Circuits

: Current is the amount of charge, , flowing through a certain point per second. It is measured in amperes
(A), or coulombs per second (C/s).
=

: Voltage or potential difference () is the energy change across the device per
coulomb of charge. It is measured in volts (V) or joules per coulomb (J/C).
1 V = 1 J/C 1 J = 1 VC
Ohms Law
=

{


1

where is the resistance of the device, measured in ohms (). From this relationship, it follows that
Devices with a large resistance will have a large potential difference across them.
Devices with a large resistance will have a small current flowing through them.
Devices with a greater potential difference across them will have more current going through them.
Electric Power
Power is energy produced or energy used per unit time, measured in watts (W) or joules per second (J/s).
=

Since = =

= (

)
But =

= () (
J
s
=
C
s

J
C
)
So = or =
2
or =

Thus, the power of a device can be determined from the product of the potential drop (voltage) across the
device and the current going through it.
6 V
6 V
0 V
0 V
+