Electrici

ty

Class X

Charge

Electric chargeis a basic property of electrons,

protonsand othersubatomic particles. Electrons are
negatively charged while protons are positively charged.
Things that are negatively charged and things that are
positively charged pull on (attract) each other. This makes
electrons and protons stick together to formatoms. Things
that have the same charge push each other away
(theyrepeleach other).
Coulomb is the SI unit of charge. It is equal to the charge
contained in nearly 6*10^18 electrons.

Electrons are
negatively charged
while protons are
positively charged.

Electric Current

Anelectric currentis a flow ofelectric charge. In electric

circuits this charge is often carried by movingelectronsin
awire. It can also be carried byionsin anelectrolyte, or by
both ions and electrons such as in aplasma.

TheSIunit for measuring an electric current is theampere,

which is the flow of electric charge across a surface at the rate
of one coulombper second. Electric current is measured using
a device called anammeter.

Flow of electrons

Electric Circuit

An electric circuit is an interconnection of electric components

such that electric charge is made to flow along a closed path (a
circuit), usually to perform some useful task.

Direction of current : Direction of current is taken to be opposite

to the flow of electrons i.e. from positive terminal to the
negative terminal.

Flow of electrons

Electric Potential Difference

The electric potential at any point is defined as the energy required to

bring a unit test charge from aninfinite distanceslowly to that point.

Electric Potential Difference is the difference inelectric potential energy

between two points per unitelectric charge. The voltage between two
points is equal to theworkdone perunit of chargeagainst a static
electric fieldto move thetest chargebetween two points and is
measured in units ofvolts(ajoulepercoulomb).
Batteries are
the common
source of
voltage in many
circuits.

Ohms Law

Ohm's lawstates that thecurrentthrough aconductorbetween two

points is directlyproportionalto thevoltageacross the two points.

Introducing the constant of proportionality, theresistance,one arrives

at the usual mathematical equation that describes this relationship:

I = v/r
whereIis the current through the conductor in units ofamperes,Vis the
voltage measuredacrossthe conductor in units ofvolts,
andRis theresistanceof the conductor in units ofohms.

Resistance

Theelectrical resistanceof anelectrical conductoris a measure of the

difficulty to pass anelectric currentthrough that conductor.

Resistance, discovered byGeorg Simon Ohmin 1827, is the ratio between

voltage and current.

Ohm is the unit of resistance.

Resistance depends on the following:

1. Length
2. Area
3. Nature of material and
4. Temperature

Running current
through a material
with high resistance
creates heat, in a
phenomenon called
Joule heating.

Combination of Resistances

Components of anelectrical circuitorelectronic circuitcan be

connected inmany different ways. The two simplest of these are
calledseries andparalleland occur frequently. Components
connected in series are connected along a single path, so the
samecurrentflows through all of the components.Components
connected in parallel are connected so the samevoltageis applied to
each component.

Series Combination

The figure shows three resistors in series.

Current through each resistance remains same.

Total voltage across the combination is equal to

sum of voltage drops.
V= V1 + v2 + V3

We can find the total resistance by adding up the

resistances. i.e.
R = R1 + R2 + R3

Parallel Combination

The figure shows three resistances in parallel.

Voltage across all three resistances remain same.

Total current is equal to the current through the individual

resistances.

I = I1 + I 2 + I3

We can find the effective resistance by adding reciprocals of all the

resistances.
1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3

Joules Law of Heating.

Joule heating, also known asohmic heatingandresistive heating,

is the process by which the passage of anelectric currentthrough
aconductorreleasesheat.

It states that the heat H produced in a conductor is directly

proportional to

1.

The square of the current I through it

2.

To its resistances R and

3.

The times T for which current is passed.

During heating an
alloy can go red hot

Practical Applications of Heating

Effect
1.

Used in electric iron, toaster, oven, heater etc.

2.

It is also used in bulb to produce light. ( Filament of bulb is made of

strong metal with high melting point such as tungsten (m.pt. = 3380*
C). This filament can retain as much of the heat generated as possible,
to became very hot and emit light.)

3.

It is also used in fuse connected in electric circuit.

An electric fuse

Electric Power

Electric poweris the rate at whichelectrical energyis transferred

by anelectric circuit.

TheSIunit ofpoweris thewatt, onejouleper second.

Electric power is usually produced byelectric generators, but can

also be supplied by sources such aselectric batteries.
Symbol of Electric
power

Electric Energy

It is the total work done in maintaining an electric current in an

electric circuit for given time.

Its unit is W s or Joule(J). Another unit is watt hour (Wh)

One watt hour is the energy consumed when 1 W of power is

used for 1 hour.

Electric energy can be

used to do many
things like emitting
light.