A Simple Electric Circuit

• An electric circuit is a conducting loop in

which a current can transfer electrical
energy from a suitable source to a useful
load.
 Essential Parts of a Simple Electric Circuit

• A source or supply to provide the voltage needed to

force current through the circuit (e.g. battery)
• Conductors through which the current can travel (e.g.
copper wire, gold, silver)
• A load is a device that converts electrical energy into
some other useful form (e.g. electric motor, light bulb)
Different loads have different amounts of resistance.
• A control device or switch which continues or
discontinues the flow of electric current through the
circuit (e.g. push buttons, single-pole switch, single-
throw switch)
Charge Movement
A simple electric circuit carrying a current of 1.00
coulomb per second through a cross section of a
conductor has a current of 1.00 amp.
• The Nature of Current:
– Conventional current describes current as positive
charges that flow from the positive to the
negative terminal of a battery.

– The electron current description is the opposite of

the conventional current.

• The electron current describes current as a drift

of negative charges that flow from the negative
to the positive terminal of a battery.

• It is actually the electron current that moves

charges.
A conventional current describes positive charges moving
from the positive terminal (+) to the negative terminal (-).
An electron current describes negative charges (-) moving
from the negative terminal (-) to the positive terminal (+).
– The current that occurs when there is a voltage
depends on:

• The number of electrons that are moved

through the unit volume of the conducting
material.
• The fundamental charge on each electron.

• The drift velocity which depends on the

properties of the conducting material and the
temperature.
• The cross-sectional area of the conducting
wire.
– It is the electron field, and not the electrons, which
does the work.
• It is the electric field that accelerates electrons
that are already in the conducting material.

– It is important to understand that:

• An electric potential difference establishes, at
nearly the speed of light, an electric field
throughout a circuit.
• The field causes a net motion that constitutes a
flow of charge.
• The average velocity of the electrons moving as a
current is very slow, even thought he electric
field that moves them travels with a speed close
to the speed of light.
What is the nature of the electric current carried by these
conducting lines?
It is an electric field that moves at near the speed of light. The field
causes a net motion of electrons that constitutes a flow of charge, a
current.
 (A) A metal conductor
without a current has
immovable positive ions
surrounded by a swarm of
randomly moving electrons.

(B) An electric field causes

the electrons to shift
positions, creating a
separation charge as the
electrons move with a
zigzag motion from
collisions with stationary
positive ions and other
electrons.
 OHM’S LAW
• It is stated as,
current is directly proportional to
the voltage and inversely
proportional to the resistance.
V
• In equation form,
it is given as I = ----------
R
 Devices

• Ammeter – measures current in

amperes (or milliamperes)

• Ohmmeter – measures resistance in

ohms

• Voltmeter – measures voltage in volts

 Solve the following:
1. How much current flows through a lamp with
resistance 90 Ω when it is connected to a 220-V
outlet?
2. What is the resistance of a lamp which allows
0.8 A current when 110 V is applied to it?

3. An incandescent bulb allows 114 mA of current

to pass through when connected to a 220 V
source. What is the resistance of the bulb?
 Power (it’s Electric!)

• Power: Rate at which work is done. OR Rate

at which energy is transformed
• Electric Power: The rate at which charge
carriers convert PEE into non-mechanical
energy
unit  watt, W
P  IV 1W=1
J
s
How is Electrical Power calculated?
Electrical Power is the product of the current (I) and the
voltage (v)
The unit for electrical power is the same as that for
mechanical power in the previous module – the watt (W)

Example Problem: How much power is used in a circuit

which is 110 volts and has a current of 1.36 amps?
P=IV
Power = (1.36 amps) (110 V) = 150 W
How is electrical energy determined?
Electrical energy is a measure of the amount of power
used and the time of use.
Electrical energy is the product of the power and the
time.

Example problem:
E = P X time
P=IV

P = (2A) (120 V) = 240 W

E = (240 W) (4 h) = 960Wh = 0.96 kWh
 Electric Power
W qV
P = ------- w = qV
P = ------
t
t

q = It P = IV V = IR

V2
P = I2R P = ----
R
 Solve the following:

1. What is the power input to an electric

heater that draws 3 A from a 220-V outlet?

2. The heating element in a clothes dryer is

rated at 5kW and 220 V. How much current
does it draw?

3. An electric heater is operated by applying a

potential difference of 60 V across a
nichrome wire of total resistance 9 Ω. What
is the power rating of the heater?
4. A 700 W hair dryer is connected to 220 V
circuit. How much current does it draw?

5. What is the resistance of a 25 W incandescent

bulb connected at 220 V?

6. An incandescent bulb with a power rating of

60 W is connected to 220 V source. How much
current is drawn by the bulb? How much
resistance does the bulb have?
PROBLEMS

Fill in the gaps in the table.

a b
c d
e f
g h
i j

k l
How is household wiring arranged?
Most household wiring is logically designed with a
combination of parallel circuits. Electrical energy enters
the home usually at a breaker box or fuse box and
distributes the electricity through multiple circuits. A
breaker box or fuse box is a safety feature which will
open
 Electrical Energy and its Cost
W
P = ----- w = Pt P = IV
t

Electric power is the rate of energy transfer.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the unit used for energy

consumption.
This is the energy delivered in one hour at a constant
rate of 1 kW.
An electric meter is used to determine
how much energy is consumed over a period of time.
This meter measures the amount of electric work done
in the circuits, usually over a time period of a month. The
work is measured in kWhr.
What do you suppose it
would cost to run each of
these appliances for one
hour?
(A) This light bulb is
designed to operate on a
potential difference of 120
volts and will do work at the
rate of 100 W.
(B) The finishing sander
does work at the rate of 1.6
amp x 120 volts or 192 W.
(C) The garden shredder
does work at the rate of 8
amps x 120 volts, or 960 W.
 Sample Problem
• How much does it cost to operate a 20” desk
fan for 12 hours if electrical energy costs P
4.57/kWh?
Given: cost of energy = P 4.57/kWh
P = 79 W or 0.079kW
t = 12 hrs
Solution: First, solve for electrical energy
W = Pt = 0.079 kW x 12 hrs = 0.948kWh
Then solve for the cost
Cost = 0.948 kWh x P4.57/kWh = P4.33
 Solve for the following:
• 1. Calculate the cost of running a 1.5-hp air
conditioner straight for one day if energy costs Php
4.36/kWh. (1 hp=746W)

• 2. A modern color television set draws 2.0 A when

operated on 120V. (a) How much power does the set
use? (b) If the set is operated for an average of
7.0hr/day, what energy in kWh doe sit consume per
month (30days)? (c) At Php 0.11 per kWh, what is
the cost of operating the set per month?
• 3. An electric water heater draws 15.0 A from a 220-
V source. It is operated, on the average, for 5.0 hr
each day. (a) How much power does the heater use?
(b) How much energy in kWh does it consume in 30
days? (c) At Php 4.57 per kWh, what does it cost to
operate it for 30 days?

4. A digital clock has an operating resistance of 12000

Ω and is plugged into a 115-V outlet. Assume the
clock obeys Ohm’s law, (a) How much current does it
use? (b) How much power does it use? (c) If the
owner of the clock pays Php 0.25 per kWh, what
does it cost to operate the clock for 30 days?
 Multiple – Load Circuits
Series Circuit Parallel Circuit

Has to or more loads Has more than one

but current flows path for current to
through a conducting flow.
path.

Network Circuit

A combination of both series and parallel

circuits
 Rules for Resistances in Series and Parallel Circuits
Quantity Series Circuit Parallel Circuit

Current The current that flows The total current that

through each resistance flows through the circuit
is the same as the total is equal to the sum of
current throughout the the currents in the
circuit. separate resistances.
IT = I1 = I2= I3 = ....= In IT = I1 + I2+ I3 + ....+ In

Voltage The sum of all the The voltage drop in each

individual voltage drops resistance is the same as
is the same as the the magnitude of the
applied voltage. applied voltage.
VT = V1 + V2+ V3 + ....+ Vn VT = V1 = V2= V3 = ....= Vn
 Rules for Resistances in Series and Parallel Circuits
Quantity Series Circuit Parallel Circuit
Resistance The total resistance is The reciprocal of the total
equal to the sum of the resistance is equal to the
individual resistances. sum of the reciprocals of the
separate resistances.

RT = R1 + R2+ R3 + ....+ Rn 1 1 1 1 1
--- = ---- + ---- + ----....+ ----
RT R1 R2 R3 Rn
 Sample Problem (Series Circuit)
A 4-Ω, 8-Ω, and 12-Ω resistor are connected in
series with a 24-V battery. Find:
A. The total resistance
B. The current in the circuit
C. The current flowing in each resistor
 Sample Problem (Parallel Circuit)
An 18-Ω, a 9-Ω, and a 6-Ω resistor are connected
in parallel across a 12-V battery. Find:
A. The total resistance for the circuit
B. The current in the circuit
C. The current in each resistor
D. The voltage drop across each resistor
 Sample Problem (Network Circuit)
Two 5-Ω resistors and an 8-Ω resistor are connected as
shown below. Twelve volts is applied tot he entire
circuit. Compute for:
A. Equivalent resistance of the circuit
B. Current through each resistor
C. Voltage across each resistor