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Unit Title: Simple Resistive Circuits

Duration: 3 hours

Introduction:

This part of the module is intended to introduce the basic connection of

elements and their relationships with one another. A more complex
interconnection is also given with the aid of simplifying it first by using Delta
– to – Wye simplifications.

The use of current and voltage division will greatly help us also in
simplifying the analysis of a complex circuit. These concepts will then help
the students to evaluate voltage and current relationships as well as
computation of the associated power in the circuit elements of interest.

Objective: The goal for this module are:

1 Be able to recognize resistors connected in series and in parallel

and use the rules for combining series-connected resistors and
parallel-connected resistors to yield equivalent resistance.
2 Be able to use voltage division and current division appropriately
to solve simple circuits.
3 Know when and how to use delta-to-wye equivalent circuits to
solve simple circuits.

4.1 . Ohms Law

Ohm’s law states that the electrical current through a conductor is

proportional to the potential difference across it. Furthermore, the
electrical resistance of the conductor is constant. This leads to the
mathematical equation:
𝑉
𝑅=
𝐼
Where I is the current in amperes, V the voltage in volts and R the
resistance in ohms. To illustrate: a resistor of one ohm subjected to a
current of 1A has a voltage difference of 1V across its terminals. The
equation is named after Georg Ohm. In 1827 he published his findings that
form the basis of the formula that is used today. He performed a large
series of experiments that showed the relation between applied voltage
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and current through a conductor. The law is therefore empirical. Although
Ohm’s law is one of the fundamentals of electrical engineering, at the time
of publication it was received with criticism. The ohm is adopted as the
official SI unit for electrical resistance.
𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 × 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡

P = watts I = Amperes V = Volts R = Ohms

𝑉𝑥𝐼 𝑉⁄ √𝑃 × 𝑅 𝑃⁄ 2
𝑅 𝐼
𝐼2 𝑅 𝑃⁄ 𝑃⁄ 𝑉 2⁄
𝑉 𝐼 𝑃
𝑉 2⁄ 𝐼×𝑅 𝑉⁄
𝑅 √𝑃⁄𝑅 𝐼

Problem 4.1] A resistive load has a voltage across it as 15 V DC. If the

voltage is reduced by 1 volt and the resistance is reduced by 1 ohm, the
current will be increased by two amperes. What are the original current
and resistance?

4.2 Series Circuits

A series circuit is a circuit in which resistors are arranged in a

chain, so the current has only one path to take. The current is the same

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through each resistor. The total resistance of the circuit is found by simply
adding up the resistance values of the individual resistors:

Equivalent resistance of resistors in series: 𝑅𝑡 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + 𝑅3 + 𝑅5 …….𝑅𝑛

A series circuit is shown in Fig.2.5. The current flows through each resistor
in turn. If the values of the five resistors are:

𝑅1 = 8Ω, 𝑅2 = 8Ω, 𝑅3 = 4Ω, 𝑅4 = 10 , 𝑅5 = 5

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 = 8 + 8 + 4 + 10 + 5 = 35Ω

With a 10 V battery, by 𝑉 = 𝐼𝑅 the total current in the circuit

is:

𝑉 10
𝐼= = = 0.2857𝐴
𝑅 35

The current through each resistor would be 0.2857 A.

The voltage drop in each resistor is equivalent to:

𝑉1 = 0.2857 × 8 = 2.2856𝑉 ,

𝑉2 = 0.2857 × 8 = 2.2856𝑉 ,

𝑉3 = 0.2857 × 4 = 1.1428𝑉 ,

𝑉4 = 0.2857 × 10 = 2.857𝑉,

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 𝑉5 = 0.2857 × 5 = 1.4285𝑉

The total voltage is equal to : 𝑉𝑡 = 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 + 𝑉3 + 𝑉4 + +𝑉5

𝑉𝑡 = 2.2856 + 2.2856 + 1.1428 + 2.857 + 1.4285 = 10𝑉

4.3 Parallel circuits

A parallel circuit is a circuit in which the resistors are arranged with their
heads connected together, and their tails connected together. The
current in a parallel circuit breaks up, with some flowing along each parallel
branch and re-combining when the branches meet again. The voltage
across each resistor in parallel is the same.

The total resistance of a set of resistors in parallel is found by adding up

the reciprocals of the resistance values, and then taking the reciprocal of
the total:

1 1 1 1 1
Equivalent resistance of resistors in parallel: = 𝑅 + 𝑅 + 𝑅 + ⋯𝑅
𝑅𝑡 1 2 3 𝑛

A parallel circuit is shown in Fig. 2.6. In this case the current

supplied by the battery splits up, and the amount going through each
resistor depends on the resistance. If the values of the three resistors in
Fig. 2.6 are:

𝑅1 = 8Ω, 𝑅2 = 8Ω, 𝑅3 = 4Ω the total resistance is found by:

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 1 1 1 1 1
= + + = , 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑅 = 2Ω
𝑅𝑇 8 8 4 2

With a 10 V battery, by 𝑉 = 𝐼𝑅 the total current in the circuit is:

𝑉 10
𝐼= = = 5𝐴
𝑅𝑡 2

𝑉
The individual currents can also be found using 𝐼 = 𝑅 .The voltage across
each resistor is 10 V, so:

10 10 10
𝐼1 = = 1.25𝐴 , 𝐼2 = = 1.25𝐴 , 𝐼3 = = 2.5𝐴
8 8 4
Note that the total current is equivalent to:

𝐼𝑡 = 𝐼1 + 𝐼2 + 𝐼3 = 1.25 + 1.25 + 2.5 = 5𝐴

4.4 Circuits with series and parallel components

Many circuits have a combination of series and parallel resistors.

Generally, the total resistance in a circuit like this is found by reducing the
different series and parallel combinations step-by-step to end up with a
single equivalent resistance for the circuit. This allows the current to be
determined easily. The current flowing through each resistor can then be
found by undoing the reduction process.

General rules for doing the reduction process include:

1. Two (or more) resistors with their heads directly connected

together and their tails directly connected together are in parallel,
and they can be reduced to one resistor using the equivalent
resistance equation for resistors in parallel.

𝑅1 𝑅2
𝑅𝑒𝑞 =
𝑅1 + 𝑅2

2. Two resistors connected together so that the tail of one is

connected to the head of the next, with no other path for the

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 current to take along the line connecting them, are in series and
can be reduced to one equivalent resistor.

Finally, remember that for resistors in series, the current is the same
for each resistor, and for resistors in parallel, the voltage is the same for
each one.

Problem 4.2]

A 12 ohm resistor is connected in parallel with a series combination of

8 and 16 ohms. If the drop across the 8 ohm resistor is 48 V, determine
the total impressed emf and the total current.

Exercises:

1. Determine the values of two resistances which when connected

in series give 50 ohm and when connected in parallel give 12 ohm.

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2. Three 120 ohm resistors are to be connected in four possible ways.
Calculate the equivalent resistance for each connection, Determine
also the total power in each case for an impressed emf of 120 V.

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3. From the circuit shown, determine the resistance between
terminals a & b.

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4. The circuit contains a three section resistive ladder network (a)
assume 𝑖𝑜 = 1𝐴 and work one step at a time from the right side of
the network toward the source and find 𝑉𝑆 . (b) If 𝑉𝑆 = 100𝑉 find 𝑖𝑜 .

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5. The figure is shown a circuit consisting of a resistor 𝑅1 in series
with two resistors 𝑅2 and 𝑅3 in parallel. The circuit is connected
across a constant 100 V supply. When switch S is open, the
ammeter 𝐴1 reads 8 amperes. When switch S is closed 𝐴1 reads
10 amperes and 𝐴2 reads 4 A. determine (a) ohms of
resistors 𝑅1 , 𝑅2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅3 . (b) Voltage across 𝑅1 & 𝑅2 when S is open.
(c) Voltage across 𝑅1 & 𝑅2 when S is closed.

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6. Twelve similar wires each of resistance 2 ohms are connected
so as to form a cube. Find the resistance between the two
diagonally opposite corners.

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7. From the circuit shown, determine the resistance between
terminals a & b.

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8. To determine the resistances of three resistors A, B & C, the
following procedure is followed. RA & RB are connected in series
and emf of 21 volts is impressed for a current of 1 ampere; RB &
RC are next connected in series and an emf of 27 volts is
impressed, for the same adjusted current. Finally RC & RA are
connected in series and an emf of 24 volts is impressed for the
same adjusted current. What are the ohmic values of A, B & C?

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9. Find the ohmic values of 𝑅3 that will make the power in𝑅1 , 1.5 times
the power in 𝑅3 .

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10. Determine the equivalent resistance looking at the input and the
𝑉
ratio of 2⁄𝑉
1

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4.5 Voltage and Current Divider Circuit

Voltage dividers find wide application in electric meter circuits, where

specific combinations of series resistors are used to "divide" a voltage into
precise proportions as part of a voltage measurement device.

𝑉𝑡 = 𝑖𝑅1 + 𝑖𝑅2
𝑉𝑡
𝑖=
𝑅1 + 𝑅2
Now use ohms law to calculate 𝑉1 & 𝑉2

𝑅1
𝑉1 = 𝑖𝑅1 = 𝑉𝑡
𝑅1 + 𝑅2
𝑅2
𝑉2 = 𝑖𝑅2 = 𝑉𝑡
𝑅1 + 𝑅2
A parallel circuit is often called a current divider for its ability to proportion
-- or divide -- the total current into fractional parts. With a little bit of
algebra, we can derive a formula for determining parallel resistor current
given nothing more than total current, individual resistance, and total
resistance:

𝑅1 𝑅2
𝑉 = 𝐼1 𝑅1 = 𝐼2 𝑅2 = 𝑅𝑡 𝐼 = 𝐼
𝑅1 + 𝑅2 𝑡
𝑉 𝑅1 𝑅2 1
𝐼1 = = 𝐼𝑡 ×
𝑅1 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 𝑅1

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 𝑅2
𝐼1 = 𝐼
𝑅1 + 𝑅2 𝑡
𝑅1
𝐼2 = 𝐼
𝑅1 + 𝑅2 𝑡
Problem 4.3]
Use voltage division twice to find 𝑉1.

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Problem 4.4]
Use repeated current division in finding I

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Exercises:
1. Determine :
(a) Rab
(b) Total Current
(c) Power delivered by the source
(d) V1, V2 and V3 using voltage divider rule.

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2. Use current division to write an expression for current
through the 3 ohm resistor

3. Using current divider rule find the ratio of 𝐼𝐿⁄𝐼 in the circuit shown
𝑠

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4.6 Short and open Circuits

Short Circuited when two points of a circuit are connected together by a

thick metallic wire.

Since ‘short’ has practically zero resistance, it gives rise to two important
facts:
⊳ No voltage can exist across it.
⊳ Current though (called short circuit current) is very large.

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Open Circuited when two points are open circuited when there is no direct
connection between them.

This represents a break in the continuity of the circuit. Due to this break:
⊳ Resistance between the two points is infinite.
⊳ there is no flow of current between the two points.

Problem 3.5]
Find 𝑉𝑎𝑏 across the open circuit.

Solution:
The 10 ohm resistor has zero current flowing through it,
60 × 100
𝑉1 = = 60𝑉
60 + 40
Use Kirchhoff’s voltage law at the right-hand half of the circuit
0 − 30 + 𝑉𝑎𝑏 + 10 − 60 = 0
𝑉𝑎𝑏 = 80𝑉

Problem 3.6]
Find the short circuit current 𝐼3 for the circuit shown.

Solution:
100 −200
𝐼1 = = 5𝐴 ; 𝐼2 = = −8𝐴
20 25
Use Kirchhoff’s current law at the top node
𝐼1 + 𝐼2 − 𝐼3 = 0
𝐼3 = 5 − 8 = −3𝐴

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4.7 Delta to Wye Transformation:

In many circuits, resistors are neither in series nor in parallel, so

can’t the rules for series or parallel circuits described in previous chapters
be applied. For these circuits, it may be necessary to convert from one
circuit form to another to simplify the solution. Two typical circuit
configurations that often have these difficulties are the wye (Y) and delta
( D ) circuits. They are also referred to as tee (T) and pi ( P ) circuits,
respectively.

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Equations for the transformation from Δ-load to Y-load 3-phase
circuit

The general idea is to compute the impedance 𝑅𝑦 at a terminal node of the

Y circuit with impedances 𝑅 ′ , 𝑅" adjacent nodes in the Δ circuit by

𝑅′𝑅"
𝑅𝑦 =
∑ 𝑅∆

𝑅𝑏 𝑅𝑐
𝑅1 = ,
𝑅𝑎 + 𝑅𝑏 + 𝑅𝑐

𝑅𝑎 𝑅𝑐
𝑅2 = ,
𝑅𝑎 + 𝑅𝑏 + 𝑅𝑐

𝑅𝑎 𝑅𝑏
𝑅3 = .
𝑅𝑎 + 𝑅𝑏 + 𝑅𝑐

Equations for the transformation from Y-load to Δ-load 3-phase

circuit

The general idea is to compute an impedance 𝑅∆ in the Δ circuit by

𝑅𝑝
𝑅∆ =
𝑅𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒

Where 𝑅𝑝 = 𝑅1 𝑅2 + 𝑅2 𝑅3 + 𝑅3 𝑅1 the sum of the products of all is pairs

of impedances in the Y circuit and 𝑅𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 is the impedance of the node
in the Y circuit which is opposite the edge with 𝑅∆ . The formula for the
individual edges are thus

𝑅1 𝑅2 + 𝑅2 𝑅3 + 𝑅3 𝑅1
𝑅𝑎 = ,
𝑅1

𝑅1 𝑅2 + 𝑅2 𝑅3 + 𝑅3 𝑅1
𝑅𝑏 = ,
𝑅2

𝑅1 𝑅2 + 𝑅2 𝑅3 + 𝑅3 𝑅1
𝑅𝑐 = .
𝑅3

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Problem 4.7 ]

Find I for the circuit shown by using ∆-Y transformation.

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Exercises
1. Determine RAB

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2. Determine Rab

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3. Find Vo using delta to wye or wye to delta transformation

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4. Find the current in the 17 ohms resistor by using star/delta
conversion

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References:

Alexander, C., & Sadiku, M. (2013). Fundamentals of Electric Circuits (5th

ed.)

Nilsson, James and Riedel, Susan (2015). Electric Circuit Analysis (10th
ed.)

Bird, J. (2017). Electrical Circuit Theory and Technology (6th ed.)

Johnson, D., Johnson, J., & Hilburn, J. Electric Circuit Analysis (2nd ed.)
Applied Circuit Analysis, M.N.O. Sadiku, S.M. Musa, C.K. Alexander,
McGraww-Hill Companies Inc., 2013
Basic Engineering Circuit Analysis, J.D. Irwin, R.M. Nelms, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 10th ed., 2011
Circuit Analysis for Dummies, J.M. Santiago Jr., John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 2013
1001 Soved Problems in Electrical Engineering, R. A. Rojas Jr.,
Jaime R Tiong, 2001
Theory and Problems of Basic Circuit Analysis, J. O’Malley,
Schaum’s outline Series, McGraw-Hill, Inc, 2nd ed.
BL Theraja : Electrical Technology Vol. 1

Electric Circuits, J.W. Nilson & S.A Riedel , Addison – Wesley

Publishing Company 5th ed., 1996
Engineering Circuit Analysis, W.H Hayt Jr. & J. E. Kemmerly,
McGraw-Hill, Inc, 5th ed., 1993
1. https://www.electrical4u.com/what-is-inductor-and-inductance-
theory-of-inductor/
2. http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/inductor/inductor.html
3. http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/capacitor/cap_1.html
4. http://www.studyelectrical.com/2016/12/different-types-
classification-of-capacitors.html
5. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/CapacitanceMeter
6. http://cnx.org/contents/y3HdLx8N@3/DC-Circuits-Containing-
Resistor

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