors Affecting R (Cont.)
3. The temperature T of the material. The
higher temperatures usually result in
higher resistances.
R > Ro

Ro

4. The kind of material. Iron has more

electrical resistance than a geometrically
similar copper conductor.
Ri > Rc
Copper Iron
 Resistivity of a Material
The resistivity r is a property of a material that
determines its electrical resistance R.

Recalling that R is directly proportional to length

L and inversely proportional to area A, we may
write:

L RA
Rr or r
A L

The unit of resistivity is the ohm-meter (Wm)

RESISTIVITY OF COMMON MATERIALS
Example. What length L of copper wire is required to produce a 4
mW resistor? Assume the diameter of the wire is 1 mm and that
the resistivity r of copper is 1.72 x 10-8 W.m .

 D2  (0.001 m)2
A  A = 7.85 x 10-7 m2
4 4
L RA (0.004 W)(7.85 x 10-7m2 )
Rr L 
A r 1.72 x 10-8Wm

Required length is: L = 0.183 m

 Temperature Coefficient
For most materials, the resistance R changes in proportion to the initial
resistance Ro and to the change in temperature Dt.

Change in resistance: DR   R0 Dt

The temperature coefficient of resistance,  is the change in

resistance per unit resistance per unit degree change of temperature.

DR 1
 ; Units: 0
R0 Dt C
TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF COMMON MATERIALS
Example 4. The resistance of a copper wire is 4.00 mW at 200C. What
will be its resistance if heated to 800C? Assume that  = 0.004 /Co.

Ro = 4.00 mW; Dt = 80oC – 20oC = 60 Co

DR  R0Dt; DR  (0.004/ C0 )(4 mW)(60 C0 )

DR = 0.96 mW R = Ro + DR

R = 4.00 mW + 0.96W

R = 4.96 mW
Circular Mil
■ Symbol is CM
■ Unit of area, equal to the area of a
circle whose diameter is equal to 1
mil
Conversion Factor:
1 inch = 1000 mils
1 MCM = 1000 CM
FORMULA: CM = d2
Where: d = diameter in mils
Example

■ A wire has a diameter of 0.125 inch, what is the cross-

sectional area in circular mils?
Resistor
- A passive electrical components that provides the ohmic resistance in a
circuit
- Value measured in ohms
 4-Band Resistors
The resistor nominal value is encoded in the color code in Powers
of Ten Notation. The template for determining the nominal value
and tolerance of a resistor with 4 color bands is given below:

1st Band = 2nd Band = 3rd Band = 4th Band =

1st Significant Digit 2 Significant Digit Multiplier
nd Tolerance

___ ___  10  W  ____ %

How do we know which color corresponds to which
number?
Answer: Using the Resistor Color Code Table
 Example 1. Determine the nominal resistance value and the tolerance
for the resistor shown below.

Solution:
Brown =1 Black =0 Red =2 Gold = 5%

2
0  10 
1 ___
___ 5 %
W  ____

Nominal value = 10102W

= 1,000W

Tolerance = 5%.
■ It is typical to express the resistance value in:
kW if the resistance  1,000W
MW if the resistance  1,000,000W.

 To convert from W to kW, W to MW, or vice-versa, use the table

below:

 In the previous example we would say the resistor has a

nominal value of: 1,000W
 1kW
1,000
Example 2. a) Determine the nominal value and tolerance for the
resistor below.
b) What is the minimum resistance value this resistor
can actually have?
c) What is the maximum resistance value this resistor
can actually have?

Yellow =4 Violet =7 Orange =3 Gold = 5%

Solution:
3
7  10
4 ___
___  W  ____
5 %

Resistor nominal value = 47103W

= 47,000W
= 47kW.
Tolerance = 5%
Solution: continued

■ Minimum resistance value:

Multiply the nominal value by the tolerance and then subtract this
from the nominal value:

 47kW  47kW * 0.05

 47kW  2.35kW
 44.65kW

 Maximum resistance value:

Multiply the nominal value by the tolerance and then add this to
the nominal value:
 47kW  47kW * 0.05
 47kW  2.35kW
 49.35kW
Example 3. a) Determine the nominal value and tolerance for the
resistor below.
b) What is the minimum resistance value this resistor
can actually have?
c) What is the maximum resistance value this resistor
can actually have?

Orange =3 black =0 Green =5 Silver = 10%

Solution:
5
0  10
3 ___
___  W  ____
10 %

Resistor nominal value = 30105W

= 3,000,000W
= 3MW.
Tolerance = 10%
Solution: continued

■ Minimum resistance value:

nominal value – nominal value * tolerance:
= 3𝑀Ω − 3𝑀Ω ∗ 0.1
= 3.9𝑀Ω − 0.3𝑀Ω
= 2.7𝑀Ω

 Maximum resistance value:

nominal value + nominal value * tolerance:

= 3𝑀Ω + 3𝑀Ω ∗ 0.1

= 3𝑀Ω + 0.3𝑀Ω
= 3.3𝑀Ω
 5-Band Resistors
■ For resistors with 1% or 2% tolerance, the color code consists of
5 bands.
 The template for 5-band resistors is:

1st Band = 2nd Band = 3rd Band = 4th Band = 5th Band =
1st Significant 2nd Significant 3rd Significant Multiplier Tolerance
Digit Digit Digit

___ ___ ___  10  W  ____ %

Example 4. Determine the nominal resistance and tolerance for the resistor shown
below.

Solution:

Brown = 1 Black =0 Black = 0 Brown = 1 Red =  2%

1
1 ___
___ 0  10  W  ____
0 ___ 2 %

Resistor nominal value = 100101W

= 1,000W
= 1kW.
Tolerance = 2%
Example 5. Determine the nominal resistance and tolerance for the resistor shown
below.

Blue = 6 Gray = 8 Black = 0 Orange = 3 Brown =  1%

Solution: 3
6 ___
___ 0  10 
8 ___ W  ____
1 %

Resistor nominal value = 680103W

= 680,000W
= 680kW.
Tolerance = 1%
 Converting the Nominal Resistance and
Tolerance into the Color Code
We are given the nominal value and the tolerance and we have
to come up with the color code.

4-Band Resistors
1. Resistors with 5% and 10% Tolerance will have 4-bands

2. Convert nominal value to ohms (W)

3. 1st digit (from left to right) of nominal value = 1st color band

4. 2nd digit of nominal value = 2nd band

5. Number of zeros remaining = 3rd (multiplier) band

6. Tolerance = 4th band

Example 6. Specify the color code of a resistor with nominal value
of 27kW and a tolerance of 10%.
Solution:
1) Since resistor Tolerance = 10% it will have 4-bands.

2) Convert the nominal resistance value to W from kW.

27,000 W
Red = 2 Violet = 7 Orange = 3 10%
Example 7. Specify the color code of a resistor with nominal value
of 1.5kW and a tolerance of 5%.
Solution:
1) Since resistor Tolerance = 5% it will have 4-bands.

2) Convert the nominal resistance value to W from kW.

1,500 W
Brown = 1 Green = 5 Red = 2 5%
 Converting the Nominal Resistance and
Tolerance into the Color Code
5-Band Resistors
1. Resistors with 1% and 2% Tolerance will have 5-bands

2. Convert nominal value to ohms (W)

3. 1st digit (from left to right) of nominal value = 1st color band

4. 2nd digit of nominal value = 2nd band

5. 3rd digit of nominal value = 3rd band

6. Number of zeros remaining = 4th (multiplier) band

7. Tolerance = 5th band

Example 8. Specify the color code of a resistor with nominal value
of 2.5MW and a tolerance of 1%.
Solution:
1) Since resistor Tolerance = 1% it will have 5-bands.

2) Convert the nominal resistance value to W from MW.

2,500,000W
Red = 2 Green = 5
Black = 0 Yellow = 4 1%
Assignment

■ What are the different types of resistors?

■ What is the mechanism behind the functioning of a solar panel? Is the light emitted
by your flashlight sufficient to create electricity with your solar panel?
■ What is Square Mil?
■ What is electrical symbol? And what are the common electrical symbol used in
electrical engineering? (with figure and definition)
SEATWORK 1
1. What is the color code for a 5KΩ, tolerance ± 5% resistor?

2. What is the color code of 333kΩ,± 5% five band resistor?

3. The amount of charge that passes through the filament of a certain light bulb in 2 seconds is 1.67 C. A.) What is the current in the light
bulb? B) What is the number of electrons that pass through the filament in one second?

4. 1 x 1020 electrons flow through a conductor in 3 s. A) What is the charge flowing through the conductor? B) What is the current in the
circuit?

5. The resistance of a bulb filament is 100Ω at a temperature of 100°C. If its temperature coefficient of resistance be 0.005 per °C, its
resistance will become 200Ω at a temperature of?

6. The resistance of a wire is 5Ω at 50°C and 6Ω at 100°C. The resistance of the wire at 0°C will be?

7. Determine the resistance of a bus bar copper if the length is 10 meters long and the cross-section is 4x4 cm2. Use 1.7241 mirco ohm-cm as
the resistivity

8. A battery can deliver 10 joules of energy to move 5 coulombs of charge. What is the potential difference between the terminals of the
battery?

9. A certain wire has a resistance R. The resistance of another wire identical with the first except for having twice its diameter is.

10. A 500 MCM ACSR cable has 37 strands. Determine the diameter in mils of each strand.