Electric Circuits: Honors Physics
Electric Circuits: Honors Physics
Electric Circuits: Honors Physics
Honors Physics
A Basic Circuit
All electric circuits have three main parts
1. 2. 3.
If ANY part of the circuit is open the device will not work!
A circuit basically works on TWO IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES There is a "POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE aka VOLTAGE" from where the charge begins to where it ends The AMOUNT of CHARGE that flows PER SECOND is called CURRENT.
Current
Current is defined as the rate at which charge flows through a surface.
The current is in the same direction as the flow of positive charge (for this course) Note: The I stands for intensity
AC = Alternating Current- current reverses direction many times per second. This suggests that AC devices turn OFF and ON. Example: Wall outlet (progress energy)
Ohms Law
The voltage (potential difference, emf) is directly related to the current, when the resistance is constant
V I R constant of proportionality R Resistance
Voltage(V)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Voltage(V)
V IR
e IR
Since R=V/I, the resistance is the SLOPE of a V vs. I graph
Resistance (R) is defined as the restriction of electron flow. It is due to interactions that occur at the atomic scale. For example, as electron move through a conductor they are attracted to the protons on the nucleus of the conductor itself. This attraction doesnt stop the electrons, just slow them down a bit and cause the system to waste energy.
The unit for resistance is the OHM, W
Resistance
Electrical POWER
We have already learned that POWER is the rate at which work (energy) is done. Circuits that are a prime example of this as batteries only last for a certain amount of time AND we get charged an energy bill each month based on the amount of energy we used over the course of a monthaka POWER.
POWER
It is interesting to see how certain electrical variables can be used to get POWER. Lets take Voltage and Current for example.
Schematic Symbols
Before you begin to understand circuits you need to be able to draw what they look like using a set of standard symbols understood anywhere in the world
For the battery symbol, the LONG line is considered to be the POSITIVE terminal and the SHORT line , NEGATIVE. The VOLTMETER and AMMETER are special devices you place IN or AROUND the circuit to measure the VOLTAGE and CURRENT.
The voltmeter and ammeter cannot be just placed anywhere in the circuit. They must be used according to their DEFINITION. Since a voltmeter measures voltage or POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE it must be placed ACROSS the device you want to measure. That way you can measure the CHANGE on either side of the device. Voltmeter is drawn ACROSS the resistor
Since the ammeter measures the current or FLOW it must be placed in such a way as the charges go THROUGH the device.
Simple Circuit
When you are drawing a circuit it may be a wise thing to start by drawing the battery first, then follow along the loop (closed) starting with positive and drawing what you see.
Series Circuit
In in series circuit, the resistors are wired one after another. Since they are all part of the SAME LOOP they each experience the SAME AMOUNT of current. In figure, however, you see that they all exist BETWEEN the terminals of the battery, meaning they SHARE the potential (voltage).
I ( series)Total I1 I 2 I 3 V( series)Total V1 V2 V3
Series Circuit
I ( series)Total I1 I 2 I 3 V( series)Total V1 V2 V3
As the current goes through the circuit, the charges must USE ENERGY to get through the resistor. So each individual resistor will get its own individual potential voltage). We call this VOLTAGE DROP.
Example
c)
What is the current across EACH resistor? They EACH get 2 amps! What is the voltage drop across each resistor?( Apply Ohm's law to each resistor separately)
V2W=(2)(2)= 4V
d)
V1W(2)(1) 2 V
V3W=(2)(3)= 6V
Parallel Circuit
In a parallel circuit, we have multiple loops. So the current splits up among the loops with the individual loop currents adding to the total current
It is important to understand that parallel circuits will all have some position where the current splits and comes back together. We call these JUNCTIONS. The current going IN to a junction will always equal the current going OUT of a junction.
I ( parallel )Total I1 I 2 I 3
Junctions
Parallel Circuit
V
Notice that the JUNCTIONS both touch the POSTIVE and NEGATIVE terminals of the battery. That means you have the SAME potential difference down EACH individual branch of the parallel circuit. This means that the individual voltages drops are equal.
VT V1 V2 V3 ( ) Parallel RT R1 R2 R3 1 1 1 1 RP R1 R2 R3 1 1 RP Ri
Example
1 1 1 1 RP 5 7 9 1 1 0.454 RP Rp 0.454
2.20 W
8 I ( R ) 3.64 A
c) What is the voltage across EACH resistor? 8 V each! d) What is the current drop across each resistor? (Apply Ohm's law to each resistor separately)
V IR I 5W
Suppose the potential difference (voltage) is equal to 120V. What is the total current?
VT I T RT
I T ( parallel ) I 2 I 3 I T ( series) I1 I 2&3 35.2 0.352 A I100W 100 35.2 I 50W 0.704 A 50
Add to 1.06A