JAR 66 CATEGORY B1

MODULE 3A
uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

Index

1 ATOMIC STRUCTURE ................................................................. 1-1

2 STATIC ELECTRICITY ................................................................. 2-1
3 ELECTRICAL TERMINOLOGY .................................................... 3-1
4 PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY ................................................ 4-1
5 CELLS & BATTERIES.................................................................. 5-1
6 OHMS LAW .................................................................................. 6-1
7 ELECTRICAL MEASURING INSTRUMENTS .............................. 7-1
8 RESISTANCE & RESISTORS ...................................................... 8-1
9 RESISTORS IN DC CIRCUITS ..................................................... 9-1
10 THE WHEATSTONE BRIDGE ...................................................... 10-1
11 ENERGY & POWER IN DC CIRCUITS ........................................ 11-1
12 CAPACITANCE & CAPACITORS ................................................ 12-1
13 CAPACITORS IN DC CIRCUITS .................................................. 13-1
14 MAGNETISM ................................................................................ 14-1
15 ELECTROMAGNETISM ............................................................... 15-1
16 INDUCTION & INDUCTORS ........................................................ 16-1
17 INDUCTORS IN DC CIRCUITS .................................................... 17-1

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FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

INTENTIONALLY BLANK

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MODULE 3A
uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

1 ATOMIC STRUCTURE
Answer the following questions in your own words.

Q1. What is the difference between an element, a compound and a mixture ?

Q2. Describe the structure of an atom. What is the significance of the charges
on the fundamental particles ?

Q3. What are ions and how are they formed ?

Q4. What is the significance of the number of electrons in the valance shell ?

Q5. Locate a table of elements that shows the distribution of electrons within the
shells and determine how many electrons there are in the valence shell of
the following material:
 Aluminium
 Silver
 Copper
 Gold
 Germanium

Q6. Are there any elements that have more than 8 electrons in their outer shell ?
(shell – K,L,M,N,O,P or Q, not sub-shells)

Q7. Each shell is limited as to the number of electrons it can hold. Is there any
way of working out the maximum number of electrons that each shell can
hold ?

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engineering WORKBOOK

2 STATIC ELECTRICITY

Q1. What is static electricity ?

Q2. Why must maintenance engineers consider static electricity when working
on aircraft:
i) electronic equipment
ii) structures

Q3. What is the Triboelectric series ?

Q4. What sort of potentials can be created by somebody walking across a

carpet and does humidity have any effect on the value ?

Q5. As two charged bodies are moved apart, the force of attraction or repulsion
between them decreases by the square of the distance (i.e. if the distance
between them is increased from 1cm to 2 cm, the force decreases by a
factor of 4. If the distance is increased to 3cm, the force decreases by a
factor of 9), why ?

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 JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
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uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

3 ELECTRICAL TERMINOLOGY

Q1. Define the following electrical terms in your own words:

i) Potential
ii) Potential difference
iii) Electromotive Force
iv) Voltage
v) Current
vi) Resistance

Q2. What is the difference between conventional current flow and electron flow ?

Q3. The following potential differences were measured in a circuit:

A is +4 volts with respect to (wrt) B
B is +3 volts wrt C
C is +2 volts wrt D
D is +1 volts wrt to ground
What is the potential difference of:
i) A wrt ground
ii) B wrt ground
iii) A wrt C
iv) B wrt D

Q4. The following potential differences were measured in a circuit:

E is at the same potential as ground and –25 volts wrt D
D is –15 volts wrt C
C is –10 volts wrt B
B is –30 volts wrt A
i) What are the potentials at B, C and D wrt ground.
ii) What is the potential difference of A wrt C.
iii) What is the potential difference of C wrt A.
iv) What is the potential difference of ground wrt B

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engineering WORKBOOK

Q5. The Following potentials were measured in a circuit:

E is at ground potential and A is +100 volts wrt ground
D is +50 volts wrt E
C is +15 volts wrt D
A is +20 volts wrt B
i) What are the potentials at B, C and D with respect to ground.
ii) What is the potential at C wrt B and D.
iii) What is the potential at B wrt E.

Q6. What is the difference between an emf and a potential difference ?

Q7. What factors affect resistance and how do they affect it ?

Q8. What is conductance and conductivity ?

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engineering WORKBOOK

4 PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY

Q1. Explain how a thermocouple produces electricity.

Q2. What happens when a force is applied to a piece of quartz crystal ?

Q3. Describe one aircraft related use of quartz crystals.

Q4. Investigate the construction and operation of a common primary cell and
write a brief report on your findings.

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5 CELLS & BATTERIES

Q1. What is the difference between primary and secondary cells?

Q2. A 25 A-h at the 10 hour rate battery can supply what maximum current
continuously and for how long ?

Q3. A 35 A-h at the 1 hour rate battery can supply what maximum current and
for how long ?

Q4. If a 40 A-h at the 10 hour battery was discharged at 8 Amps how long would
you expect it to be able to provide this current ?

Q5. When carrying out a capacity test on a 20 A-h battery, it only achieved 80%,
what is the actual battery capacity ?

Q6. A battery was discharged at 10 Amps for 10 hours in order to test its
capacity. What was the battery’s rating ?

Q7. If four 2 volt, 1 ampere-hour cells, each with an internal resistance of 2

ohms are connected in series to form a battery, what is the battery voltage,
capacity and internal resistance ?

Q8. How can a 4 volt, 6 A-h supply be obtained from six 2 volt, 2 A-h cells ?

Q9. Two 12 volt, lead acid, aircraft batteries are connected in parallel to give a
greater capacity. Draw a circuit diagram depicting the individual cells of
these two interconnected batteries.

Q10. What happens if a 4 volt battery is connected in parallel with a 2 volt

battery?

Q11. When 3 identical cells are connected in series across a filament, in which
order do they discharge?

Q12. In your own words, describe the construction of a typical lead acid aircraft
battery.

Q13. In your own words, describe the construction of a typical Nickel Cadmium
battery aircraft battery.

Q14. State some typical A-h ratings for lead acid and Ni-cad aircraft batteries.

Q15. What is thermal runaway and what might cause it occur ?

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6 OHMS LAW

Q1. How are current, voltage and resistance related.

Q2. Complete the table below.

Voltage Current Resistance

12 volts 05 amps
24 volts 720 Ohms
200mA 4K7
240 volts 12 Amps
12 volts 2400 Ohms
001 Amps 6.8 k
6V 20
150A 68M
200mV 50mA
500mV 25k
200 volts 10 Amps
200A 2.7M
15 volts 15 A
3000 volts 6k

Q3. If the voltage across a component is doubled what affect will it have on the
current flowing through it ?

Q4. If the value of a resistor in a circuit is doubled, but the current is kept
constant at its original value, what affect will it have on the voltage across
the resistor ?

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FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

7 ELECTRICAL MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

Q1. What is the difference between an analog meter and a digital meter ?

Q2. What is the purpose of the mirror on an analog instrument ?

Q3. Explain why an ideal ammeter should have zero internal resistance.

Q4. Explain why an ideal voltmeter should have infinite internal resistance.

Q5. Find out what the internal resistance of one of the laboratory meters is on
the voltage and current ranges.

Q6. Should analog meters be laid down or stood up for an accurate reading ?

Q7. Describe in detail how a voltage measurement should be made.

Q8. Describe in detail how a current measurement should be made.

Q9. Describe in detail how a resistance measurement should be made.

Q10. Two 10M resistors are connected in series across a 300 volt supply. If a
meter, having an internal resistance of 10M on the appropriate range, is
used to measure the voltage drop across the two resistors, what values
will be indicated on the meter.

Q11. Determine the internal resistance of the Electronic Workbench multi-meter

when it is set to measure voltage. Explain how you obtained your answer.

Q12. Explain how a meter measures resistance.

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engineering WORKBOOK

8 RESISTANCE & RESISTORS

Q1. If the length of a conductor is doubled and its cross-sectional area halved,
what affect will this have on its resistance ?

Q2. If the length of a conductor is doubled and its cross sectional area doubled,
what affect will it have on its resistance ?

Q3. Do the following have positive or negative temperature co-efficient of

resistance:
i) Battery electrolyte
ii) Thermistors
iii) Copper wire
iv) Aluminium wire
v) Carbon

Q4. For what purpose would Eureka wire be used ?

Q5. Use the colour codes to work out the values of the following resistors:
i) Red Orange Yellow Gold
ii) Orange Orange Orange Red
iii) Violet Green Blue silver
iv) Green Green Black Gold
v) Brown Brown Black Brown
vi) Red Green Gold
vii) Brown Grey Gold
viii) Green Blue Silver
ix) Blue Yellow White Yellow Red
x) Orange Brown Yellow Red Red

Q6. Assuming you want to use resistors with a 10% tolerance, what are the
closest preferred values for the following resistance values:
i) 13M Ohms
ii) 3.0K Ohms
iii) 4.9K Ohms
iv) 54K Ohms
v) 14.5K Ohms

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engineering WORKBOOK

Q7. For the preferred values selected in answer to Q6. Above. What are the
maximum and minimum values one could expect to find ?

Q8. What is the difference between a potentiometer and a rheostat ?

Q9. A resistor is connected across a potentiometer and the slider is increased

from minimum resistance to maximum (see diagram in notes p.8-7). What
affect will this have on the voltage across the resistor and the current
flowing through it ?

Q10. A resistor is connected in series with a rheostat and the slider is moved from
minimum to maximum resistance (see diagram in note p.8-7). What affect
will this have on the voltage across the resistor and the current flowing
through it ?

Q11. When current flows through a resistor, what affect is it likely to have on its
value of resistance ? Explain your answer.

Q12. Explain how can a thermistor be used to stabilise the current flowing
through a coil of wire that tends to get hot when used.

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9 RESISTORS IN DC CIRCUITS

Q1. Explain Kirchoff’s second law.

Q2. Using Ohm’s law and Kirchoff’s second law, derive the formula for the total
resistance of resistors connected in series.

Q3. A 12k resistor is connected in series with a 24k resistor across an 18

volt supply. What is the circuit current and the voltage drop across each
resistor ?

Q4. Two 4.7k are connected in series across a 12 volt battery. What is the
circuit current and the voltage drop across each resistor ?

Q5. When a 1.2k resistor is connected in series with a 3.6k across a power
supply, the current is 150mA. What are the voltage drops across the
resistors ?

Q6. If three resistors of equal value are connected in series across a power
supply, what proportion of the supply voltage will be dropped across each
resistor.

Q7. Calculate the current flowing in the circuit

of Figure 1.

Q8. Calculate the voltage drop across each of

the resistors in Figure 1.
Figure 1

Q9. Calculate the voltage drops across each of the

resistors in Figure 2.

Q10. Calculate the current flowing in the circuit of

Figure 2

Q11. Calculate the voltage at point B wrt point A in

Figure 2.

Q12. Assuming a ground is placed at point C in Figure

2, what will be the potential at point B wrt C ?

Q13. Assuming a ground is placed at point B in Figure

2, what will be the potential at point B wrt C ? Figure 2

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engineering WORKBOOK

Q14. Assuming two resistors R1 and R2 are connected in series across VSupply,
complete the following table.

VSupply R1 R2 RTOT ISupply VR1 VR2

100V 1.2k 2.8k
12V 800 2400
24V 300mA 8V 16V
190mA 3.8V 5.7V
36V 3K6 7K2
60 120 3V
120V 40 40V
1000V 12M 56M
300 13k 1.6A
24V 300 24mA
100V 1700 34V
400 1000 5.2V

Q15. The off-load voltage of a power supply is 100 volts. When the supply is
connected to a 200 resistor the terminal voltage falls to 90 volts. Calculate
the internal resistance of the power supply.
Q16. The off-load voltage of a power supply unit is 28 volts, the on-load voltage is
26 volts. If the load is 600, calculate the internal resistance of the power
supply unit.
Q17. The internal resistance of a 30 volt power supply is 60, calculate the
terminal voltage when it is connected to a 240 load.

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engineering WORKBOOK

10 THE WHEATSTONE BRIDGE

Refer to Figure 1 to answer the following questions

Q1. If R1=R2=R3=R4 and E=24 volts:

A. Calculate the current flowing through
R1 and R2.
B. Calculate the potential difference
between points A and B.
C. If E was decreased to 20 volts, what
affect would it have on the potential
difference between points A and B ?

Figure 1
Q2. If R1= 200, R2= 600, R3= 1k and E=16 volts:
A. What value must R4 be to balance the bridge.
B. What will be the current flowing in R2.
C. What will be the potential at A.

Q3. If R1= 2k2, R2= 32k, R4= 80k and E=21 volts:
A. What value of R3 will balance the bridge.
B. If R3 has a value of 4k4, what will be the potential difference between
points A and B.
C. If R3 has a value of 1k1, what will be the potential difference between
points A and B.
Q4. On connecting the Wheatstone Bridge circuit shown, the meter indicated full
scale deflection. Discuss possible fault conditions that would exhibit these
symptoms.
Q5. On connecting the Wheatstone Bridge circuit shown, the meter needle
abutted against the zero end-stop. Discuss possible fault conditions that
would exhibit these symptoms.

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engineering WORKBOOK

11 ENERGY & POWER IN DC CIRCUITS

Q1. How much work is done if 3 coulombs of charge is moved through a
potential of 20 volts. (60 Joules)
Q2. How much work is done when 10 amps flows through a potential of 6 volts
for 2 minutes. (7200 Joules)
Q3. How much energy is used when 3 amps flows through a potential of 5 volts
for 10 minutes. (9 kJoules)
Q4. The voltage across a 3k2 resistor in an electrical circuit is 6 volts. How
much energy is used in pushing the current through this resistor for 1
minute. (0·675 Joules)
Q5. 6 amps flows through a 12 volt filament in a circuit. Calculate the:
A. work done by the circuit if the filament is on for 2 hours.
B. energy used by the filament in 2 hours.
C. rate at which work is being done by the filament.
Q6. Assuming the circuit comprises a single resistor connected across a voltage
source, complete the following table.

Voltage Resistance Current Power Work Done in

(v) () (I) (W) 10 mins (J)
10 Volts 600
24 Volts 1200 Watts
2 Amps 400 Joules
24 Volts 320 Joules
200 40mAmps
28 Volts 300 Watts
120 Volts 3k6
Q7. If a 2.5kW kettle is left switched on for 10 minutes, how much energy is
used in kWh’s.
Q8. If 1kWh costs 7 pence, how much will it cost to keep a 100 Watt light on for
6 hours per day for 7 days.
Q9. What is the maximum voltage and current that can be applied to a 300
resistor with a 20 Watt power rating.
Q10. What is the maximum voltage and current that can be applied to a 4k7
resistor with a 30 Watt power rating.

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Q11. A 28 volt power supply with an internal resistance of 100 is connected to a

100 load. Calculate the:
A. circuit current.
B. power dissipated in the load.
C. power supply terminal voltage when connected to the load.
Q12. A light bulb, rated at 100 Watts, is connected across a 240 volt supply.
Calculate the circuit current and the resistance of the filament when the light
is on.
Q13. A light bulb, rated at 100 Watts is connected across a 28 volt supply.
Calculate the circuit current and the resistance of the filament when the light
is on.
Q14. How much power will be dissipated by a 3k6 resistor with 6 amps of
current flowing in it.

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12 CAPACITANCE & CAPACITORS

Q1. A simple parallel plate capacitor has plates with an area of 10cm 2, a
distance of 0·01mm between the plates and a dielectric material between
the plates with a relative permittivity of 40:
A. Calculate the capacitance of the capacitor.
B. What would have to be done to the distance between the plates to
double the capacitance of the capacitor.
C. What would have to be done to the cross sectional area of the plates to
half the capacitance of the capacitor.
D. If the dielectric is replaced by a material with twice the relative
permittivity, what affect will it have on the capacitance of the capacitor.
Q2. Calculate the capacitance of a simple parallel plate capacitor which has
plates of cross sectional area of 100cm2, a distance of 0·015mm between
the plates and a dielectric material between the plates with an absolute
permittivity of 8x10-9 Fm-9.
Q3. Calculate the capacitance of a simple parallel plate capacitor which has
plates of cross sectional area of 200cm2, a distance of 0·025mm between
the plates and a dielectric material between the plates with a relative
permittivity of 300.
Q4. A simple parallel plate capacitor has plates with an area of 150cm 2, a
distance of 0·02mm between the plates and a dielectric material between
the plates with a relative permittivity of 350. Calculate the:
A. Capacitance of the capacitor.
B. Charge on the capacitor if it is fully charged on a 28 volt supply.
C. Energy stored in the capacitor when it is fully charged.
Q5. A multi-plate capacitor has 9 plates each with a cross sectional area of
4cm2. The distance between the plates is 0·15mm and the dielectric
material between the plates has a relative permittivity of 50. Calculate the:
A. Capacitance of the capacitor. (9·44nF)
B. Charge on the capacitor if it is fully charged on a 28 volt supply.
C. Energy stored in the capacitor when it is fully charged to 28 volts.
Q6. A multi-plate capacitor has 3 plates each with a cross sectional area of
500cm2. The distance between the plates is 1·0mm and the dielectric
material between the plates has a relative permittivity of 4. Calculate the:
A. Capacitance of the capacitor. (3·54nF)
B. Charge on the capacitor if it is fully charged on a 28 volt supply.
C. Energy stored in the capacitor when it is fully charged to 28 volts.

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13 CAPACITORS IN DC CIRCUITS
Q1. A simple parallel plate capacitor has plates with an area of 12cm 2, a
distance of 0·01mm between the plates and a dielectric material between
the plates with a relative permittivity of 40:
A. Calculate the capacitance of the capacitor.
B. Calculate the electrical energy stored in the capacitor if it is connected
across a 28 volt supply.
C. Calculate the charge on the capacitor if the potential is across it is
increased to 100 volts.
Q2. Complete the following table.

Total
Capacitor 1 Capacitor 2 Capacitor 3 Connection
Capacitance
100F 200F none Series
200F 100F none Parallel
100F 300F 200F Series
470F 470F none 235F
47F 100F none 32F
30F 470F 100F Parallel
200F 47F 150F Series
200F 100F 200F Series
30F 100F Parallel 177F
200F 400F Series 100F

Q3. A 400F capacitor is connected in series with a 200F capacitor across a

120 volts supply. Assuming the capacitors are fully charged, calculate the:
A. Voltage across each capacitor.
B. Energy stored in each capacitor.

Q4. A 47F capacitor is connected in series with a 100F capacitor across a 28

volts supply. Assuming the capacitors are fully charged, calculate the:
A. Charge on each capacitor
B. Voltage across each capacitor.
C. Energy stored in each capacitor.
D. Total charge on both capacitors.

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Q5. C1=100F, C2=200F and VSUPPLY = 60 volts. Assuming the capacitors are
connected in series across the power supply, calculate the voltage drop
across each capacitor (C1 – 40 volts, C2 – 20 volts)
Q6. C1=100F, C2=200F, C3=400 and VSUPPLY = 120 volts. Assuming the
capacitors are connected in series across the power supply, calculate the:
A. Total capacitance.
B. Voltage drop across each capacitor.
(V1 - 68·57 volts, V2 – 34·28 volts, V3 - 17·14 volts)
C. Charge on each capacitor.
D. Energy stored in each capacitor.

Q7. C1=120F, C2=170F, C3=90F and VSUPPLY = 100 volts. Assuming the
capacitors are connected in series across the power supply, calculate the:
A. Total capacitance.
B. Voltage drop across each capacitor.
(V1 - 32·9 volts, V2 – 23·23 volts, V3 - 43·87 volts)
C. Charge on each capacitor.
D. Energy stored in each capacitor.

Q8. C1=10F, C2=100F, C3=170F and VSUPPLY = 100 volts. Assuming the
capacitors are connected in series across the power supply, calculate the:
A. Total capacitance.
B. Voltage drop across each capacitor.
(V1 - 86·29 volts, V2 – 8·63 volts, V3 - 5·08 volts)
C. Charge on each capacitor.
D. Energy stored in each capacitor.

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Refer to Figure 1 to answer the following questions

Q7. A 100F capacitor is connected in series with a 900 resistor across a 20
volt power supply.
A. Calculate the circuit time
constant.
B. Calculate how long will it take
for the circuit current to fall to
zero when the switch is moved
to position A.
C. Calculate the voltage across
the resistor after 1 time
constant.
Figure 1
D. Calculate the maximum circuit current.
E. Calculate the energy stored in the electric field when the capacitor is
fully charged.
F. Sketch a graph to show the circuit current and the voltage across the
capacitor with respect to time when the switch is moved to position A.

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14 MAGNETISM

Q1. Describe the domain theory of magnetism.

Q2. Explain how lines of flux can be demonstrated to a group of students.

Q3. Describe the Earth’s magnetic field and explain the terms dip and variation.

Q4. Describe one use for a hard iron material and one use for a soft iron
material. Explain how the materials magnetic properties are exploited.

Q5. Explain how components can be shielded from magnetic fields.

Q6. Explain why might it be necessary to shield components from magnetic

fields.

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15 ELECTROMAGNETISM

Q1. Describe the field around two adjacent current carrying conductors if the
currents are flowing in opposite direction.

Q2. Explain how the right hand gripping rule and corkscrew rule can be used to
determine the magnetic north end of a coil

Q3. A coil of 200 turns is wound uniformly in the form of a toroid with an air core.
The mean circumference is 60cm and the uniform cross-sectional are is
5cm2. If the current flowing in the coil is 4 amps, calculate the:
i) Magnetising force (1333 At/m)
ii) Flux density (1.68 mT)
iii) Total flux (0·84 Wb)
Q4. The airgap in a certain magnetic circuit is 0·1cm long and has a cross-
sectional area of 30 cm2. If 600 At are available to produce flux, calculate
the flux density in the airgap. (0·755T)
Q5. An iron ring has a mean diameter of 50 cm and a cross-sectional area of
10cm2. 500 turns of wire are uniformly wound on the ring and a flux of
1·25mWb is produced by a current of 2 amps. Calculate the relative
permeability of the iron. (1560)
Q6. An airgap in a magnetic circuit is 0·12cm long and has a cross-sectional
area of 25cm2. Calculate the reluctance of the airgap, the number of
ampere-turns to send a flux of 800Wb across the gap and the magnetising
force H in the gap. (382000 At/Wb, 306 At, 255000 At/m)
Q7. A coil of 300 turns is wound on an iron ring having a mean circumference of
40cm and a cross-sectional area of 5cm2. The coil has a resistance of 8
and is connected to a 20V d.c. supply. Taking r = 900, calculate:
i) mmf (750 At)
ii) magnetising force (1875 At/m)
iii) total flux (1·06 mWb)
iv) Flux density (2·12 T)
v) Reluctance of the ring (707000 At/Wb)

Issue 1 - 20 March 2001 Page 15-1

 JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
MODULE 3A
uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

Q8. An iron ring of mean circumference 50cm has an airgap of 0·1cm and is
wound with a coil of 120 turns, If the relative permeability for the iron is 350
when a current of 2·5 amps flows in the coil, calculate the flux density.
(254mT)
Q9. A steel ring has a mean diameter of 20cm and a cross-sectional area of
1.5cm2 broken by a parallel sided airgap of length 0·5cm. Taking r = 500,
calculate the current necessary in 3000 turns of wire wound on the ring to
produce a flux density of 0·5 Tesla in the airgap and the total flux in the
steel ring. ( )
Q10. A steel ring having a mean diameter of 35cm and a cross-sectional area of
2·4cm2 is broken by a parallel sided airgap of length 1·2cm. Short pole
pieces of negligible reluctance extend the effective cross-sectional area of
the airgap to 12cm2. Taking r = 700 and neglecting leakage, determine the
current necessary in 300 turns of wire wound on the ring to produce a flux
density in the airgap of 0·25 Tesla. (13.17 Amps)
Q11. A steel ring having a mean diameter of 25cm and a cross-sectional area of
1·2cm2 is broken by a parallel sided airgap of length 1·6cm. Short pole
pieces of negligible reluctance extend the effective cross-sectional area of
the airgap to 10cm2. Taking r = 600 and neglecting leakage, determine the
current necessary in 3000 turns of wire wound on the ring to produce a flux
density in the airgap of 0·5 Tesla. ( Amps)

Issue 1 - 20 March 2001 Page 15-2

 JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
MODULE 3A
uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

16 INDUCTION & INDUCTORS

Q1. The current flowing in a 200 mH inductor is changing at a rate of 10 amps
per second, calculate the back emf in the coil.
Q2. Two inductors of 100mH each are connected in series aiding. What is the
total inductance if the coupling factor is:
A. Zero
B. 0·707
C. one
Q2. A 100mH inductor is connected in series aiding with a 300mH inductor.
What is the total inductance if the coupling factor is:
A. 0·25
B. 0·5
C. 0·95
Q3. If two similar inductors (coils) are lying at 90 degrees to each other, what
value of coupling factor would you expect ?
Q4. A 100mH inductor is connected in parallel with a 60mH inductor and
positioned so that no mutual coupling exists between them. Calculate the
total inductance.
Q5. Two 200mH inductors are connected in parallel and positioned so that no
mutual coupling exists between them. Calculate the total inductance.

Issue 1 - 20 March 2001 Page 16-1

 JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
MODULE 3A
uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

17 INDUCTORS IN DC CIRCUITS
Q1. A 100mH inductor is connected in series with a 500 resistor across a 20
volt power supply.
D. Calculate the circuit time constant.
E. Calculate how long will it take for the circuit current to reach its
maximum value.
F. Calculate the voltage across the resistor after 1 time constant.
G. Calculate the maximum value to which the current will rise.
H. Show that at the instant the switch is closed, the back-emf produced by
the inductor is equal to the supply voltage.
I. Calculate the energy stored in the magnetic field when the current has
reached its maximum value.

Q2. With reference to Figure 1. A

60mH inductor is connected in
series with a 900 resistor,
across a 12 volt power supply.
A. Sketch a graph to show the
circuit current with respect to
time when the switched is
moved to position A.
Figure 2

B. Sketch a graph to show the voltage across the inductor with respect to
time when the switched is moved to position A.
C. Sketch a graph to show the voltage across the inductor when the switch
is moved directly from position A to position B.
D. Sketch a graph to show the circuit current when the switch is moved
directly from position A to position B.
(although only a sketches are required, graphs should be accurate at points
where calculations can be made)
Q3. A 10mH inductor is connected in series with a 3·6k resistor across a 14 volt
power supply, calculate the:
A. circuit time constant.
B. maximum circuit current.
C. circuit current after 1 time constant.
D. voltage across the inductor after 1 time constant.
E. energy stored in the magnetic field when the current has reached its
maximum value.

Issue 1 - 20 March 2001 Page 17-1

 JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
MODULE 3A
uk ELECTRICAL
FUNDAMENTALS
engineering WORKBOOK

Q4. A 15mH inductor is connected in series with a 470 resistor across a 12

volt power supply, calculate the:
A. circuit time constant.
B. circuit current after 1 time constant.
C. voltage across the resistor after 1 time constant.
D. energy stored in the magnetic field when the current has reached its
maximum value.
Q5. When an inductor of unknown value was connected across a 12 volt power
supply, the current settled at 300mA after 200mS. Calculate the:
A. resistance of the inductor.
B. circuit time constant.
C. voltage across the inductor after 1 time constant.
Q6. If an ideal capacitor was fully charged on a power supply and then
connected across an ideal inductor. Explain what would happen. (an ideal
capacitor has no inductance or resistance and an ideal inductor has no
capacitance or resistance)
Q7. A real capacitor is fully charged on a power supply and then connected
across an actual inductor. Explain what happens.
Q8. Explain how a coil, connected into 24 volt d.c. circuit, could produce a back
emf of 2000 volts.

Issue 1 - 20 March 2001 Page 17-2