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Electric Circuit

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Rhea Michaela Serrada Flores
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8 views

Electric Circuit

Uploaded by

Rhea Michaela Serrada Flores
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SIMPLE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

A circuit is any arrangement of materials that provides a path for electrons to flow.

Components of Simple Circuit


1. Electrical energy source
At the source, electrical energy is converted from other forms, usually chemical, mechanical, and
thermal energy.
2. Load
In the load, electrical energy is converted into other forms like light, motion, sound, and thermal
energy.
3. Connecting wires
Allow electric current to flow
4. Switch – opens or closes the circuit

An electric circuit can be closed or opened by turning a switch on or off.

Electrical Symbols

ELECTRIC CURRENT
In electric circuits, the energy carriers are free electrons or electrons loosely bound to the atomic
nuclei. An electron has a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 coulomb. The coulomb is the basic unit of electric charge. To
produce 1 coulomb of electric charge, 6.3 x 1018 electrons are required.
Electric current is measured by determining the number of charges q passing through a perpendicular
cross – section of the conductor per unit time t. In equation form, this gives
I=q
t
The unit of electric current is the ampere (A). It is equivalent to 1 coulomb of charge passing through a
cross-section of the conductor per second. In other words, if 6.3 x 10 18 electrons (1 coulomb) pass a cross-
section of the conductor in 1 second, the electric current is 1 ampere. The units are named after the French
scientists, Charles Coulomb and Andre Ampere.

1 ampere = 1 coulomb/second

Although electrons move from the repelling negative terminal toward the attracting positive terminal
of a source, it has been agreed that the direction of conventional current is from the positive to the negative
terminal.
Electric current may be AC or DC. Direct current or DC is made up of electrons flowing in one direction.
A battery produces direct current in a circuit because the terminals of the battery always have the same
opposite charge.
Generators in power plants produce alternating currents (AC). This is the kind of current in the
household circuit. In alternating current, there is a continuous back and forth movement of electrons in the
circuit. Nearly all commercial AC circuits involve current that alternate back and forth at a frequency of 60
cycles per second.
An ammeter measures current. It is connected in series with the load in a circuit. The positive terminal
of an ammeter is connected to the positive terminal of the energy source. Its negative terminal is connected
to the negative terminal of the energy source.

VOLTAGE
When electrons flow through a battery or any power supply, they gain electrical potential energy. As
the electrons flow around a circuit, they lose this energy when passing through the load. The energy
transferred to one coulomb of charge within the battery is called the electromotive force (emf) of the battery.
A battery with an electromotive force of 6 volts transfers 6 joules of energy to each coulomb of charge when
the charge moves through the battery. The energy transferred to a circuit component per unit charge is called
the potential difference (pd) between the two terminals of the component. The “emf “ and “pd” are simply
referred to as voltage. Thus the unit for voltage is the volt (V) in honor of Alessandro Volta.
1 volt (V) = 1 joule (J) / coulomb (C)
1V = 1J/C
In a chemical cell, chemical energy is transformed to electrical energy. A generator transforms
mechanical energy to electrical energy. This electrical energy enables the net flow of free electrons in a circuit.
Voltage is measured by voltmeter. Note that it is connected across the load whose potential difference
is to be measured.

RESISTANCE
Resistance is a measure of the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit.
Resistance is measured in ohms, symbolized by the Greek letter omega (Ω). Ohms are named after
Georg Simon Ohm (1784-1854), a German physicist who studied the relationship between voltage, current
and resistance. He is credited for formulating Ohm's Law.

CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS


Materials in an electric circuit vary in their ability to allow electric current to pass through. Some
materials have many loosely held electrons. Materials of this kind are called conductors. Wires used to
connect the components of an electric circuit are conductors. These offer low resistance to current.
Other materials hold materials electrons very tightly. In these materials the voltage of a battery or an
electrical outlet may not be enough to pull the electrons loose and make them move. Such materials are called
insulators.

Common Insulators and Conductors

Insulator Conductor
Hard rubber oil Metals such as iron, gold, copper,
Dry air diamond silver, steel
Paraffin dry wood Earth
Porcelain Moist materials
Sulfur Water solution of salts
Sealing wax Human body
Glass
Dry silk
Bakelite and similar plastics

To prevent electric shocks, electric wires are covered with insulating materials, like cloth or rubber. For
electric wires on walls or power poles, the supports are glass, porcelain, and hard plastics.

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