ET3033TU Pitch #1

Basic concepts; measurement of voltages and

currents
Ioan E. Lager
September 5, 2016

Delft Faculty of Electrical Engineering,

University of Mathematics and Computer Science
Technology

Challenge the future

Basic concepts synopsis
Electrical circuits terminology
Resistors, capacitors and inductors
Ohms and Kirchhoffs laws
Power dissipation in resistors
Resistors in series and parallel
Resistive dividers
Sinusoidal quantities

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Electrical circuits terminology
Electric charge:
a property of matter
can be positive or negative
measured in coulombs (C) Charles-Augustin de
Coulomb (17361806)
Electric current:
a flow of electrical charge, often a flow of electrons
conventional current is in the opposite direction to a flow
of electrons
Current flow in a circuit:
a sustained current needs a complete circuit
also requires a stimulus to cause the charge to flow
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Electrical circuits terminology
A simple circuit:
electromotive force (e.m.f. E )
electric current (I ) measured in
amperes (A) Andre-Marie
Ampere (17751836)
potential difference (V ) measured
in volts (V) Alessandro Antonio
Volta (17451827)

Potentials within a circuit must be

measured with respect to some
other point

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Resistors, capacitors, inductors
Resistors provide resistance:
oppose the flow of electric charges
measured in ohms () Georg Simon Ohm (17871854)

Capacitors provide capacitance:

store energy in an electric field
measured in farads (F) Michael Faraday (17911867)

Inductors provide inductance:

store energy in a magnetic field
measured in henry (H) Joseph Henry (17971878)

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Ohms and Kirchhoffs laws
Ohms law: V = IR

Kirchhoffs law I: the sum of

currents is zero

Kirchhoffs law II: the sum of

voltage drops is zero

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (18241887)

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Power dissipation in resistors

Instantaneous power dissipated by a resistor

P =V I

P = V 2=R

P = R I2

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Resistors in series and parallel

Series connection:

Rs = R1 + R2 + R3

Parallel connection:
1 1 1 1
= + +
Rk R1 R2 R3

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Resistive dividers
Potential dividers:
R2
V = V2 + (V1 V2 )
R1 + R2

Current dividers: I
I2
R1
I2 = I
R1 + R2
R1 R2

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Measurement of voltages and
currents synopsis
Introduction
Sine waves
Square waves
Measuring voltages and currents
Analogue Ammeters and Voltmeters
Digital multimeters
Oscilloscopes

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Introduction
Alternating currents & voltages vary in time and
periodically change their direction zero average

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Sine waves
Period T : time between corresponding points in
successive cycles
Frequency f : number of cycles per second:f = 1=T in
hertz (Hz) Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (18571894)
Angular frequency ! = 2f: in rad/s

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Sine waves
General mathematical expression:
y = A sin()
As a function of time:
y(t) = A sin(!t)

Initial phase:
y(t) = A sin(!t + ) y(t) = A sin(!t )

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Sine waves
Phase difference:
x(t) = A sin(!t) x(t) = A sin(!t)
y(t) = A sin(!t =2) y(t) = A sin(!t + =2)
x(t) x(t)
y(t) y(t)

y(t) lags x(t) by 90 y(t) leads x(t) by 90

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Sine waves
Average:

Over one half-cycle Rectified signal

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Sine waves
Root mean square (r.m.s.) value: dissipate the same
heat as DC
Vrms 1 V 0.707 Vp Irms 1 I 0.707 I p
2 p 2 p

Powers:
P V I
av rms rms
2
V
P rms
av R
2
P I R
av rms

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Sine wave
Form factor:
Form factor r.m.s. value
average value

sine wave = 1.11

Peak factor:
peak value
Peak factor
r.m.s. value
sine wave = 1.41

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Square waves

Average value = peak value

r.m.s. value = peak value
Form factor = Peak factor = 1

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Measuring voltages and currents
Voltage: connect across the component
Current: connect in series with the component
Real measurement instruments influence the measured
value!

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Measuring voltages and currents
adjusting the scale
Current Voltage

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Self-study

Book chapters: 1 & 2

Videos: 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C

Exercises: 1.12-1.17, 2.8

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