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Lesson 23 Electronics

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Lesson 23 Electronics

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Lesson 2.

Electricity
Electric Charges

Electric charges were first observed by the Greeks around 2500 years ago. Many of their observations were aided by a
plastic-like substance formed from the hardened sap of certain trees. This material is called amber. They observed that
when amber is rubbed with a piece of animal fur, it can attract small pieces of dust. This is the same as your comb-and-
paper experiment. After rubbing the comb with a cloth, it eventually attracted the bits of paper. Technically, neither the
plastic comb nor the cloth ordinarily attracts paper. The process of rubbing the two together induced an attractive force.
The Greek word for amber is “Elektron”. It is the origin term for electricity and electron. Electric charges account for the
attraction of the balloon to the wall and the bits of paper to the comb. Electric charge or simply charge is a fundamental
property of matter. The amount of charge that is on or carried by a particle determines how the particle reacts to
magnetic and electric fields. The charge of a particle is a measure of the amount of “electric-ness” it carries.

Basic Facts about Charges

1. There are two types of electric charge: positive charge and negative charge. Proton has a positive charge and electron
has a negative charge.

2. Charge comes in quantized units. Like charges repel and unlike charges attract. Charge is conserved.

3. The total charge on an object is the sum of all the individual charges (protons and electrons) carried by the object. The
charge can move from place to place, and from one object to another, but the total charge of the universe does not
change.

• Positively-charged material= total charge in the material is positive

• Negatively-charged material = total charge in the material is negative

• Neutrally-charged material= total charge is zero (equilibrium)

Electric Charge/ Charge

- Denoted by the symbols q or Q

- Metric Unit/ SI unit: coulombs / C in honor of French physicist Charles de Coulomb (1736-1806)

- Charge of a single electron = -e = -1.60 x 10-19 C

- Charge of a single proton = +e = +1.60 x 10-19 C

- Charge of a single neutron= 0

- We will use e to denote the magnitude of the charge on an electron or proton

Current, Voltage, and Resistance

Electrodynamics is a branch of Physics that deals with electric charges in motion. An electric circuit is a close conducting
path where charges flow. There are three essential elements in an electric circuit: current or electric current, resistance,
and voltage or potential difference.

CURRENT/ ELECTRIC CURRENT

- The amount of charge passing through any point in a conductor per unit time

- Denoted by the symbol I

- SI unit of measure is ampere/ A in honor of the French scientist and mathematician Andre Marie Ampere

𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 (𝑰) = 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆 (𝒒) /𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 (𝒕) or 𝑰 = 𝒒 /𝒕

𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒏 𝟏 𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑨 = 𝟏 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒃 (𝑪) /𝟏 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝟏 𝑨 = 𝟏 𝑪 /𝒔


Electric current constitutes a flow of charge. But which charge are we talking about? Historically, it was assumed
that the positive charges were the ones that flow in a wire. The direction of flow is from positive to negative. This is
called the conventional current. In reality, electric current is a stream of electrons flowing in a direction opposite that of
the conventional current. This is commonly called as electron current. However, these two are equivalent. We still
follow the conventional flow of current.

A current that flows in 1 direction is called direct current or DC. A current that changes directions at regular
intervals is called alternating current.

Problem Solving with Current

A typical household lightbulb requires a current of about I= 0.50 A. If this light is turned on for 2 hours, how
many electrons pass through the lightbulb?

Given: I = 0.50 A t= 2 hours

Required: number of electrons that pass through the lightbulb

Equation: 𝑰 = 𝒒 /𝒕

Note: The required value is the number of electrons that passed through the lightbulb within 2 hours. Electrons
is related to the total amount of charge that passed through the lightbulb.

Remember: To accumulate 1 coulomb of charge, you need 6.24 x 1018 electrons.

Solution: 𝑰 = 𝒒 /𝒕 Derive a formula in terms of q

𝒒 = 𝑰𝒕

𝑞 = (0.50 𝐴)(7200 𝑠) 2 hours is converted in terms of seconds

1 hour = 3600 seconds (60 x 60)

𝑞 = 3600 𝐶

1 coulomb = 6.24 x 1018 electrons

3600 C = How many electrons?

N = (3600 C) (6.24 x 1018 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑠 / )

N = 2.24 x 1022 electrons

Answer: 2.24 x 1022 electrons

Potential Difference or Voltage

For a charge to flow from one point to another, a difference in potential must exist between two points. Take,
for example, the flow of water in a river is caused by the change in gravitational potential energy as water moves from
the high end of the river to the low end. Electric current is produced similarly.

Charges can flow in a wire when there is a potential difference between two points in a circuit. The flow is from
a region of high electric potential energy to a region of lower potential energy. This electric potential energy can be
produced by a battery.

The potential difference is often referred to as VOLTAGE. In Figure 2, the current is directed from a higher
voltage to a region of low voltage. On the other hand, the current is carried by electrons that move to the left region of
the copper wire. Since the charge is negative, the potential energy for electrons will be higher at the right end that at the
left. Thus, electrons move from a region with a lower voltage to a region of higher voltage. Either way, the direction of
current I is always from high to low potential, regardless of whether this current is carried by the positive or negative
charge.

VOLTAGE

• Denoted by the symbol V

• SI unit is volts or V in honor of Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the first electric cell (1799)
• Cell- the source of potential difference in a circuit. Figure 3 is the standard symbol of a cell. The longer vertical
line is the positive terminal which has higher potential. The shorter line is the negative terminal which has a lower
potential. An electric cell has one positive electrode and one negative electrode. The electrodes are immersed in an ion-
conducting medium called electrolyte.

• Electromotive force (emf)- voltage across the terminals of a cell

• Dry cells are usually used in toys, clocks, alarm clocks, and flashlights. Storage batteries or wet cells which have
liquid electrolyte are used in cars.

• Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries are rechargeable which uses nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as
electrodes. Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are also rechargeable batteries. These are both used in portable electronic
devices.

• Solar cells emit electrons when they are struck by light.

• Primary Cells- cells that cannot be recharged Example: dry cells

• Secondary Cells- are secondary cells Example: wet cells, Ni-Cd Battery, LIB

• Battery- combination of cells, either in series or in parallel

Cells in Series- total voltage is the sum of the individual voltages

Cells in Parallel- total voltage is equal to the voltage of a single cell

RESISTANCE

• Opposition a material provides to the flow of charges through it.

• SI unit is ohm (Ω) named after Georg Simon Ohm

• Ω is the Greek letter omega used to represent ohm.

There are four factors that affect the resistance of a material: cross-sectional area, length, kind of material, and
temperature. The wires in a circuit offer resistance. A long thin wire offers greater resistance while a short thick wire
offers lesser resistance. Resistance is higher among insulators and lower in conductors. As temperature increases,
resistance increases for conductor and decreases for insulators and semiconductors. For superconductors, resistance
and resistivity first decrease as temperature decreases. But at a certain critical temperature, resistance and resistivity
drop to zero. In special alloys like manganin and constantan, they hardly change with temperature.

Summary

1. Electric charge is the physical property of matter carried by some elementary particles that governs how the
particles are affected by an electric or magnetic field.

2. Static electricity is the imbalance number of charged particles in a material. Materials can be negatively
charged, positively charged, or neutral.

3. When charged materials made surface contact, electrostatic discharge (ESD) will take place. Sometimes it can
be observed through the “zap” sensation or a spark.

4. Electrostatic discharge can damage electronic components.

5. Current is the rate of flow of charge per unit of time. The SI unit of current is ampere or A.

6. Voltage, also known as potential difference and electromotive force, is the electrical pressure that keeps
charges to flow. The voltage in a circuit is the difference in the electric potential energy between two regions in a circuit.

7. Resistance is the opposition to the flow of charges in a circuit. The amount of resistance a material can offer is
affected by the length, surface area, and type of material.

8. Conductors offer less resistance. Insulators have higher resistance; thus, these are poor conductors of
electricity.
Lesson 3. Simple Circuit and Ohm’s Law

A circuit is a closed conducting path for moving charges. In order to come up with a circuit, you must have a
source, switch, the conducting path (wire), and a load.

Ohm’s Law

Who is Georg Simon Ohm (1789-1854)?

He is a German physicist who experimentally established the relation among electric current, resistance, and
voltage in an electric circuit. He found out that the current passing through a conductor varies directly as the potential
difference applied at its ends and inversely as the resistance of the conductor.

What he had found was the same with your conclusion in the previous activity. It was called the Ohm’s Law. In
symbol, the law can be represented as follows:

𝑹=𝑽/𝑰 Where R is resistance, measured in Ω,

V is voltage measured in volts (V), and

I is current measured in amps/ampere (A).

What does the Ohm’s Law imply in a circuit?

• If the resistance in a circuit is held constant, as you increase the voltage, the current also increases. As the voltage is
decreased, the current is also decreased. Current and voltage are directly proportional to each other.

• If the voltage in a circuit is held constant, as the resistance is increased, the current is decreased. If you decrease the
resistance, current will increase.

Problem Solving with Ohm’s Law.

1. A bulb with a resistance of 10 Ω is connected to a 220 V AC outlet. What is the current flowing in the light bulb?
Given: R= 10 Ω V= 220 V
Required: I =?
Equation: 𝑹 = 𝑽 𝑰
But I is required, hence we manipulate the equation in terms of I.
IR = V (Cross multiplication)
𝐈𝐑 /𝐑 = 𝐕 /𝐑 (Divide both sides of the equation with R.)

𝐈 = 𝐕 /𝐑

Solution: 𝐈 = 𝐕 /𝐑
𝐈 = 𝟐𝟐𝟎 𝐕 /𝟏𝟎 Ω
Answer: I = 22 A

2. What happens in the circuit mentioned in number 1 if the voltage is reduced to ½?


Given: R= 10 Ω V= 110 V
Required: I =?
Equation: 𝑹 = 𝑽/ 𝑰
But I is required, hence we manipulate the equation in terms of I.
IR = V (Cross multiplication)
𝐈𝐑 /𝐑 = 𝐕 /𝐑 (Divide both sides of the equation with R.)

𝐈 = 𝐕 /𝐑

Solution: 𝐈 = 𝐕 /𝐑
𝐈 = 𝟏𝟏𝟎 𝐕 /𝟏𝟎 Ω

Answer: I = 11 A

When R is constant, reducing the voltage to ½ will reduce the current in the circuit by ½ of its original value.

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