Electric Circuits and Ohm's Law : Concepts

BASIC DATA ABOUT ATOM :

Mass of electron = 9.11 x 10-31 kg
Mass of proton = 1.67 x 10-27 kg
Mass of neutron = mass of proton
Mass of electron = 1/1840 mass of proton
Diameter of nucleus is of the order of 10-14 m
Diameter of orbits = 104 times dia of molecule
Diameter of electron = 10-15 m
Charge on electron = - 1.602 x 10-19 coulomb
Charge on proton = + 1.602 x 10-19 coulomb.

UNIT OF CURRENT :
The charge on an electron is measured in terms of coulomb. The unit of current is coulomb per
second and is called ampere.Thus

I (Ampere) = coulomb/second = q / t
One coulomb is equivalent to the charge of 6.28 x 1018 electrons.
1 emu of current = 3 x 1010 esu of current.

ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE :
Electromotive force or potential of a body is the work done in joules to bring a unit electric
charge from infinity to the body. It is expressed in terms of volts (V).
The potential difference is defined as that which causes current to flow in the closed circuit.

RESISTANCE :

Resistance is the property of a substance due to which it opposes the flow of electrons (i.e.,
electric current) through it. The unit of resistance is ohm ().
Metals, acids and salt solutions are good conductors of electricity. Silver, copper and aluminium
offer least resistance to flow of current and are called very good conductor of electricity. The
electrons while flowing through the molecules or the atoms of the conductor, collide with other
atoms and electrons, thereby producing heat.
Some substances offer relatively greater difficulty or hindrance to the passage of these electrons.
Such substances are called poor conductors or insulators of electricity. Some of the insulators are
glass, bakelite, mica, rubber, polyvinyl chloride (P.V.C.), dry wood, etc.

The resistance of a conductor depends on:

1. Length of conductor- it varies directly with the length

2. Cross-sectional area of the conductor - it varies inversely with the cross-sectional area
3. Its resistivity i.e. the nature of composition, etc., of the material of which the conductor is
made up
4. Temperature of the conductor - it almost varies directly with the temperature. Thus R, the
resistance of a conductor is given by

R=l/A

where
= specific resistance or resistivity of the material,
l = length of the conductors,
A = cross-sectional area of conductor.

Ohm's Law :
If the temperature and other conditions remain constant, the current through a conductor is
proportional to the applied potential difference and it remains constant. Thus

Current = Applied Voltage / Resistance of the circuit

Resistance = Applied voltage / Current in the circuit

Potential across resistance = Current x Resistance.

Conditions for Ohm's Law :

1. Ohm's law can be applied either to the entire circuit or a part of a circuit.
2. When ohm's law is applied to a part circuit, part resistance and the potential across the part
resistance should be used.
3. The Ohm's law can be applied to DC as well as AC circuits. However, in case of AC circuits
impedance Z, is used in place of resistance. Thus

I = E / Z = Applied voltage / Impedance in the circuit

Conductance (G ) :
Conductance is the reciprocal of ( R ) and is measure of the ease with which the current will flow
through a substance. Thus

G= 1 / R

The unit of conductance is mho.

ELECTRICAL POWER :
Electrical power is expressed in terms of watts (W) and is given by

W= E x I = I2 x R = E2 / R

Power is also expressed in terms of

kW ( kilowatt ) ( =1000 W ) or
MW ( megawatt ) which is 1000 kW or 1000,000 W.

Electrical Energy :
Electrical energy is expressed in terms of kilowatt hours (kWh). Thus

1 kWh = 1 kW x 1 hour = 1000 watt-hours = 1000 x 60 x 60 watt-sec.

RESISTANCE COMBINATIONS :
Resistances in series :

When resistances are connected in series, same current flows through all resistances, and overall
resistance R, is given by

R = R1 + R2 + R3

Also,

V = V1 + V2 + V3 = IR1+ IR2 + IR3 .