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    EM3 Electricity

    Uploaded by

    candy lebotse

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    EM3 Electricity

    Uploaded by

    candy lebotse
    7 views6 pages

    Original Title

    EM3; Electricity

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    7 views6 pages

    EM3 Electricity

    Uploaded by

    candy lebotse

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 6

    1

    ELECTRICITY
    Electric Current, I
    Current is the rate of flow of electric charge. Conventional current flows from positive to
    negative but the flow of electric charges is from negative to positive.

    where I = current
    Q = charge
    t = time

    The SI units of current are Amperes(A) or Coulomb per second (C/s).


    Current is measured with an ammeter. The circuit symbol for an ammeter is . An
    ammeter is always connected in series with other circuit components.

    Potential Difference (pd) or Voltage,V


    This refers to the electrical energy needed to drive a charge between two points in a circuit.

    Where V = voltage
    E = electrical energy
    Q = charge

    The SI units of voltage are Volts(V) or Joules per Coulomb (J/C).


    NB: One volt is the energy needed to drive a coulomb of charge around a circuit.

    Voltage is measured with a voltmeter. The circuit symbol for voltmeter is . A


    voltmeter is always connected in parallel with other circuit components.

    Electromotive force(emf)
    2

    This is the electrical energy required to drive a charge round a circuit by a power supply. A
    voltmeter is connected across the power supply in order to measure the emf.

    Resistance, R
    Resistance is the opposition to flow of current. SI units of resistance are Ohms (Ω). An
    ohmmeter can be used to measure resistance.

    Resistivity
    The resistance of a conductor is
     indirectly proportional to the cross sectional area(A) of the conductor .
     directly proportional to the length (l) of the conductor. R  l

    Combining the two

    Where R = Resistanceof the conductor


    l = length of the conductor
     = resistivity of the conductor
    A = cross-sectional area of the conductor.

    Resistivity of any material is constant.


    For example the resistivity of copper is 1.8 x 10-8 m and nichrome (an alloy) has a resistivity
    of 110 x 10-8 m.

    Ohm’s Law
    The current (I) through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage (V) across the
    conductor, provided temperature and other conditions remain constant.
    3

    V = IR
    Where V = voltage
    I = current
    R = resistance.

    V/I Characteristic Graphs

    Ohmic Conductor Filament bulb Thermistor

    Electrical Energy

     Q = It ……………………………..(i)

    …………………………..(ii)

    Using eqn (i) in eqn (ii)

    Rearranging the eqn

    Where E = electrical energy


    I = electrical current
    V = voltage
    t = time

    Electrical Power, P

    but 
    4

    Where P = electrical power


    I = electrical current
    V = voltage

    Series Circuits
    In a series circuit there is only one pathway for current.

    Current in Series circuits


    The current is the same at all points in a series circuit

    A1 = A2 = A3 and therefore I1 = I2 = I3
    Voltage in a Series Circuit.
    In a series circuit there is a potential drop across the circuit components. Thus the sum of the
    voltages across the circuit components should give the emf.

    VT = V 1 + V 2 + …
    Resistance in a series circuit.
    5

    The total resistance, RT for resistors R1, R2, R3,etc which are in series is given by

    RT = R1 + R2 + R3 + …
    Parallel Circuits
    This is a circuit in which there is more than one pathway for current.

    Current in parallel circuits


    Current divides among the several pathways in a parallel circuit.

    AT = A1 + A2
    IT = I1 + I2 + …

    Voltage in parallel circuits

    The voltages across parallel circuit components are equal.

    VT = V 1 = V 2

    Resistance in parallel circuits


    6

    The total resistance, RT for resistors R1, R2, R3, etc which are parallel is given by

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