Electric Currents and Circuits

What this module is about

One of the earliest device designed to use electricity is the electric bulb. It is a
device which is most commonly used from flashlights, to houselights, to streetlights,
and city lights.

You will study the following lessons in this module:

 Lesson 1 – Electric Current

 Lesson 2 – Ohm’s Law
 Lesson 3 – Electric Circuit

What you are expected to learn

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. distinguish between direct and alternating current;

2. define electric current, voltage, and resistance;
3. determine the relationship among current, voltage, and resistance.
4. identify the components of electric circuit and determine the importance of
each component;
5. differentiate between series and parallel connections, and describe the
advantages and disadvantages of connecting loads in both connections.

Lesson 1 Electric Current

Electric current is a continuous flow of charge. Current is most precisely

defined as the rate at which charge passes a given cross-sectional area.

The amount of electric charge passing through a given cross-section is

proportional to the number of electrons that passes through it each second.

In equation form, where: I is the electric current

q is the electric charge
t is the time

The higher the current is, the more charge, passes the cross section each
second. The unit for current is ampere (A), which is sometimes called amp for short.
One ampere is equal to one coloumb per second, or 1 A = 1 C/s.

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 Current is measured by a device called ammeter. There are two different types
of current: direct current (DC), and alternating current (AC). The difference between
the two is just what their names suggest. In direct current, charges move in only one
direction. In alternating current current, the motion of charges is continuously in the
forward and reverse direction.

Direct Current Alternating Current

A B

(A) The direction of direct current does not change, while (B) the direction of
alternating current continually changes.

Study This
Sample problem:
1. Calculate a charge that passes a cross-section in a circuit in 30
seconds when the current is 0.5 A.

2. Calculate the current that would transfer in 5 seconds, the same

amount of charge as a current on 0.5 A in 60 seconds.

Given: I = 0.5 A Solutions:

t = 30 s a) q = I t b) q = I t2
t1 = 5 s q = (0.5 A)(30 s) q = (0.5 A)(60 s)
t2 = 60 s q = 30 C
q = 15 C
Find: a. q I = q / t1
b. I I = (30 C)/(5 s)

I=6A

The current in a wire is determined by voltage. Voltage is the difference in

energy per unit charge as a charge moves between two points in a path of a current.
Voltage is another term for potential difference. It is express in volts. One volt is equal
to one joule/coulomb or 1 V = 1 J/C.

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 2
1 direction of travel
C D
3

A B

The higher the voltage is, the more energy is released per charge. The current
depends on the voltage. The greater the voltage is, the greater the current. A device
used to measure voltage is called a voltmeter.
In addition to voltage, resistance also determines the current in a wire.
Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electric charge. Resistance is express in
ohms, denoted by the greek letter omega (ῼ). In equations, the symbol for resistance
is the letter R.
An object’s resistance varies depending on the object’s composition, cross-
sectional area, length, and temperature.

Factor Less Resistance Greater Resistance

Lenght

L1 L2
Cross-sectional Area

A1 A2
Material

Copper Aluminum
Temperature

Low T1 High T2
 Good conductors like copper, and silver, have low resistance.
 Resistance is directly proportional to the length of the wire. The shorter the
wire, the lesser is the resistance.
 Resistance is inversely proportional to the wire’s cross-section area. The
thicker the wire, the lesser the resistance.
 The resistance of metals increases as temperature increases.

The constant of proportionality called resistivity (ρ) will allow us to calculate the
resistance of any wire. It depends on chemical composition and temperature. In
equation,
where: ρ is the resistivity
l is the length
A is the cross-section area

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Lesson 2 Ohm’s Law

The predominant equation which pervades the study of electric circuits is

the equation

ΔV = I • R
In words, the electric potential difference between two points on a circuit
(ΔV) is equivalent to the product of the current between those two points (I) and
the total resistance of all electrical devices present between those two points (R).
This equation is the most common equation often referred to as the Ohm's law;
this equation is a powerful predictor of the relationship between potential
difference, current and resistance.

Ohm's Law as a Predictor of Current

The Ohm's law equation can be rearranged and expressed as

To easily remember the equations involved in Ohm’s Law and the electric
power, consider the figures below.

Lesson 3 ElectricCircuit

Figure 1 Figure 2

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Lesson 3 The Electric Circuit

An electrical circuit is a path or line through which an electrical current

flows. The path may be closed (joined at both ends), making it a loop. A closed circuit
makes electrical current flow possible. It may also be an open circuit where the
electron flow is cut short because the path is broken. An open circuit does not allow
electrical current to flow.

Below is a basic set of symbols that you may find on circuit diagrams.

It is very important to know the basic parts of a simple circuit and the symbols
that relate to them. A simple circuit has conductors, a switch, a load and a power
source. Here are the functions of each part:
Conductors:
These are usually copper wires with no insulation. They make the path
through which the electricity flows. One piece of the wire connects the current
from the power source (cell) to the load. The other piece connects the load
back to the power source.
Switch:
The switch is simply a small gap in the conductor where you can close or open
the circuit. When the switch is closed, the circuit is closed and electricity flows.
The Load:
The load is a small light bulb or buzzer that lights when the circuit is turned on.
The load is also known as a resistor.
Cell:
The power source is a cell. (Note that more than one cell put together is
known as a battery)

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 The diagram below shows how a basic circuit looks like.

It is important to draw circuits with clean straight lines, as shown in diagram B.

Avoid realistic sketches. It is important to know that a circuit can have more than the
basic components in the diagram. It can have two or more batteries or two or more
bulbs.

There are two types of circuits namely Series Circuit and Parallel Circuit.

What you will do

Perform the activity as shown below.

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 Name: ___________________________________ Date: _________________
STEM 12 - Section: ________________________ Rating: __________________

Activity 3 – Series and Parallel Circuit

Objective
To distinguish the difference between series and parallel circuit

Materials

3 light bulbs 3 sockets to fit bulb

3 batteries 1.5 V or 9 V 1 switch
Wire connectors 30cmx20cmx1.27cm plywood (for the base)
Lesson 2 Relationship of Physical Quantities
Procedure

1. Assemble the materials as in Figure A.

Fig. A Series Circuit Fig. B Parallel Circuit

2. Observe what happens as you screw a bulb into a socket. Add a second bulb
with socket to the circuit, then a third.
3. Unscrew the bulbs one at a time. Observe what happens.
4. Now change the circuit so that bulbs are connected in as shown in Figure B.
5. Repeat Steps 2 and 3.

Data and Observations

Observations
Setups
Series Parallel
1 ON OFF ON ON ON OFF ON ON
2 ON ON OFF ON ON ON OFF ON
3 ON ON ON OFF ON ON ON OFF
Switch ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON

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 Questions
Lesson for Analysis
2 Relationship of Physical Quantities

1. When one bulb is removed from a series circuit, what happens to the circuit?
When one bulb is removed from a parallel circuit, what happens to the
circuit?
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2. In which circuit are the bulbs brighter? Is there more current flowing through
each bulb in the parallel circuit? Why do you say so?
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3. Where in the parallel circuit, you would place a switch to control only a
single light? Where would you place it to control all the lights?
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4. What can you infer about whether or not your house lights are connected in
series or parallel?
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5. Does the power company wire all the homes in a neighborhood in series?
Explain why or why not.
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Generalization
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