1

Electric circuit an interconnection of circuit elements.

There must be a closed loop for the current to flow.




+

+

There is a closed loop, enabling
current to flow into resistor
No closed loop
2

Circuit element each component of a circuit.
* A two terminal electrical device, it can be completely
characterized by its voltage and current relationship

-active elements generate energy (voltage and current sources)

-passive elements cannot generate energy (resistors, capacitors,
inductors)



This course deals with:
1. Power for an element
2. Voltage across an element
3. Current through an element

3
Voltage is the energy needed to move a unit charge between 2 points in space or
in a circuit. It is expressed in volts (V).





Voltage must be an oriented variable. The (+) and (-) signs indicate voltage polarity:

+ v
ab
-
a- -b
- v
ba
+


* Above, point a is v
ab
potential higher than point b.
* voltage rise from b to a is v
ab

* Since voltage v
ba
is defined with the opposite orientation, it has the
opposite value of voltage v
ab
.


v
ba
= - v
ab


dq
dw
v
ab
=
dw is energy in joules required to move
a negative charge dq from a to b
4
Voltage















Lowercase letter represents general case
v may or may not be time varying
Uppercase letter if quantity is not time varying
V is not time varying (DC Voltage)
Lowercase letter followed by a (t) is time varying
v(t) is time varying (AC Voltage)

5
Electric current is the flow of electric charges through space per unit time.
It is measured in ampheres (A).


current, positive charges
electrons

Current is oriented with a directed arrow
Current through an object is the same going in, as it is coming out of the object
Changing the orientation of current changes its sign (see below)











dt
dq
i =
i i
-i
-i
6
Current









Lowercase letter represents general case
i may or may not be time varying
Uppercase letter if quantity is not time varying
I is not time varying (DC Current)
Lowercase letter followed by a (t) is time varying
i(t) is time varying (AC Current)






7
Passive Sign Convention
Passive Sign Convention is satisfied when current enters through the + terminal
of an element and leaves through the terminal.


Circuit Element
E
1
+
i
1

v
1

PSC NOT PSC
E
2
+
v
2

i
2

E
3
+

i
3

v
3

PSC
i
1

P
abs
= i v When PSC is satisfied
When PSC is NOT satisfied P
abs
= - (i v)
Power absorbed by an element
Power absorbed by device = - Power delivered by
device / supplied by device
i
2

8
PSC Examples

Given v
1
= - 3 volts, i
1
= 3 amps
What is P
ABS_E1
?
Notice: v
1
and i
1
are not PSC
But i
x
and v
1
are PSC
i
x
= - i
1
= - (3 amps)

Therefore, P
ABS_E1
= i
x
v
1
= (-3 amps)(-3 volts)= 9 watts

Similarly, P
ABS_E1
= -(i
1
v
1
)= -(3 amps)(-3 volts)= 9 watts
E
2
+

v
x

i
x

Given v
x
= 10 Volts, i
x
= - 4 amps
What is
PABS_E2
?
v
x
and i
x
follow PSC

P
ABS_E2
= i
x
v
x
= (- 4 amps)(10 volts)= - 40 watts
9
But what is a circuit element?
A Circuit Element is mathematical model of a 2 terminal electrical device, it can
be completely characterized by its voltage and current relationship
Resistors:

R
i
+
-
0
1
+ = v
R
i
y = mx + b
R>0
i
v
1/R
Current voltage
characteristic
equation
Ohms law variations
v = i R

R= , i 0
i
v
Unit of resistance is ohm (O)
Note: The above relations assume PSC as we
have drawn, if i and v do not follow PSC for a
resistor then v = - i R
10
Ohms Law and PSC

PSC is satisfied: given i = 2mA, R = 5 K



R
1
i
+
-
v = i R = (2mA)(5K) = 10 V
P
ABS_R1
= i v = (2mA)(10V) = 20 mW
Note: if i and v do not follow PSC for a resistor then v = - i R

+
-
i
PSC is not satisfied: given i = 4A, R = 2
v = -(i R) = - (4A)(2) = - 8 V
P
ABS_R2
= -( i v) = -(4A)(-8V) = 32W
R
2
11
Open Circuit

i
v
As R increases the line flattens out
As R the function approaches any voltage, but
i=0
Open Circuit no path for current to flow







i=0
+
-
v

R =
12
Short Circuit

i
v
As R 0 the line gets vertical
At R=0 we have a Short Circuit
v = iR = 0
i can be anything, but v=0
i
+
-
R = 0 v = 0

Examples Short Circuit/Open Circuit

13
Short circuit between terminals a and b
Open circuit between terminals c and d
14
Independent Voltage Sources
Orientation indicated by polarity inside bubble
Current assigned follows PSC







i
v
+

i
v(t)
+

i
V
B
+
-
V indicates a constant
source like a battery





v(t) indicates a time varying source
(typically sinusoidal)
i
v
Current-voltage
characteristics
3
i
v=V=3 volts
+

Current is unknown until you
find out what is connected to
the source!
15
Independent Current Sources
Orientation indicated by arrow inside.
Guarantees a motion of charge but must
have path to flow and must be connected to
an object.


v

+
-
i, I, i(t)
i
v
3
v

+
-
I=3A
Example: constant current source
Current is fixed at 3 A.
Voltage can be anything!
Note: Ohms law does not apply to current or voltage sources.
Also, current and voltage sources can apply OR absorb power to a circuit.
16
Circuit Terminology
A node is the point of connection of one or more circuit
elements
If a short circuit (a wire) connects 2 nodes, they constitute a single
node
A loop is any closed path (starting & ending at the same
location)
How many nodes and loops in the circuits below?



+

+

+

17
Circuit Terminology



+

+

+

2 nodes
1 loop
2 nodes
3 loops
3 nodes
1 loop
18
Series/Parallel Circuit Elements
Two elements are in series if they exclusively share 1 node
Consequently, series elements have the same current through them







Two elements are in parallel if they share the same 2 nodes
Consequently, elements in parallel have the same voltage across them


+

+

Example: 2 resistors in series
Example: 2 resistors in parallel
Series/Parallel Resistors ?

19
36 V
10O
20O
30O
Series/Parallel Resistors ?

20
36 V
10O
20O
30O
No resistors in series
20 and 30 ohm resistances are in parallel
21
Circuit Example 1

R
VR
I
s
V
s
=5 Volts
+

R=10
Find the voltage, current and power
absorbed for each element.
V
s
=5 Volts
+

R=10
Make the arbitrary assignments shown in red

Voltage source guarantees 5V across 2 points.
V
R
= - V
S
= - (5 Volts) = - 5 Volts

I
R
= = = -1/2 Amps


P
ABS_R
= I
R
V
R
= (-1/2 A)(-5 V) = 5/2 Watts

I
S
= I
R
= - 1/2 Amps


P
ABS_VS
= I
S
V
S
= (-1/2 A)(5 V) = - 5/2 Watts



I
R
+
-
V
R
O

10
5V
22
More on Power
As in our example, power absorbed by a resistor must be positive!
V
R
= I R
Therefore P
ABS_R
= IV = I I R = I
2
R 0

Conservation of Energy or Power Rule
The sum of all the power absorbed by all N elements tied together in a circuit must equal
zero!



From previous example, P
ABS_IS
+ P
ABS- R
= -5/2W + 5/2W = 0 Watts

Power Delivered
Power delivered by an element is equal to the opposite of the power absorbed by that same
element

P
DEL_VS
= - P
ABS_VS




0 _
1

=
i ABS
N
i
P
23
Example 2



R=15
Find the voltage, current and power absorbed for
each element. Note: it is often easier to work with
resistors first!
I
s
= 3A


R=15
I
s
= 3A
Make the arbitrary assignments shown in red font

I
R
= - 3 Amps

To apply Ohms law, use current following PSC (I
S
)
V
R
= I
S
R = (3A)(15O) = 45 V

Note: P
ABS_R
= I
S
V
R
= (I
S
)
2
R = (V
R
)
2
/R
Because I = (1/R)V and I V= (1/R)V V= V
2
/R


P
ABS_R
= I
S
V
R
= (3 A)(45 V) = 135 W

V
S
= - V
R
= - (45 V) = - 45 V
P
ABS_IS
= I
S
V
S
= ( 3 A)(-45 V) = - 135 Watts


+
-
V
S
+
-
V
R
I
R
0 _
1

=
i ABS
N
i
P
P
ABS_IS
+ P
ABS_R
= -135 W + 135 W = 0 Watts

24
Example 3: Using Conservation of Energy to find unknown current
(assume you dont know KCL)

0 _ _ = + =

VS ABS IS ABS ABS P P P

10 Volts
I
s
= 5A
+
-
I
VS
=?
P
ABS_IS
= -(5A 10V) = - 50 Watts



P
ABS_VS
= - P
ABS_IS
= -( - 50 Watts) = 50 Watts

P
ABS_VS
= I
VS
V
S


I
VS
= = 50W/10V = 5 Amps



Find I
VS
S
VS ABS
V
P _
+
-
10V
-
10V
+
25
(KCL) Kirchhoffs Current Law
The sum of currents into a node (point) is equal to the sum of currents out
of the same node









I
1

I
2
I
4

I
5

I
3


= out in I I
I
3
+I
4
= I
1
+I
2
+I
5
So if we are given I
1
=1A, I
2
=2A,
I
3
=3A and I
5
=4A we can solve and
get I
4
= 4 A into the node
I
6

I
12

-I
2

-I
3

I
4

We are concerned with arrow
orientation, not the signs!

I
12
+ I
4
+ (-I
2
) = I
6
+ (-I
3
)
26
Example 4
Because all 3 elements are parallel, V
IS
= V
R
= 20 V
Assign current according to PSC, I
R
= V
R
/R = 20V/10ohms = 2 A
P
ABS_ R
= I
R
V
R
= (2A)(20V) = 40 W
P
ABS_IS
= I
IS
V
IS
= (5A)(20V) = 100 W

P
ABS
= 0 = P
ABS_IS
+ P
ABS_R
+ P
ABS_VS
= 0

P
ABS_VS
= - (P
ABS_IS
) - (P
ABS_R
)

= -(100W) - (40W) = -140 W

P
ABS_VS
= I
VS
V
S
I
VS
= = - 140W/20V= -7 A




+
-
I
VS
-
20V
+
+

10
5 A
Find all is, vs and P
ABS
with & without Kirchhoffs laws.


20V
+

10
I
R
5 A
V
R
V
IS
S
VS ABS
V
P _
A
OR simply apply KCL at node A
to find I
VS
:


I
IN
= I
OUT

0 = I
VS
+ I
R
+ I
IS
0 = I
VS
+ 2A+5A
I
VS
= - 7 A

B
27
Example 5
Assign voltage variables to resistors (see circuit on right)
Because all 3 elements are parallel, V
S
= V
R1
= V
R2
= 10 V
I
IN
= I
OUT

For the top node: 0=I
s
+ I
1
+ I
2

I
s
= - I
1
- I
2
= -( ) ( ) = - (10V/5K) (10V/10K)
I
S
= - 2x10
-3
A - 1x10
-3
A = -2mA -1mA = -3mA


+

R
1

Given V
s
=10V, R
1
=5x10
3

Ohms, R
2
=10x10
3
Ohms
Find all I
s
, I
1
, I
2
in the circuit below
R
2

V
S

I
S
I
1
I
2

+

R
1

R
2

V
S

I
S
I
1
I
2

+ +
- -
V
R1
V
R2
1
1
R
VR
2
2
R
VR
28
Resistors in Series
In the circuit to the right, we wish to replace
resistors R1, R2, and R3 with one
Equivalent resistance!

For resistors in series:





R
TOTAL
=R
1
+R
2
+R
3



N
N
i
i TOTAL R R R R R + + + = =

=
... 2 1
1
+

R
1
R
2

V
S

R
3

Node A
Node B
+

V
S

R
TOTAL

A
B
29
Resistors in Parallel
In the circuit to the right, we wish to replace
resistors R1, R2, and R3 with one
Equivalent resistance!

For resistors in parallel:





Notation: R
1
//R
2
//R
3




Note: if we had just two resistors R1 and R2 in parallel,
we could then apply the product-sum rule, that is:
N
N
i
i
TOTAL
R R R
R
R
/ 1 ... / 1 / 1
1
1
1
2 1
1
+ + +
= =

=
+

R
1

R
3

V
S

R
2

3 2 1 / 1 / 1 / 1
1
R R R
RTOTAL
+ +
=
Node A
Node B
+

R
TOTAL

A
B
V
S

2 1
2 * 1
R R
R R
RTOTAL
+
=
30
Introduction to Current Divider
I
s

R
2
R
1

I
1
I
2

R
3

I
3

How do we find I
1
, I
2
, and I
3
?

V
S
+

31
KCL: I
S
= I
1
+ I
2
+ I
3

,
1
1
R
V
I
S
=
,
2
2
R
V
I
S
=
3
3
R
V
I
S
=
I
s

R
2

V
S
+

R
1

I
1
I
2

R
3

I
3

|
|
.
|

\
|
+ + = + + =
3 2 1 3 2 1
1 1 1
R R R
V
R
V
R
V
R
V
I S
S S S
S
3 2 1
1 1 1
1
R R R
I V S S
+ +
= Solve for Vs
But we know:
+
V
S

32


I
s

R
2

V
S
+

R
1

I
1
I
2

R
3

I
3

+
V
S

3 2 1
1 1 1
1
R R R
I V S S
+ +
=
Current Division
Equation for the above
circuit topology
3 2 1
1
1 1
1
1 1 1
1
1
R R R
R
I V
R R
V
I S S
S
+ +
= = =
33
Current Divider
This leads to a general current divider equation for N parallel
resistors






The above equation assumes that source current and
current through the circuit element flow in opposite
directions (one into the node, one out of the node)

=
=
N
i
i
j
S j
R
R
I I
1
1
1
34
Current Divider Different Orientations of
element currents

B A
A
S B
R R
R
I I
+
=
I
s

R
B
R
A

I
A
I
B

V
S
+

B A
B
S
B A
A
S A
R R
R
I
R R
R
I I
+
=
+
=
1 1
1
I
C

I
D

(

+
=
B A
B
S C
R R
R
I I
(

+
=
B A
A
S D
R R
R
I I
But, if we define the currents in the opposite direction we get:
35

(KVL) Kirchhoffs Voltage Law

*Sum of voltages around a closed path (loop) in a circuit
is zero.
A closed path move from point to point, only the first
and last points repeat.

Voltage Polarity Conventionwhen using KVL
A voltage encountered from + to - is positive
A voltage encountered from - to + is negative




36
KVL

+
-
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
-
-
+
-
V
1

V
2
V
3

V
5

V
4

V
6

V
7

A
F
C
B
D
E


Closed Path:
A B C D E A
+V
1
+V
6
+V
5
V
4
V
3
= 0


Another Closed Path:
E A F C D E
-V
3
-V
2
+V
7
+V
5
V
4
= 0


37
KVL

+
-
+
+
-
-
-V
1

V
3

V
2

A
C
B D


Closed Path:
B C D A B
+(V
2
) (V
3
) (-V
4
)+( V
1
) = 0


Use parenthesis, especially for
negative voltage variables V4
and V1.


-V
4

+
-
KVL Example 1
38

Clockwise Starting at A:

+ V
1
V
2
+ (- V
3
) = 0
+(2V) -(V
2
) +(-(8V)) = 0
V
2
= - 6V



V
3
= 8 Volts
V
1
= 2 Volts
find V
2
KVL Example 2

39
36 V
20O
10O
+
+ -
-
12 V
V
2

Clockwise Starting at the bottom node:

- 36V +12V - V
2
= 0

V
2
= - 24 V

find V
2
KVL Example 3

40
find V
Z
Clockwise Starting at positive terminal of 10 V:

+10V -5V -12V + V
Z
= 0

V
Z
= 12V + 5V -10V = 7V