Electric Current and Circuit Diagrams

Electricity has an important place in modern society. What constitutes

an electric current? How does it flow in an electric circuit? What are
the factors that regulate electric current? Let us study more about it
below.

Electric Current Definition

An electric current is a flow of particles (electrons) flowing through
wires and components. It is the rate of flow of charge. If the electric
charge flows through a conductor, we say that there is an electric
current in the conducto r. In the circuits using metallic wires,
electrons constitute a flow of charges.

Electric Current Formula and Unit

The conventional direction of electric current is taken as opposed to
the direction of flow of electron s. If a charge Q flows through the
cross-section of a conductor in time t, the current I then I=Q/t. The S.I
unit of charge is coulomb and measurement of electric current happens
in units of coulomb per second which is ‘ampere’. The current flows
from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the
cell.

This is a simple electric circuit. It has a lamp, a switch, and a cell.

In a torch, the battery provides the flow of charges which means the
bulb in the torch glows due to the electric current. What does a switch
do? The switch creates a conducting link between the cell and the
bulb. If the circuit breaks, then the current stops flowing immediately
and the bulb does not glow.

What is a flow of current?

When a small amount of electric charge is placed in the electric field

due to another charge, it experiences a force. So work has to be done
on the positive charge. In electrolytes and ionized gases, both the
positively charged ions and negatively charged ions are moving and
this constitutes the electric current. If n electrons pass through the
cross-section of a conductor in time t, the total charge that passes
through the conductor is then, Q = n×e.

Electric Current and Circuit Diagram Elements

The schematic diagram represents the different components of a

circuit; this is the circuit diagram. These symbols represent the
common electrical components.

Solved Example For You

Q. A current of 0.75 A is drawn by the filament of an electric bulb for
10 minutes. Find the amount of electric charge that flows through the
circuit.

Sol: Given, I= 0.75 A, t=10 minutes= 600 s

We know, Q = I× t = 0.75 × 600

Therefore, Q= 450 C

Q. What constitutes current in a metal wire?

a. Electrons b. Protons

c. Atoms d. Molecules

Sol: a. Electrons. Electric current is the flow of electric charge. The

electric charge mainly constitutes the electrons.

Electric Potential and Potential Difference

All of us know that the like charges repel each other and unlike
charges attract each other. Some work is always involved in moving a
charge in the area of another charge. What makes the charge to flow?
Well, this basically happens because of the ‘Electric Potential’. Let us
study more about it below.
Electric Potential
If two charged bodies are in contact, the charge starts flowing from
one conductor to other. The electric condition, that determines the
flow of charge from one conductor to other in contact, is the electric
potential. Electric potential is comparable to level in case of water, the
temperature in case of heat and pressure in the case of fluids. Earth is
a conductor that can hold an infinite charge and can give infinite
charge without changing its potential.

Its potential is taken as zero potential. Thus the positively charged

conductor has more positive potential than the earth. A negatively
charged conductor has negative potential less than that of the
earth.The electric potential difference between two points in an
electric circuit is the work done in moving a unit positive charge from
one point to the other.

When W joule of work is done in bringing the test charge Q coulomb

from infinity to the point P then the electric potential V at the point P
then, V= W/Q
The work needed to move a charge Q from infinity to a point P where
electric potential is V will be W=QV

The S.I unit of work is joule and that of the charge is coulomb.

Learn about Electric Charge? Read here.

Potential difference

When the current flows between two points A and B of an electric

circuit, we only consider the charge between the points A and B, this
means it is not necessary to know the exact potential at each point A
and B. It is sufficient to know the potential difference between the two
points A and B. Therefore the potential difference between the two
points is equal to the work done in moving a unit positive charge from
one point to the other.
The potential difference is expressed in volt (V). The potential
difference between two points is said to be 1 volt if the work is done
in moving 1-coulomb charge from one point to other is 1 joule.

1 volt= 1 joule/ 1 coulomb

Unit for measuring the potential difference is volt and instrument used
for measuring potential difference is a voltmeter. While connecting
voltmeter in the circuit, positive terminal of the voltmeter should be in
connection with the positive terminal of the cell and negative with the
negative of the cell.

What happens when the battery is in connection with the circuit?

When a conducting wire is in connection with the terminals of the
battery, a potential difference is created between the ends of the
conductor. This potential difference sets up an electric field
throughout the conductor.The electrons near the positive terminal of
the battery are attracted by it and start on the move towards positive
terminal.
Solved Example For You
Q.What potential difference is required to do 100 J of work to carry a

charge of 10 C between two points? Solution: Given,

work done (W) = 100J

Charge (Q) = 10C

Potential difference (V) =?

V = W/Q

V = 100 J ÷ 10 C = 10 V
Ohm’s Law and Resistance

Ohm’s law states that the voltag e or potential difference between two

points is directly proportional to the current or electricit y passing

through the resistance, and inversely proportional to the resistance of

the circui t. The formula for Ohm’s law is V=IR. This relationship

between current, voltage, and relationship was discovered by German

scientist Georg Simon Ohm. Let us learn more about Ohms Law,

Resistance, and its applications.

Ohm’s Law Definition

Most basic components of electricity are voltage, current, and
resistance. Ohm’s law shows a simple relation between these three
quantities. Ohm’s law states that the current through a conductor
between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the
two points.

Ohm’s Law Formula

Voltage= Current× Resistance

V= I×R

V= voltage, I= current and R= resistance

The SI unit of resistance is ohms and is denoted by Ω

This law is one of the most basic laws of electricity. It helps to

calculate the powe r, efficiency, current, voltage, and resistance of
an
element of an electrical circuit.

What are Magnetic Effects of Electric Current?

Applications of Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s law helps us in determining either voltage, current or

impedance or resistance of a linear electric circuit when the other two

quantities are known to us. It also makes power calculation simpler.

How do we establish the current-voltage

relationship?
In order to establish the current-voltage relationship, the ratio V / I
remains constant for a given resistance, therefore a graph between the
potential difference (V) and the current (I) must be a straight line.

How do we find the unknown values of resistance?

It is the constant ratio that gives the unknown values of resistance,

For a wire of uniform cross-section, the resistance depends on the

length l and the area of cross-section A. It also depends on the
temperature of the conducto r. At a given temperature the
resistance,

where ρ is the specific resistance or resistivity and is characteristic of

the material of wire. The specific resistance or resistivity of the
material of the wire is,

If ‘r’ is the radius of the wire, then the cross-sectional area, A = πr².
Then the specific resistance or resistivity of the material of the wire is,

Limitations of ohms law

1. Ohm’s law is not applicable to unilateral networks. Unilateral networks

allow the current to flow in one direction. Such types of network
consist elements like a diod e, transisto r, etc.
 2. Ohm’s law is also not applicable to non – linear elements. Non-linear
elements are those which do not have current exactly proportional to
the applied voltage that means the resistance value of those
elements changes for different values of voltage and current.
Examples of non – linear elements are the thyristor.

What are Heating Effect of Electric Current?

Resistors

Resistors are one of the important blocks of electrical circuits. They

are made up of the mixture of clay or carbon, so they are not only
good conductors but good insulators too. Most of the resistors have
four color bands. The first and second band reveal the first and second
digits of the value respectively. The third band is used to multiply the
value digits and the fourth band tells us the tolerance. If there is no
fourth band, it is assumed that the tolerance is plus or minus 20%.

Resistance in series

A series generally means connected along a line, or in a row, or in an

order. In electronic s, series resistance means that the resistors are

connected one after the other and that there is only one path for

current to flow through.

Source: SparkFun

Laws of Series Circuits

● Individual resistance add up to the total circuit resistance ● Current

through the circuit is the same at every point.
● Individual voltages throughout the circuit add up to the total voltage.
Resistance in parallel

There are many different ways to organize a parallel circuit. In the

practical world, most of the wiring is done in parallel so that the
voltage to any one part of the network is the same as the voltage
supplied to any other part of it.

Laws of Parallel Circuits

● The reciprocals of all the individual resistances add up to the

reciprocal of the total circuit resistance.
1/RT = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 …
● Voltage through the circuit is the same at every point.
● Individual current draws throughout the circuit add up to the total
current draw.
Solved Example For You
Q. Find the resistance of an electrical circuit that has voltage supply of
10 Volts and current of 5mA.

Solution:

V = 10 V, I = 5 mA = 0.005 A

R=V/I

= 10 V / 0.005 A

= 2000 Ω = 2 kΩ
Heating Effects of Electric Current and Its
Applications
Before we go to school or to attend any function, we ensure that our
clothes are crisp and not crimped. And for this, we use an iron to
straighten out those clothes. Why do we only use an iron? What’s the
mechanism behind the working of an iron? And why is an iron always
hot? Well, this iron is the most basic example of heating effects of
electric current in our everyday life. There are many such other devices
that work on the heating effects of electric current. Let us study them
below.

What are the heating effects of the electric current?

When a current flows through a conductor, heat energy generates in
the conductor. The heating effects of electric current depend on three
factors:
 ● The resistanc e of the conductor. A higher resistance

produces more heat.

● The time for which the current flows. The longer the time the
amount of heat production is high.
● Higher the current the amount of heat generation is also large.

Hence the heating effect produced by an electric current, I through a

conductor of resistance, R for a time, t is given by H = I2 Rt. This

equation is the Joule’s equation of electrical heating.

Joule’s law states the amount of heat production in a conductor is :

● Directly proportional to the square of electric current flowing

through it.
● Is directly proportional to the resistance of the conductor.
● Directly proportional to the time for which electric current flows
through the conductor.
Symbols of components
Kirchhoff’s First Law

The sum of electric currents entering a junction is equal to the sum of

the currents leaving the junction. Kirchhoff’s First Law is a natural
consequence of the conservation of electric charge. If the currents
entering a junction are positive, and the currents leaving the junction
negative, the sum of the currents is zero.

ΣI = 0

(ΣI = 0 ⇒ I1 + I2 = I3 + I4 + I5)
Kirchhoff’s Second Law

Source: Fotoseimagenes.net

The sum of electric potential differences along any closed loop in a

DC circuit is zero. Kirchhoff’s Second Law is a consequence of the
conservation of energy. A change in the electric potential change
equals the change in electric potential energy per unit charge. If the
electric potential is negative in the direction of electric current and the

increase in potential is positive, the sum of the changes in electric

potentials along any closed loop in a dc circuit is zero.

ΣV = 0
Application of heating effects of current
Electric heater and water heater

When these appliances are in connection with the supply of electricity

they become hot but wires remain cold. They consist nichrome which
has high resistivity and hence high resistance. Heat produced is
directly proportional to the resistance of material through which the
current flows.

Electric bulb

Source: Lacasainordine.it

The filament of an electric bulb consists of tungsten with a high

melting point. A filament is enclosed in a glass envelope which is
filled with nitrogen and argon gas. Since the resistance of thin filament
is very high, amount of heat production is large same as the electric
current that flows through the filament. Due to a large amount of heat
production, the filament bulb becomes white hot. Hence filament of
bulb emits light and heat.

Electric fuse

Wires consisting of some materials melt quickly and break when large
electric current passes through them. These wires are used for making
electric fuses. All electrical circuits in all buildings consist of
electrical fuses. There is a maximum limit on the current which can
safely flow through a circuit. If by accident the current exceeds this
limit, the wires may overheat and cause a fire. If a proper fuse is there
in the circuit, it will blow off and break the circuit.

A fuse is thus a safety device which prevents damages to electrical

circuits and possible fires.When large electric current flow through a
circuit and hence through fuse wire, a large amount of heat production
occurs. Due to this large heat production, the fuse wire melts and the
circuit breaks so that the current stops flowing through the circuit.This
saves the electric circuit from burning. Electric fuses have ratings as
1A,2A,3A,5A,10A.

Electric iron
 Source: Flipkart.com

The element of the electric iron constitutes alloys having a high

melting point. Electric heater and geyser work on the same
mechanism.

Learn about Magnetic Effect of Electric Current here.

Solved Example For You

Q. What is the expression for the electrical power spent in the flow of
current through a conductor in terms of resistance and potential
difference?

a. V2 /R b. V/R2

c. VR d. V2 R
Sol: a. V2 /R

If a certain amount of dissipation of power happens for a given time,

then energy is dissipated. Measurement of energy ( power×time)

happens in units of Joules and by including time (t) in the power
formulae, the energy dissipation of a component or circuit can be
calculated. Energy dissipation = Pt

or VI*t as P=VI.

When the time factor is ignored, the relationship is as follows:

P = V2 /R as I = V/R

Hence, the expression for the electrical power spent in the flow of current
through a conductor in terms of resistance and the potential difference is P =
V2/R.