BITS Pilani

Pilani Campus

RKTiwary
2 BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3, UGC Act
• What is another term
for potential electrical
difference?
• What is the definition
of electrical current?

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Circuits

• Closed Circuit
– Allows a complete path for
electrons to travel
• Open Circuit
– Does not allow a complete path
for the electrons to travel

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Flow of Charge

• Potential Difference: When the

ends of an electric conductor
are at different electric
potentials (voltages)
• Charge continues to flow until
the ends of the conductor has
the same voltage

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Flow of Charge

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Flow of Charge

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Electric Current
• Electric Current: The flow of
electric charge
– The loosely bound outer
electrons of conductors
carry the charge through
circuits
– Protons tightly bound to the
nuclei of atoms

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

 Electric Current
current = charge / time
or
elementary charge =
1.60217662 × 10-19 coulombs I = q/t
• Units: Amps (A)
– An amp is the flow of 1 C of
charge per second
– NOTE: 1 C = the charge of
6,240,000,000,000,000,000
electrons

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Electric Current

• Usually the number of electrons

entering a wire is the same as
the number leaving
– This gives the wire a net
charge of zero

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Voltage Sources

• Voltage Source: A device which

provides a potential difference in
order to keep current flowing
– Dry/Wet Cells: Convert chemical
energy to electrical energy
– Generators: Convert mechanical
energy to electrical energy
• The voltage available to electrons
moving between terminals is
called electromotive force, or emf.
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Voltage Sources

Note:

–Voltage flows across a

circuit

–Current flows through a

circuit

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Current vs. Voltage

• Current – Flow rate

–Measured in Amperes
–Amount of flowing water
• Voltage – Potential
–Measured in Volts
–Water Pressure
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Electric Resistance

• Electric Resistance: The ability of a

material to resist the flow of charge
– Units: Ohms (W)
– The amount of charge that flows
through a circuit depends on two
things:
• Voltage provided by source
• Electric resistance of the
conductor
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Resistor

• What is the resistance of this

resistor?

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
 Electric Resistance Factors

• Thick wires have less resistance

than thin wires
• Short wires have less resistance
than long wires
• Higher temperatures usually
cause more resistance
– The resistance in some
materials becomes almost
http://hyperphysics.phy- zero at very low temperatures
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/dcex3.html#c1
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Ohm’s Law
• The current in a circuit is
– Directly proportional to the
voltage across the circuit
– Inversely proportional to the
resistance of the circuit
Therefore:
Current = Voltage/Resistance
http://hyperphysics.phy- or
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html

I = V/R
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Ohm’s Law: Sample Problems

• How much current flows in a

1.5mA
1000-ohm resistor when 1.5
volts are impressed across it?
• How much resistance allows an
1000Ω
impressed voltage of 6 V to
produce a current of 0.006 A?
• What voltage will produce 3 A
45V
through a 15-ohm resistor?

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Voltage

• Potential difference between

two points
– Either side of a voltage source is
not an eqipotential surface
– A wire is an equipotential
surface
• It has the same potential
• If the wire is attached to a voltage
source it is still an equipotential
surface

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Current’s Direction

• Electrons Travel from – to +

• Current is actually the
opposite direction of the flow
of electrons

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Ohm’s Law and Electric Shock
• The current flowing through the
human body depends on two
factors:
– Voltage applied to the body
– Resistance of the body
• The resistance of the human body
could range from 100W (soaked in
salt water) to 500,000W (very dry)
– The lower the resistance, the
greater the shock
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Ohm’s Law and Electric Shock

Current Effect
0.001 A
Can be felt
(1 mA)
0.005 A
Painful
(5 mA)
0.010 A Involuntary muscle contractions
(10 mA) (spasms)
0.015 A
Loss of muscle control
(15 mA)
0.070 A If through the heart, serious disruption.
(70 mA) More than 1 second, probably fatal
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
A CD player with a resistance of 40 ohms has a
current of 0.1 amps flowing through it. How many
volts are supplied to the CD player?

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Electric Power

• The rate at which electrical

energy is converted to other
forms
Electric Power = Current x Voltage

P = IV
–Units: Watts (W)
• 1 kilowatt (kW) = 1000 W

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Electric Power

• Kilowatt-Hour (kWh): The

amount of energy consumed
in 1 hour at a rate of 1 kW
–Example: In a place where
energy is 5¢ per kWh, a 100
W light bulb can be lit for 10
hours for 5¢

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Electric Power

• What is the power when a

voltage of 120 V drives a 2-A
current through a device?
• How much current does a100-
W lamp draw when connected
to 120 V?
240W 0.83A

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

AC and DC
• Direct Current (DC)
–Flow of charge in one
direction
–Example: The terminals of a
battery do not switch signs
• Therefore electrons are
always repelled away from
the (-) terminal and toward
the (+)
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
AC and DC
• Alternating (AC)
– Charges in the circuit first
move in one direction, then in
the other
– Accomplished by alternating
the polarity of the voltage
source

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

AC and DC

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Converting AC to DC
• Wall outlets: AC
• Battery operated devices: DC
• AC adaptors have three main
components
– Transformer: Lowers voltage
– Diode: Acts as a one-way valve to
allow electron flow in only one
direction
• AC acts in 2 directions; the diode
only allows half of each cycle
through
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Converting AC to DC
– Capacitor: Stores charge to
smooth the signal between
each half cycle
• An additional diode can also
be used

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

The Speed of Electrons in a
Circuit
• At room temperature,
electrons in a wire have
speeds up to a few million
km/hr
–This motion does not
produce an organized current
• When a voltage source is
connected, an electric field is
established through the wire
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
The Speed of Electrons in a
Circuit

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

The Speed of Electrons in a
Circuit
• The electric field directs the
electrons along, producing a
current
–Electrons collide with each
other along the way

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

The Speed of Electrons in a
Circuit
• The electric field pulses
through the wire at nearly the
speed of light, however:
– In DC circuits, the electrons
have a drift speed of about
0.01 cm/s
– In AC circuits, the electrons
vibrate back and forth, so drift
speeds are nearly zero
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956