Lecture 1
Lecture 1
Electrical Circuits
Electric
Circuit
An electric circuit is an
interconnection of electrical
elements.
Closed pathway for electricity
to flow, enabling it to power
devices and perform tasks.
Electrical
Circuit
• A real-life electrical circuit
consists of various
components
System of Units
Electrical
Charge
• Charge is an electrical property of the
atomic particles of which matter
consists, measured in coulombs (C).
• Atoms are made up of protons,
electrons and neutrons
• A neutral atom has an equal number
of protons and electrons
• A positively charged atom has fewer
electrons than protons
• A negatively charged atom has more
electrons than protons
• A single electron has a charge of 1.6 x
10-19 C
Electrical Charge
• The coulomb is a large unit for charges. In 1 C of charge, there are
6.24 x 1018 electrons. Thus, realistic or laboratory values of charges
are on the order of pC, nC.
• The law of conservation of charge states that charge can neither be
created nor destroyed, only transferred. Thus, the algebraic sum of
the electric charges in a system does not change
Flow of
Charges
• In electrical circuits, we are
concerned with the charges
that can freely move or flow
• When we apply an
electromotive force (emf) on
charges, they gain energy,
and start moving
• Emf is also known as
voltage or potential
difference
Electric Current
• Electric current is the time rate of change of charge, measured in amperes (A).
• Mathematically, the relationship between current i, charge q, and time t is
• 1 V = 1 J/C
Polarity of
voltage
• Voltage arises due to the
difference in electric
potential between two points
in a circuit.
• The point which has a higher
potential is given a ‘+’
polarity, while the point
which is at a lower potential
is given a ‘-’ polarity
• vab = -vba