UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

Assessment No. 1: Assignment 1

2025_Year Module

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING I

Module Code: EEA1501

Examiner: Dr. Bessie Monchusi Moderator: Mr. Sefale Mokoena

External Moderator: NONE Marks: 100
Weight of Assessment: 15%

INSTRUCTIONS TO ALL STUDENTS:

This assessment submissions opens from 06 May 2025 at 08:00 and the due date is on
the 08 May 2025 at 23:00

Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity, and students who do plagiarize or copy

verbatim from published work will be in violation of the UNISA policy on Academic
Integrity.

• All file submissions must be in .PDF only.

• The use of a non-programmable pocket calculator is permissible.
• This is an open book assessment with no IRIS proctoring.
• Plagiarism is prohibited. Plagiarism is the act of taking words, ideas and thoughts
of others and presenting it as your own. It is a form of theft which involves several
dishonest academic activities.
• This question paper remains the property of the University of South Africa and
may not be reproduced.
• Answer all questions. Each question must be started on a new page`.
• All unit symbols must be given with your answers.
• Round off calculations/ answers to two digits.
• You must scan and submit your answer sheet in order, from question 1 to the last
question.
 Assessment Group Unique Due Date Weight
Number

Assignment 1 Formative 583807 08 May 2024 at 15%

23:00

QUESTION 1: TRUE or FALSE

1.1. The efficiency of a system is defined as the ratio of useful output energy to total input
energy.
1.2. The electrochemical equivalent of a substance is the mass deposited or liberated by 1
ampere of current in 1 second.
1.3. In an electrical circuit, resistance is analogous to friction in a mechanical system.
1.4. If two identical wires are connected in parallel, their combined resistance is half the
resistance of a single wire.
1.5. The resistance of most metals increases with an increase in temperature.
1.6. A Wheatstone Bridge is used to measure unknown resistances by balancing two legs
of a bridge circuit.
1.7. Weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity.
1.8. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed,
only transformed.
1.9. Conventional current flow assumes that current moves from the positive to the negative
terminal.
1.10. Electrolysis is the process of decomposing a chemical compound by passing an
electric current through it.
1.11. The resistance of an ideal linear resistor remains constant regardless of applied
voltage.
1.12. The tolerance band in a resistor’s color code indicates the allowable variation from its
nominal resistance value.
1.13. The equivalent resistance of resistors in parallel is always less than the smallest
individual resistance.
1.14. A digital multimeter (DMM) displays a negative sign when the polarity of the measured
voltage is reversed.
1.15. The terminal voltage of a battery under load is always less than its open-circuit EMF
due to internal resistance.
[15]

QUSETION 2

Your municipality offers two electricity tariff options:

• Two-Part Tariff: Fixed cost of R450/month + R1.75 per kWh
• Lifeline Tariff: R2.40 per kWh (no fixed cost)

Given the following household usage for August 2025:

• 1 × 1500W Stove (45 mins/day)
• 8 × 12W LED bulbs (10 hrs/day)
• 1 × 1800W Kettle (30 mins/day)
• 1 × 3500W Washing Machine (1.5 hrs/day)
• 1 × 300W TV (5 hrs/day)
• 1 × 3000W Geyser (4 hrs/day)
• 1 × 500W Fridge (24 hrs/day)

2
2.1. Complete the table below to determine the cost difference between the two tariffs.
Discuss which option is more cost-effective. (10)

Power Time Days/ Energy Cost Cost

Qty. (Two-Part) (Lifeline)
(W) (h) Month (kWh)
1 1500
8 12
1 1800
1 3500
1 300
1 3000
1 500
Fixed Cost = R 450,00 N/A
Total Monthly Cost = R - R -
Cost Difference = R - R -

2.2. Repeat the calculations assuming the geyser is switched off completely for the entire
month. Discuss the cost savings. (10)
[20]

QUESTION 3: MULTIPLE CHOICE

3.1. The area of a rectangle with sides 500mm and 200mm is:
A) 1000 × 10⁻⁴ m²
B) 0.1 m²
C) 100 × 10⁻³ m²
D) 10,000 mm²
3.2. The SI unit of energy is:
A) Watt (W)
B) Joule (J)
C) Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
D) Newton (N)
3.3. The force required to accelerate a 5kg mass at 2 m/s² is:
A) 2.5N
B) 10N
C) 0.4N
D) 10kg·m/s²
3.4. 1 kWh is equivalent to:
A) 3600J
B) 3.6 × 10⁶J
C) 746W
D) 1000W
3.5. If a 12V battery delivers 3A to a circuit, the power dissipated is:
3
 A) 4W
B) 36W
C) 0.25W
D) 15W
3.6. Efficiency is best defined as:
A) (Power Out / Power In) × 100
B) (Energy Out / Energy In) × 100
C) (Work Out / Work In) × 100
D) (Voltage Out / Voltage In) × 100
3.7. If resistance in a circuit is doubled while voltage remains constant, the current:
A) Doubles
B) Halves
C) Stays the same
D) Quadruples
3.8. A 100Ω resistor dissipates 400W. The current through it is:
A) 2A
B) 4A
C) 0.25A
D) 20A
3.9. A charge of 15C flows in 3s. The current is:
A) 5A
B) 0.2A
C) 45A
D) 3A
3.10. A 60W bulb runs for 5 hours daily for a week. Total energy consumed:
A) 2.1 kWh
B) 0.3 kWh
C) 2100 kWh
D) 300 Wh
3.11. In a parallel circuit, the smallest current flows through the:
A) Largest resistor
B) Smallest resistor
C) First resistor
D) Last resistor
3.12. Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law states:
A) Sum of currents at a junction is zero
B) Sum of voltages in a closed loop is zero
C) Power in equals power out
D) Resistance is proportional to length
3.13. A 240V kettle heats 1kg of water from 20°C to 100°C in 4 minutes. Its efficiency is 90%.
The resistance is:
A) 28.8Ω
B) 32Ω
C) 25.6Ω
D) 35.2Ω
3.14. A 12V battery with 0.5Ω internal resistance powers a 10Ω load. Terminal voltage is:

4
 A) 11.43V
B) 12V
C) 10.5V
D) 11.5V
3.15. Three resistors (10Ω, 20Ω, 30Ω) are in series with a 24V battery. Total power dissipated
is:
A) 4.8W
B) 24W
C) 48W
D) 12W
[15]

QUESTION 4

A series/parallel circuit connected across a 9V supply, consists of four resistors. Two resistors, R1
and R2, are connected in series. R1 and R2 are then connected in series with a parallel
combination of R3 and R4. The values of R1, R2 and R3 are 33, 47 and 81.2 respectively.

R3 = 81.2Ω

R1 = 33Ω R2 = 47Ω

P2 = 150mW R4 = Ω

E = 9V
4.1. If the power dissipated in R₂ is 150mW, determine R₄. (10)
4.2. Calculate total circuit resistance. (4)
4.3. Calculate the power dissipated by R1, R3 and R4. (6)
[20]

QUESTION 5

A fixed crane (mechanical gears and pulleys) which is driven by an electric motor can lift a load
of 2000kg of building material in a time of two minutes to a height of 30m. The electric motor has
an efficiency of 88% and the crane’s hoist system (ropes and pulleys) has an efficiency of 94%.
See below Figure 2 for the block diagram of the cascaded system and calculate the following:

220V
D.C. MOTOR CRANE LOAD
SOURCE
Figure 2

5
5.1 The energy output of the crane (2)
5.2 The power output of the crane (2)
5.3 The output power of the motor. (2)
5.4 The input power to the motor. (2)
5.5 The current taken from a 220Vd.c. supply (2)
5.6 The electrical energy consumed in kWh when the motor runs at this load for 8 hours. (2)
5.7 Discuss the law of conservation of energy. (3)
[15]

QUESTION 6

A battery which consists of eight 1.5V cells connected in series, has an internal resistance of 0.8Ω
and it is connected across a circuit as shown in Figure 3.

R1 = 15Ω

R3 = 20Ω

R2 = 25Ω
R6 = 50Ω

R4 = 30Ω R5 = 60Ω

r = 0.8Ω
EE=12V
= 12V
Figure 3
6.1. Calculate the total resistance RT. (8)
6.2. Calculate the total current, IT. (2)
6.3. Calculate the current flowing through R3. (Current Divider Rule) (3)
6.4. Calculate the power dissipated by R6. (2)
[15]

TOTAL MARKS: 100

FULL MARKS: 100