Module 1: The Electric Circuits

Introduction
Electric circuits are methods to show how an electric device receives power and
perform the task. It is a route or path to give direction to the electric current. Sometimes
the path is closed or sometimes the path is not closed. If the path or route is connected
to a starting point it is called a closed loop circuit. If the path or route is not connected
to a starting point it is called an open loop circuit.

What is an Electric Circuit?

An Electric Circuit is a closed path for transmitting an electric current through the
medium of electrical and magnetic fields. The flow of electrons across the loop constitutes
the electric current. Electrons enter the circuit through the ‘Source’ which can be a battery
or a generator. The source provides energy to the electrons, by setting up an electrical
field which provides the electromotive force.

It has components, namely:

1. Resistors
2. Batteries
3. Switches
4. Bulbs
5. Conductors (wires)

In our house also we have electric circuit. It transfer the current. In our house the circuit
take 230 volts. These volts can be calculated as energy per unit charge.

Take an example of flashlight has batteries to give power to a light bulb, the wires are act
as medium to bring the current from batteries to the bulb and it has a switch to act as a
action i.e, on ,off.
A practical electric circuit has at least four parts (components):
(1) a source of electromotive force (battery),
(2) a conductor (wire),
(3) a load (resistor), and
(4) a means of control (switch).

Closed Circuit is an unbroken path for current from the emf, through a load, and back
to the source.

Open Circuit means if a break in the circuit does not provide a complete path for current.

Short Circuit means the circuit encounters dangerously “large amount of current”. It
caused by an accidental connection between two points in a circuit which offers very little
resistance.

Basic Circuit Elements

These elements are classified into active or passive elements, based on their capability
to generate energy.

Active Circuit Elements

Active Elements are those which can generate energy. Examples include batteries,
generators, operational amplifiers and diodes. Note that in an electrical circuit, the
source elements are the most significant active elements.

An energy source, whether a voltage or current source, is of 2 types – Independent and

Dependent sources. Example of an Independent source is the battery which provides
a constant voltage to the circuit, irrespective of the current flowing through the terminals.
Example of a dependent source is a transistor, which provides current to the circuit,
depending upon the voltage applied to it. Another example is an Operational Amplifier,
which provides voltage, depending upon the differential input voltage applied to its
terminals.

Passive circuit Elements

Passive Elements can be defined as elements which can control the flow of electrons
through them. They either increase or decrease the voltage. Here are some examples of
passive elements.

Resistor: A resistor opposes the flow of current through it. For a linear circuit, Ohm’s law
is applicable, which states that voltage across the resistor is directly proportional to the
current flowing through it, the proportional constant being the resistance.

Inductor: An inductor stores energy in form of the electromagnetic field. The voltage
across an inductor is proportional to the rate of change of current flowing through it.

Capacitor: A capacitor stores energy in form of the electrostatic field. The voltage across
a capacitor is proportional to the charge.

Electrical Charge
Electricity is the movement of electrons. Electrons create charge, which we can harness
to do work. Your lightbulb, your stereo, your phone, etc., are all harnessing the movement
of the electrons in order to do work. They all operate using the same basic power source:
the movement of electrons.

The three basic principles can be explained using electrons, or more specifically, the
charge they create:

● Voltage is the difference in charge between two points.

● Current is the rate at which charge is flowing.
● Resistance is a material's tendency to resist the flow of charge (current).
●
So, when we talk about these values, we're really describing the movement of charge,
and thus, the behavior of electrons. A circuit is a closed loop that allows charge to move
from one place to another. Components in the circuit allow us to control this charge and
use it to do work.

Georg Ohm was a Bavarian scientist who studied electricity. Ohm starts by describing a
unit of resistance that is defined by current and voltage.
Electric Circuit Quantities

Voltage

We define voltage as the amount of potential energy between two points on a

circuit. One point has more charge than another. This difference in charge between the
two points is called voltage. It is measured in volts, which, technically, is the potential
energy difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of
charge that passes through it (don't panic if this makes no sense, all will be explained).
The unit "volt" is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta who invented what
is considered the first chemical battery. Voltage is represented in equations and
schematics by the letter "V".

When describing voltage, current, and resistance, a common analogy is a water tank. In
this analogy, charge is represented by the water amount, voltage is represented by the
water pressure, and current is represented by the water flow. So for this analogy,
remember:

● Water = Charge
● Pressure = Voltage
● Flow = Current

Consider a water tank at a certain height above the ground. At the bottom of this tank
there is a hose.

The pressure at the end of the hose can represent voltage. The water in the tank
represents charge. The more water in the tank, the higher the charge, the more pressure
is measured at the end of the hose.

We can think of this tank as a battery, a place where we store a certain amount of energy
and then release it. If we drain our tank a certain amount, the pressure created at the end
of the hose goes down. We can think of this as decreasing voltage, like when a flashlight
gets dimmer as the batteries run down. There is also a decrease in the amount of water
that will flow through the hose. Less pressure means less water is flowing, which brings
us to current.

Current

We can think of the amount of water flowing through the hose from the tank as current.
The higher the pressure, the higher the flow, and vice-versa. With water, we would
measure the volume of the water flowing through the hose over a certain period of time.
With electricity, we measure the amount of charge flowing through the circuit over a period
of time. Current is measured in Amperes (usually just referred to as "Amps"). An ampere
is defined as 6.241 x 1018 electrons (1 Coulomb) per second passing through a point in
a circuit. Amps are represented in equations by the letter "I".

Let's say now that we have two tanks, each with a hose coming from the bottom. Each
tank has the exact same amount of water, but the hose on one tank is narrower than the
hose on the other.

We measure the same amount of pressure at the end of either hose, but when the water
begins to flow, the flow rate of the water in the tank with the narrower hose will be less
than the flow rate of the water in the tank with the wider hose. In electrical terms, the
current through the narrower hose is less than the current through the wider hose. If we
want the flow to be the same through both hoses, we have to increase the amount of
water (charge) in the tank with the narrower hose.
This increases the pressure (voltage) at the end of the narrower hose, pushing more
water through the tank. This is analogous to an increase in voltage that causes an
increase in current.

Now we're starting to see the relationship between voltage and current. But there is a
third factor to be considered here: the width of the hose. In this analogy, the width of the
hose is the resistance. This means we need to add another term to our model:
● Water = Charge (measured in Coulombs)
● Pressure = Voltage (measured in Volts)
● Flow = Current (measured in Amperes, or "Amps" for short)
● Hose Width = Resistance

Resistance
Consider again our two water tanks, one with a narrow pipe and one with a wide pipe.
It stands to reason that we can't fit as much volume through a narrow pipe than a wider
one at the same pressure. This is resistance. The narrow pipe "resists" the flow of water
through it even though the water is at the same pressure as the tank with the wider pipe.

In electrical terms, this is represented by two circuits with equal voltages and different
resistances. The circuit with the higher resistance will allow less charge to flow, meaning
the circuit with higher resistance has less current flowing through it.
This brings us back to Georg Ohm. Ohm defines the unit of resistance of "1 Ohm" as the
resistance between two points in a conductor where the application of 1 volt will push 1
ampere, or 6.241 x 1018 electrons. This value is usually represented in schematics with
the Greek letter "Ω", which is called omega, and pronounced "ohm".

The Alphabet of Circuit Schematics

Types of Electrical Circuits
DC Circuits
In DC Circuits, the excitation applied is a constant source. Based on the type of
connection of active and passive components with the source, a circuit can be classified
into Series and Parallel circuits.

AC circuits
Ac circuits are those circuits, Whose excitation element is an AC source. Unlike DC
source which is constant AC source has variable current and voltage at regular intervals
of time. Generally, for high power applications, AC circuits are used.

Ohm's Law
Ohm's Law states that the current through a conductor between two
points is directly proportional to the voltage.

Combining the elements of voltage, current, and resistance, Ohm developed the formula:

Where:
● V = Voltage in volts
● I = Current in amps
● R = Resistance in ohms

The Ohms law Triangle

Solving Problems Using Ohm’s Law Triangle
Example 1: If the resistance of an electric iron is 50Ω and 3.2A Current flows through the
resistance. Find the voltage between two points.
Solution:
If the value of Resistance is asked and the values of the current and voltage are given,
then to calculate resistance simply cover the R. Now, we are left with the V at the top
and I to the bottom left or V ÷ I.
Given, Resistance (R) = 50Ω
Current (I) = 3.2A
Therefore,
Voltage (V) = I x R = 3.2A x 50 Ω =160V
Example 2: An EMF source of 8.0 V is connected to a purely resistive electrical appliance
(a light bulb). An electric current of 2.0 A flows through it. Consider the conducting wires
to be resistance-free. Calculate the resistance offered by the electrical appliance.
Solution:

If the value of current is asked and the values of the resistance and voltage are given,
then to calculate current simply cover the I. We are left with Voltage over Resistance
or V ÷ R. So, the equation for Current is Voltage divided by Resistance.

Given,
Voltage (V) = 8.0 V
Current (I) = 2.0 A
Therefore,
Resistance (R) = V / I = 8V / 2A = 4Ω

Calculating Electrical Power

The rate at which energy is converted from the electrical energy of the moving charges
to some other form of energy like mechanical energy, heat, magnetic fields or energy
stored in electric fields, is known as electric power. The unit of power is watt. The electrical
power can be calculated using the Ohm’s law and by substituting the values of voltage,
current and resistance.
Formulas to find power

● When the values for voltage and current are given,

P=VxI
● When the values for voltage and resistance are given,
P = V2 ÷ R
● When the values for voltage and current are given,
P = I2 × R
Power Triangle

Example: Find the current and power using the circuit below.

Solution: