Basic Circuit Laws

Understanding these basic rules is critical for anyone designing a circuit, electronics, or an electrical system. The Basic Circuit Laws The basic laws of electrical circuits focus on a handful of basic circuit parameters, voltage, current, power, and resistance, and define how they are interrelated. Unlike some of the more complex electronics relationships and formulas, these basics are used on a regular, if not daily, basis, by anyone that works with electronics. These laws were discovered by Georg Ohm and Gustav Kirchhoff and are known as Ohms law and Kirchhoff's laws. Ohms Law Ohms law is the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in a circuit and it is the most common (and most simple) formula used in electronics. Ohms law states that the current flowing through a resistance is equal to the voltage across the resistance divided by the resistance (I=V/R). Ohms law can be written in a number of ways, all of which are commonly used. For example - Voltage is equal to the current flowing through a resistor times its resistance (V=IR) and resistance is equal to the voltage across a resistor divided by the currentflowing through it (R=V/R). Ohms law is also useful in determining the amount of power a circuit uses since the power draw of a circuit is equal to the current flowing through it times the voltage (P=IV). Ohms law can be used to determine the power draw of a circuit as long as two of variables in ohms law are known for the circuit. The Ohms law formula is a very powerful tool in electronics, especially since larger circuits can be simplified, but ohms law is essential at all levels of circuit design and electronics. One of the most basic application of Ohms law and the power relationship is to determine how much power is dissipated as heat in a component. Knowing this is critical so that the right size component with the proper power rating is selected for the application. For example when selecting a 50 ohm surface mount resistor that will see 5 volts during normal operation, knowing it will need to dissipate (P=IV=> P=(V/R)*V=> P=(5volts^2)/50ohms)=.5 watts) a watt when it sees 5 volts means that a resistor with an even greater power rating than 0.5 watts should be used. Knowing the power usage of the components in a system lets you know if additional thermal issues or cooling may be required and dictates the size of the power supply for the system. Ohm's Law as a Predictor of Current The Ohm's law equation can be rearranged and expressed as

As an equation, this serves as an algebraic recipe for calculating the current if the electric potential difference and the resistance are known. Yet while this equation serves as a powerful recipe for problem solving, it is much more than that. This equation indicates the two variables that would affect the amount of current in a circuit. The current in a circuit is directly proportional to the electric potential difference impressed across its ends and inversely proportional to the total resistance offered by the external circuit. The greater the battery voltage (i.e., electric potential difference), the greater the current. And the greater the resistance, the less the current. Charge flows at the greatest rates when the battery voltage is increased and the resistance is decreased. In fact, a twofold increase in the battery voltage would lead to a twofold increase in the current (if all other factors are kept equal). And an increase in the resistance of the load by a factor of two would cause the current to decrease by a factor of two to one-half its original value. The table below illustrates this relationship both qualitatively and quantitatively for several circuits with varying battery voltages and resistances. Circuit Diagram Battery Voltage Total Resistance Current (Amps)

( V)

1.

1.5 V

0.50 Amp

2.

3.0 V

1 Amp

3.

4.5 V

1.5 Amp

4.

1.5 V

0.25 Amp

5.

3.0 V

0.5 Amp

6.

4.5 V

0.75 Amp

7.

4.5 V

0.50 Amp

Rows 1, 2 and 3 illustrate that the doubling and the tripling of the battery voltage leads to a doubling and a tripling of the current in the circuit. Comparing rows 1 and 4 or rows 2 and 5 illustrates that the doubling of the total resistance serves to halve the current in the circuit. Because the current in a circuit is affected by the resistance, resistors are often used in the circuits of electrical appliances to affect the amount of current that is present in its various components. By increasing or decreasing the amount of resistance in a particular branch of the circuit, a manufacturer can increase or decrease the amount of current in that branch. Kitchen appliances such as electric mixers and light dimmer switches operate by altering the current at the load by increasing or decreasing the resistance of the circuit. Pushing the various buttons on an electric mixer can change the mode from mixing to beating by reducing the resistance and allowing more current to be present in the mixer. Similarly, turning a dial on a dimmer switch can increase the resistance of its built-in resistor and thus reduce the current. The diagram below depicts a couple of circuits containing a voltage source (battery pack), a resistor (light bulb) and an ammeter (for measuring current). In which circuit does the light bulb have the greatest resistance? Click the Check Answers button to see if you are correct.

The Ohm's law equation is often explored in physics labs using a resistor, a battery pack, an ammeter, and a voltmeter. An ammeter is a device used to measure the current at a given location. A voltmeter is a device equipped with probes that can be touched to two locations on a circuit to determine the electric potential difference across those locations. By altering the number of cells in the battery pack, the electric potential difference across the external circuit can be varied. The voltmeter can be used to determine this potential difference and the ammeter can be used to determine the current associated with this V. A battery can be added to the battery pack and the process can be repeated several times to yield a set of I- V data. A plot of I versus V will yield a line with a slope that is equivalent to the reciprocal of the resistance of the resistor. This can be compared to the manufacturers stated value to determine the accuracy of the lab data and the validity of the Ohm's law equation. Quantities, Symbols, Equations and Units! Quantity Potential Difference (a.k.a. voltage) V Symbol Equation(s) V= PE / Q Volt (V) J/C Standard Metric Unit Other Units

V=IR I=Q/t

Amp or C / s Amperes (A) or V /

Current

I= P=

V/R PE / t

Power

(more to come) R= L/A V/I VQ

Watt (W)

J/s

Resistance

R= PE =

Ohm (

V/A

V C or Joule (J) Ws

Energy

E or

PE

PE = P t

Check Your Understanding

1. Which of the following will cause the current through an electrical circuit to decrease? Choose all that apply. a. decrease the voltage b. decrease the resistance c. increase the voltage d. increase the resistance 2. A certain electrical circuit contains a battery with three cells, wires and a light bulb. Which of the following would cause the bulb to shine less brightly? Choose all that apply. a. increase the voltage of the battery (add another cell) b. decrease the voltage of the battery (remove a cell) c. decrease the resistance of the circuit d. increase the resistance of the circuit 3. You have likely been warned to avoid contact with electrical appliances or even electrical outlets when your hands are wet. Such contact is more dangerous when your hands are wet (vs. dry) because wet hands cause ____. a. the voltage of the circuit to be higher b. the voltage of the circuit to be lower c. your resistance to be higher d. your resistance to be lower

e. the current through you to be lower 4. If the resistance of a circuit were tripled, then the current through the circuit would be ____. a. one-third as much b. three times as much c. unchanged d. ... nonsense! There would be no way to make such a prediction. 5. If the voltage across a circuit is quadrupled, then the current through the circuit would be ____. a. one-fourth as much b. four times as much c. unchanged d. ... nonsense! There would be no way to make such a prediction. 7. Use the Ohm's law equation to provide numerical answers to the following questions: a. An electrical device with a resistance of 3.0 will allow a current of 4.0 amps to flow through it if a voltage drop of ________ Volts is impressed across the device. b. When a voltage of 120 V is impressed across an electric heater, a current of 10.0 amps will flow through the heater if the resistance is ________ . c. A flashlight that is powered by 3 Volts and uses a bulb with a resistance of 60 will have a current of ________ Amps. 8. Use the Ohm's law equation to determine the missing values in the following circuits.