NNPC FSTP Technicians

Fundamentals of
Electricity
Course Code: FY7W 04
Lesson 2

Contents

Concepts of Electricity

Performance Objectives
Upon completion of this Course, students will be able to:
Describe electron movement
Describe electron flow
Define the coulomb
Explain the concept of current flow
Identify the unit of electric current and its symbol
Explain the concept of potential difference
Identify the unit of potential difference and e.m.f

Electron Movement
Conductor materials (metals) have many
millions of free electrons.
These free electrons are loosely held by the
nucleus. Therefore, many free electrons
move about in the material from atom to
atom.

Electron Movement
The diagram shows free electrons moving about in a
copper conductor. The electron movement has no pattern.
The electrons move in any direction. This is called random
movement. This random movement of electrons in a
material happens naturally. The electrons do not all travel
in the same direction.
THERE IS NO
MOVEMENT.

ELECTRON

FLOW,

ONLY

ELECTRON

Electricity
Electron flow takes place when the free electrons stop their random movement
and all flow in one direction. This will happen if a force is applied to the conductor.

The electrons, which are negatively charge particles, are attracted to

the positive end of the conductor. The free electrons are all moving in
one direction. Therefore, there is an electron flow.
ELECTRICITY IS THE FLOW OF FREE ELECTRONS.

Units of Electrical
Measurement

The Coulomb
The coulomb is the unit of quantity of electricity or
electric charge. One coulomb is made up of more than
six million, million, million electrons.
1 coulomb = 6,240,000,000,000,000,000 electrons,
or
1 coulomb = 6.24 x 1018 electrons.
(For practical purposes, one coulomb is still a very
small amount of charge.)

The Ampere & Coulomb

The symbol to represent current is , and is measured in amperes
(A).
The ampere is the unit used to measure the rate of electron flow or
electric current.
A CURRENT OF ONE AMPERE MEANS ONE COULOMB OF
ELECTRICITY FLOWS PAST A POINT IN ONE SECOND.

The Ampere & Coulomb

When two coulombs of electricity pass a point in one

second, there is a current of two amperes.

Potential Difference or Voltage

POTENTIAL
DIFFERENC
E
or Voltage

Free electrons move in one direction along a conductor when

potential difference (or voltage) applied across the conductor.

there is a

NO POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE (OR VOLTAGE) APPLIED MEANS

NO CURRENT FLOW.

The Volt
The symbol to represent potential
difference is V, and is measured in volts
(V).
The volt is the unit of electrical
pressure or electrical force to move
free electrons along a conductor.

Electromotive Force (e.m.f.)

This is the special name given to the force or pressure which
causes current to flow in a conductor. The e.m.f. is available only at
a source of electricity such as a battery or a generator.

The symbol to represent electromotive force (e.m.f.) is E.

So e.m.f is measured in volts

Review 1
Free electrons move around in a conductor material all the
time.
Electron movement is a random movement. There is no
pattern to the movement.
Electron flow is when all the free electrons move in one
direction in a conductor.
Electron flow only takes place when a potential difference
(or electric force) is applied to the conductor.
The coulomb is a quantity of electric charge.
One coulomb = 6.24 x 1018 electrons.
Current is the flow of free electrons.
The ampere is the unit of current.

Review 2
Current is the rate of flow of electrons.
Voltage is an electric force or pressure.
The volt is the unit of voltage.
e.m.f. is electro-motive force which is available at a source
of electricity.
e.m.f. is measured in volts.
Electrical symbols:
- Current (I)
- Ampere (A)
- Potential difference or voltage (V)
- volts (V)
- e.m.f. (E)