1.

1 OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING
Electrical Engineering:

a) Collect, Store, Process, Transport, and

Present Information

b) Distribute, Store and Convert Energy between

various forms.

Manipulation of Information

Manipulation of Energy.
 Example

Weather Prediction
Data collected by weather satellites, land based
radar stations, and sensors at numerous
weather stations.
Sensors: Devices that convert physical
measurements to electrical signals.

Information is then transmitted by electronic

communication systems and processed by
computers to yield forecasts.
Forecasts are electronically displayed.
 Example 2

Electrical Power Plants

Energy is converted from various forms to
electrical form.
Electrical distribution systems transport the
energy to our homes, factories, businesses.
 Applications of Electrical
Engineering

Many Applications
Automakers use electrical technology to provide
increase functionality at lower costs. These
include:
 Subdivisions of Electrical
Engineering

1) COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS:
Transport information in electrical form.
Cell Phones, Satellite TV's, Internet

2) COMPUTER SYSTEMS:
Process and store information in digital form.
PC's, Computers used in auto's, homes, etc.
 3) CONTROL SYSTEMS:
Collect information w/ sensors and use electrical
energy to control a physical process.
Heating/Cooling Systems: Thermostat (sensors)
measures current temperature and compares it w/
desired value. Control circuits operate the furnace or
the air conditioner to achieve the desired temperature.

Tall buildings have control systems installed to reduce

the movement by wind.

Feedback is important!
 4) ELECTRO MAGNETICS

Study the application of electric and magnetic

fields.

MAGNETRON: Used to produce microwave

energy in an oven

Cellular Phones and television antennas use

Electro Magnetics.
 5) ELECTRONICS

Study and applications of materials, devices and

circuits used in amplifying and switching electrical
signals.

Transistors: used everywhere electrical

information or energy is employed.

Cardiac Pacemaker: Senses heart beats, if no

beat, then applies a minute of electrical stimulus
to the heart, forcing the heart to beat.
 6) PHOTONICS

New Field: promises to replace conventional

computing, signal processing, sensing and
communications devices.
Previous are all based on manipulating electrons.
PHOTONICS is based on manipulating photons.
Light generation by lasers and light emitting
diodes, transmission of light through optical
components.

Readers for DVDs, holograms, optical signal

processors, Fiber optic communication systems.

Future Optical Computers, Holographic

Memories, Medical Devices.
 7) POWER SYSTEMS

Convert energy to and from electrical form

Transport energy over long distances
Composed of generators, transformers and
distribution lines, motors, etc.
 8) SIGNAL PROCESSING

Used to extract useful information from electrical

signals derived from sensors

Machine vision for robots.

 WHY STUDY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING?

1) To pass the Fundamentals of Engineering

(FE) exam as a 1st step in becoming a registered
Professional Engineer.

2) To have a broad knowledge base so you can

lead design projects in your own field

3) Ability to operate and maintain electrical

systems, such as those found in control systems
for manufacturing processes.

4) Ability to communicate with Electrical

Engineering Consultants.
 SECTION 1.2

CIRCUITS, CURRENTS,
VOLTAGES
Figure 1.2 The headlight circuit. (a) The actual physical layout of the circuit. (b) The circuit diagram.
Chemical forces in the battery cause the electrical
charge (electrons) to flow through the circuit.

Energy is gained from the chemicals in the battery

and delivered to the headlights.

Transported through an excellent electrical

conductor (copper wire), that are insulated.
Switch is used to control the flow of the current.
When the switch is closed (shorted), current flows,
when it is open, the current does not flow.

Headlamps contain tungsten wires – they can

withstand high temperatures. They do not
conduct electricity (they resist)
 When electrons collide with the atoms of the
tungsten wires, heat is released.

Thus a chemical action in the battery is

transformed by the electrons through insulated
wires to the tungsten, where electrons are
resisted and heat occurs.

Tungsten becomes hot so light is emitted.

 FLUID FLOW Analogy

Electrical Circuits are similar to fluid flow systems.

Battery --- Pump

Charge ----- Fluid
Conductors ---- Frictionless pipes
Current ---- Rate of Flow of the Fluid
Voltage --- Pressure differential
Switches --- Valves
 Electrical Circuits:

Electrical circuits consist of various circuit

elements (CE) connected in a closed path by
conductors.
Circuit elements can be
Voltage sources
Resistances
Inductances
Capacitances
 Electrical Current:

Is the time rate of flow of electrical charge through

a conductor or circuit element.

Units: Amperes (A)

==> Coulombs / second (c/s)
Charge on an electron: -1.602x10^-19 C
 We take the cross section of a circuit element
perpendicular to the flow of the current. Then we
select a REFERENCE DIRECTION along the
direction of the flow.

The electrical current following in the REF. DIR. Is

given by:

i(t) = dq(t)/dt.

A current of 1 Ampere means that one coulomb of

charge passes through the cross section each
second.
To find the charge, we integrate the current.
 REFERENCE DIRECTIONS:

In analyzing electrical circuits, we may not initially

know the actual direction of the current flow.
We start by assigning current variables and we
select an arbitrary direction for each current of
interest.
 Direct Current and Alternating Current

Direct Current (DC) --- Constant w/ time

Alternating Current (AC), Varies w/ time,
magnitude and direction may change periodically.
Double Subscript Notation for Currents
Ex: A constant current of 4A flows through a CE.
In 10 Sec, how much net charge passes through
the CE?

Solution:
 Example

q(t) = 0.01 sin(200t), determine i(t).

Solution:

i(t) = d/dt q(t) = d/dt (.01sin(200t))

= 2 cos (200t) A.
 Voltages:

When charges move through a CE, energy is

tranferred.
In the case of the automobile headlights, energy is
supplied by the chemicals in the battery and is
absorbed by the headlights as heat and light.

Voltage ==> Energy transferred per unit of

charge.

Units: V = J/C
 Direction of the current flow determines if the
charge is being absorbed or generated by the CE.

If positive charge moves through the positive

polarity of the CE to the negative polarity, then CE
absorbs energy.

If positive charge moves from the negative polarity

to the positive polarity in the CE, then the CE
supplies energy.
DC Voltages – Voltage is constant with time.

v(t) = 10v

AC Voltage – Voltage magnitude and direction

varies with time.

v(t) = 10 cos(200t) v.
 Switches:

Control the flow of currents in a circuit.

When an ideal switch is open, no current will flow
through it and the voltage is determined by the
other elements in the circuit.
When an ideal switch is closed, (we call it short
circuit), the voltage across it is zero, and the
current through it is determined by the other
elements in the circuit.
 Assigning Arbitrary values for voltages:

When we are analyzing circuits, if we do not know

the voltage variables, we can start by choosing
reference polarities arbitrarily.
 Figure 1.12 The voltage vab has a reference
polarity that is positive at point a and negative at
point b.
Figure 1.13 The positive reference for v is at the
head of the arrow.
 Example: Vab = 20V, A positive charge of 2C
moves through the CE from b to a.
Find the energy transferred.
+ a
E = 20 V x -2 C

= 20 (J/C) x -2 C

= -40 J Supplied By the CE

2C
- - b
 Section 1.3

Power and Energy

 P = V I Volts x Amperes
(J/C) x (C/s)
(J/s) == > Watts !!!

Power = Rate of Energy Transfer

 Positive Reference Configuration:

If P is positive, Energy is being absorbed by the

CE

If P is Negative, Energy is being supplied by the

CE.
 Figure 1.14 When current flows through an
element and voltage appears across the element,
energy is transferred. The rate of energy transfer
is p = vi.
Energy Calculations:
 Section 1.4

Kirchhoff's Current Law

Node: A point in an electrical circuit where two or
more Ces are joined together.

Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL):

The net current entering a node is zero.
i1 + i 2 - i 3 = 0 i5 + i 6 + i 7 = 0
i3 - i 4 = 0
Note: All points in a circuit that are connected by
simple conducting wires (i.e. no CE), are
considered to be a single node.
 Series Circuits:

Elements A and B are said to be in series, if no

other path for current can be connected to the
node joining A and B.

All elements in a series circuit have identical

currents.
 Section 1.5

Kirchhoff's Voltage Law

 Loop: Is a closed path, starting at a node,
proceeding through circuit elements, eventually
returning to the same node.
 Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL):

The algebraic sum of all the voltages equals zero

for any closed path (loop) in an electrical circuit.
 Parallel Circuits:

Two circuit elements are parallel if both ends of

one element is connected directly to the
corresponding ends of the other element.
The voltages across parallel elements in a circuit
are equal in magnitude and polarity!!!
 Section 1.6

Introduction to Circuit Elements

We define ideal circuit elements (CE) with voltage
across it and current through it.
 Conductors:

Conduct electricity (copper wires).

Voltage across = 0 regardless of current thru it.
When two points are joined by an ideal conductor,
we say the points are shorted together.

Ideal Conductor === Short Circuit

 Independent Voltage Sources:

Maintain a specified voltage across its terminals.

Voltage is independent of other voltages across
other CE's and the current thru it.
 Dependent Voltage Sources:

Voltage across the source depends on the other

voltages or currents in the circuit.
 Independent Current Sources:

Forces a specified current to flow through itself.

This current value is independent of the voltage
across it or the currents flowing through the other
CE's.
 Dependent Current Sources:

Forced current depends on the voltage or the

current across some other element in the circuit.
 Resistors and Ohm's Law:

The voltage across an ideal resistor is

proportional to the current through the resistor.

The constant of proportionality is the resistance R.

Ohm's Law: v = I R

Units of R are ohms.

 Conductors – Have lowest resistivity
Insulators-- Have very high resistivity
Semiconductors – Have moderate resistivity
Ex: Compute the Resistance of a copper wire
having a diameter of 2.05 mm and a length of
10m.