Lecture 2

Review Passive Sign

Convention
Power Generation,
Absorption
Power Sources
Resistance
Related educational

Passive sign convention review

Passive sign convention:
For passive circuit elements, we assume
that the current enters the node with the
higher voltage potential
Your analyses will not be reliable unless you
do this correctly
Examples:

Subscript notation can denote

voltage polarity

Voltage polarity is sometimes

indicated by subscript notation
The order of the subscripts indicates
the polarity
The first subscript indicates assumed
higher-voltage node
The second subscript is the assumed
lower-voltage node

Ground
Voltages are often represented as
relative to ground:
Ground (symbol:
) is a reference
voltage; often 0V
Voltages relative to ground generally not
called a voltage difference; they are a
difference relative to zero volts
Voltages relative to ground often
represented with a single subscript

Power Generation and Dissipation

Circuit elements can either dissipate
or generate power
Power is dissipated (or absorbed) if
current enters the positive voltage node

Power is generated (or supplied) if

current enters the negative voltage node

Power Generation and Dissipation

Power = voltagecurrent (p= vi)
Power is absorbed if the power is positive
(voltage and current are consistent with
the passive sign convention)
Power is generated if the power is
negative (voltage and current not
consistent with the passive sign
convention)

Examples
Determine the
power absorbed by
the circuit element
below.

The circuit element

absorbs 10W.
Determine the
current in the
element.

Power Supplies
Power supplies provide a source of
electrical power
Conceptual types of power supplies
(models of physical supplies):
Voltage, current sources
Independent, dependent sources
Ideal and non-ideal sources

Independent voltage sources

Common symbols:

Independent voltage sources

maintain specified voltage,
regardless of the current

Independent voltage sources

continued
Voltage-current characteristic for
constant voltage source:

Independent current sources

Common symbol:

Independent current sources

maintain specified current,
regardless of the voltage

Independent current sources

continued
Voltage-current characteristic for
constant current source:

Ideal power sources limitations

Ideal sources can provide infinite power
Voltage sources provide specified voltage,
regardless of the current current can be
infinite power can be infinite
Current sources provide specified current,
regardless of the voltage voltage can be
infinite power can be infinite

These models can be unrealistic

We will examine more realistic power
source models later

Dependent Power Supplies

Some active circuit elements can be
modeled as dependent power sources
The current or voltage delivered by the
source is controlled by a current or
voltage somewhere else in the circuit

Four possible combinations

Voltage
Current
Voltage
Current

controlled
controlled
controlled
controlled

voltage source (VCVS)

voltage source (CCVS)
current source (VCCS)
current source (CCCS)

Dependent Power Supplies

continued
Examples:

Resistors
Circuit symbol:

R is the resistance
Units are ohms ()

Voltage-current
relation (Ohms
Law):
v( t ) R i( t )

Resistors continued
Notes:
Resistors can only dissipate energy
The voltage-current relation is algebraic

Resistor Power Dissipation

Ohms Law:

v( t ) R i( t )

Power:

v( t )
i( t )
R

p( t ) v( t ) i( t )
Combining:

v( t )
p( t ) v( t )
R
p( t ) i( t ) Ri( t )

v2( t )
p( t )
R
p( t ) Ri 2 ( t )

Example
Determine the power (generated or
absorbed) by the resistor below:

Conservation of energy
In an electrical circuit, the power
generated is the same as the power
absorbed
Slightly more mathematically,

p 0

All elements

Recall that power absorbed is positive and

power generated is negative

Conservation of power example

Determine the power (absorbed or
generated) by the voltage source VS