Electrical Circuits Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Recognize how electricity works in electrical circuits

List the various terms associated with electrical circuits

Summarize what is meant by a basic electric circuit

Discuss the reaction and involvement of atoms in electric circuits

Describe electrical power, charge, and current

Define Ohm\'s Law

Electrical Circuits

Electricity is a form of energy that can be used by electrical devices. Working with electricity requires
knowledge of how it works in electrical circuits.

A circuit is a complete path that connects the negative terminal to the positive terminal. A circuit
contains, at minimum, a voltage source, a load, and conductors to carry the electrical current.

Electricity is about cause and effect.

The presence of voltage (volts) in a closed circuit will cause the current (amps) to flow. Voltage is the
driving force that makes current flow in a circuit. The more the voltage, the more current will flow.

Current is the movement of electrons in a circuit. Current flow is also determined by how much
resistance (ohms) the load offers to the flow of current. In order to convert electrical energy into
work, the load consumes energy. The amount of energy a device consumes is called power, and is
expressed in watts (W).

Electricians must understand the roles that voltage, current, and resistance play in electrical
systems. Without this knowledge, you will be merely performing trade tasks without knowing how
electricity and electrical devices work.

Basic Electrical Circuit

An electrical circuit is a path which electrons from a voltage or current source follow. Electric current
flows in a closed path called an electric circuit.

On a very simple level, an electrical circuit is much like water flowing down a stream and being
forced to turn a water wheel to get from point A to point B.

Electrical Circuits - Terms

Click on each term to find out more:
Ammeter
An instrument for measuring electrical current.

Ampere (A)
A unit of electrical current. For example, one volt across one ohm of resistance causes a current flow
of one ampere.

Atom
The smallest particle to which an element may be divided and still retain the properties of the
element.

Battery
A DC voltage source consisting of two or more cells that convert chemical energy into electrical
energy.

Circuit
A complete path for current flow.
Conductor
A material through which it is relatively easy to maintain an electric current.

Current
The movement, or flow, of electrons in a circuit. Current (I) is measured in amperes.

Insulator
A material through which it is difficult to conduct an electric current.

Joule (J)
A unit of measurement that represents one Newton-meter (Nm), which is a unit of measure for doing
work.

Matter
Any substance that has mass and occupies space.

Neutrons
Electrically neutral particles (neither positive nor negative) that have the same mass as a proton and
are found in the nucleus of an atom.

Nucleus
The center of an atom. It contains the protons and neutrons of the atom.

Ohm
The basic unit of measurement for resistance.

Ohmmeter
An instrument used for measuring resistance.

Ohm\'s Law
A statement of the relationships among current, voltage, and resistance in an electrical circuit:
current (I) equal voltage (divided by resistance (R). Generally expressed as an mathematical
formula: I =E/R.

Power
The rate of doing work or the rate at which energy is used or dissipated. Electrical power is the rate
of doing electrical work. Electrical power is measured in watts.

Protons
The smallest positively charged particles of an atom. Protons are contained in the nucleus of an
atom.

Resistance
An electrical property that opposes the flow of current through a circuit. Resistance is measured in
ohms.

Resistor
Any device in a circuit that resists the flow of electrons.
Schematic
A type of drawing in which symbols are used to represent the components in a system.

Series Circuit
A circuit with only one path for current flow.

Solenoid
An electromagnetic coil used to control a mechanical device such as a valve.

Transformer
A device consisting of one or more coils of wire wrapped around a common core. It is commonly
used to step voltage up or down.

Valence Shell
The outermost ring of electrons that orbit about the nucleus of an atom.

Volt (V)
The unit of measurement for voltage (electromotive force or difference of potential). One volt is
equivalent to equivalent to the force required to produce a current of one ampere through a
resistance of one ohm.

Voltage
The driving force that makes current flow in a circuit. Voltage is also referred to as electromotive
force or difference of potential.

Voltage Drop
The change in voltage across a component that is caused by the current flowing through it and the
amount of resistance opposing it.

Voltmeter
An instrument for measuring voltage. The residence of the voltmeter is fixed. When the voltmeter is
connected to a circuit, the current passing through the meter will be directly proportional to the
voltage at the connection points.

Watt (W)
The basic unit of measurement for electrical power.
Atomic Theory An Introduction

To be a successful and safe electrician, you must understand electrical theory. Electrical theory
involves the study of atoms, their reactions, and their involvement in electrical circuits.

Atomic theory explains the construction and behavior of atoms and the transfer of electrons in the
current flow. So what is an atom?

An atom is the smallest part of an element that enters into a chemical change in the form of a
charged particle. These charged particles are called ions.

There are two kinds of ions: positive and negative. Ions of the same charge repel each other,
whereas unlike ions of unlike attract each other. When ions become charged it means a quantity of
electricity is either positive or negative.

An atom contains three types of atomic particles that are of interest in electricity:

1. Protons: positive charge (+)

2. Electrons: negative charge(-)
3. Nucleus: no electrical charge

A proton (+) repels another proton (+)

An electron (-) repels another electron (-)
A proton (+) attracts an electron (-)

Conductors and Insulators

The chemical activity and stability of atoms depends on the number and position of its electrons.
Electrons are located in groups of orbits called valance shell. Naturally, the electrons in this shell are
called valence electrons.

The valance electrons of an atom determine its ability to gain or lose electrons.

Atomic Theory Conductors and Insulators

Elements are divided into three categories based on their electrons. Click on each button to find out
more:

Conductors
Conductors have three or less valance electrons and they flow electricity. Conductors transfer
electrical energy from one point to another. For example, copper and silver conduct a flow of
electrons easily.

Insulators
Insulators have five or more valance electrons and they prevent the flow of electricity. Compounds
such as porcelain and plastic are good examples of insulators.

Semiconductors
Semiconductors have four valance electrons and they are used in electronic circuits. Materials such
as germanium and silicon are not good conductors or insulators.
Magnetism
The force of attraction or repulsion between various substances, especially those made of iron and
certain other metals is due to the motion of electric charges.

Magnetism is important in electricity because the flow of electrons in a circuit or the current through
a conductor produces a small magnetic field around the conductor.

This is the basis of how electric motors operate.

Electrical Power - Generation and Distribution

Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.

Electricity distribution is the delivery of electricity to end users by devices known as transformers,
which step the voltage down to lower levels as it reaches substations and eventually homes, offices,
and factories. The electrical power that travels through long distance transmission lines may be as
high as 750,000 volts (V).

Electrical Charge:

An electric charge has the ability to move another charge by attraction or repulsion. Electrical charge
is measured in coulombs.

The sum of the difference of potential of all the charges in the electrostatic filed is voltage. Voltage is
represented by the letter E. An electron has 1.6 x10-19 coulomb of charge. Therefore, it takes 6.25 x
1018 electrons to make up one coulomb of charge.

Current Flow:
The movement or the flow of electrons in a circuit is called a current. Current is represented by the
letter (I) and measured in ampere (A).

One ampere of current is defined as the movement of one coulomb past any point of a conductor
during one second of time. The direction of current flow is from a point of negative potential to a
point of positive potential.

Voltage
Voltage attempts to make a current flow, and the current will flow if the circuit is complete.

Voltage is sometimes described as the \'push\' or \'force\' of electricity; it isn\'t really a force but this
may help you to imagine what is happening. It is possible to have voltage without current, but current
cannot flow without voltage. So, it is the force that causes electrons to move.

One volt is the potential difference between two points for which one coulomb of electricity will do
one joule (J). The voltage between two ends of a path is the total energy required to move a small
electric charge along that path, divided by the magnitude of the charge.

A battery is one of several means of creating voltage.

Resistance
Resistance is directly related to the ability of a material to conduct electricity.

All conductors have very low resistance; insulators have very high resistance.
Electrical Circuits Other Terminologies

In this unit, we look at some other terminologies associated with electrical circuits. They are as
follows:

1. Ohm\'s Law
2. Schematic Representations
3. Resistors
4. Electrical Circuits
5. Electrical Measuring Instruments
6. Electrical Power

Ohm\'s Law:
Ohms law defines the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance. It states that the
current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference
across the two points.

Introducing the constant of proportionality, the resistance, one arrives at the usual mathematical
equation that describes this relationship:
I = V/R

In the formula I is the current through the conductor in units of amperes, V is the potential difference
measured across the conductor in units of volts, and R is the resistance of the conductor in units of
ohms.

More specifically, Ohm\'s law states that the R in this relation is constant, and independent of the
current.

Schematic Representation of Circuits:

A schematic diagram shows by means of graphic symbols, the electrical connections and functions
of the different parts of a circuit.

A schematic or pictorial diagram shows the connecting wires, the battery, the switch and the lamp.

Resistors:
A linear resistor is a linear, passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical
resistance as a circuit element.

The current through a resistor is in direct proportion to the voltage across the resistor\'s terminals.
Thus, the ratio of the voltage applied across a resistor\'s terminals to the intensity of current through
the circuit is called resistance.

This relation is represented by Ohm\'s law: I = E/R

Electrical Circuits:
An electrical network is an interconnection of electrical elements such as resistors, inductors,
capacitors, transmission lines, voltage sources, current sources, and switches.
An electrical circuit is a special type of network, one that has a closed loop giving a return path for
the current.

Electrical networks that consist only of sources (voltage or current), linear lumped elements
(resistors, capacitors, inductors), and linear distributed elements (transmission lines) can be
analyzed by algebraic and transform methods to determine DC response, AC response, and
transient response.

A resistive circuit is a circuit containing only resistors and ideal current and voltage sources. Analysis
of resistive circuits is less complicated than analysis of circuits containing capacitors and inductors. If
the sources are constant (DC) sources, the result is a DC circuit.

A network that contains active electronic components is known as an electronic circuit. Such
networks are generally nonlinear and require more complex design and analysis tools.

Electrical Measuring Instruments:

These instruments measure voltages, current, and resistance. The most common test meter is volt-
ohm-milliammeter (VOM) or multimeter.

Click on each measuring instrument to know its use:

Clamp-on ammeter
Measures current

Ohmmeter
Measures resistance

Voltmeter
Measures voltage

Voltage Testers
Checks the presence of voltage as a troubleshooting and tool and safety.

Electrical Power:
Power is defined as the rate of doing work which is energy used or dissipated. In electrical circuits,
power is measured in units called watts (W). The term wattage is used colloquially to mean \"electric
power in watts.\"

Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations.

Direct current:

In direct current resistive circuits, electrical power is calculated using Joule\'s law: P = VI where P is
the electric power, V the potential difference, and I the electric current.

In the case of resistive (Ohmic, or linear) loads, Joule\'s law can be combined with Ohm\'s law (V =
IR) to produce alternative expressions for the dissipated power, where R is the electrical resistance.
Lesson Summary

Working with electricity requires knowledge of how it works in electrical circuits.

A circuit is a complete path that connects the negative terminal to the positive terminal. It contains
a voltage source, a load, and conductors to carry the electrical current.

Understanding the roles that voltage, current, and resistance play in electrical systems is important
for an electrician.

Electrical theory also involves the study of atoms, especially with regard to their involvement in
electrical circuits.

An electric charge has the ability to move another charge by attraction or repulsion. Electrical
charge is measured in coulombs.

The movement or the flow of electrons in a circuit is called a current. Current is measured in
amperes.

Voltage attempts to make a current flow, and the current will flow if the circuit is complete. Voltage
is measured in volts.

Resistance is the ability of a material to conduct electricity. Resistance is measured in ohms.

A volt-ohm-milliameter is the most common test meter for voltages, resistances, and current in an
electric circuit.