Charge and Current

Charges

EEE 1
(Essentials of Electrical and
Electronics Engineering)

Can be positive or negative

Experience forces of repulsion and attraction among
themselves:
F = (kQ1Q2)/d

Current (I)
Rate of flow of electric charge past a point
I = Q/t
(average current)
I = dq/dt
(instantaneous current)
Unit of measurement: Ampere (A) = 1 C/s
Positive current: direction of flow of positive charges
(by convention)

Lecture 1
Basic Concepts

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

Voltage

Direct Current and Alternating Current

Currents in electrical circuits may be constant or
may vary with time
When currents vary with time they may be
unidirectional or alternating
When the current flowing in a conductor always
flows in the same direction this is direct current
(DC)
When the direction of the current periodically
changes this is alternating current (AC)
EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

Voltage (V or E)
Work per unit positive charge in moving a charge
between two points in a field
The voltage between two points is the energy
required to move a unit positive charge from the
more negative point (lower potential) to the more
positive point (higher potential)
It is the energy released when a unit charge moves
downhill from the point of higher potential to the
lower one
3

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

Voltage

Power and Energy

Voltage (V)
V=E/Q or E=VQ (analogous to W=F*D),

Power
P = W/t = VQ/t = VI
Unit of power: Watts (W) = J/s
Energy
W = VQ
Unit of energy: Joules (J) = VC = Ws

where E = energy (J)

Also called potential difference or electromotive
force (EMF)
Unit of measurement: Volt(V) = J/C
NOTE: We always refer to voltage between or across 2
points in a circuit, and current through a device or
connection in a circuit.
Voltage at a point the reference is the ground (zero potential)
EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

Circuit Analogy

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

Voltage Reference Points

all potentials within a circuit must be
measured with respect to some other point
we often measure voltages with respect to a
zero volt reference called the ground

A simple circuit

A water-based
analogy
EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

Representing Voltages

Ohms Law and Electrical Parameters

conventions vary around the world

we normally use + and signs to represent
the voltage across (a) device/s
labels represent voltages with respect to the
ground potential
+

Resistance
Circuit element used to represent energy dissipation
The voltage across it is directly proportional to the
current through it.
V=IR; Ohms Law
R = constant proportionality = resistance
Unit of measurement: ohm ()
Resistor: a physical device whose principal electrical
characteristic is resistance.
R
I

+
_

_
+
EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

10

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

SI Units

Ohms Law and Electrical Parameters

Quantity

Power dissipated:
P = VI = I2R = V2/R
watts (W)
Conductance:
G = 1/R
mhos or siemens (S);
I = GV
Amps (A)

Capacitance
Charge
Current
Electromotive force
Frequency
Inductance (self)
Period
Potential difference
Power
Resistance
Temperature
Time

Example:
With R=100
Find the voltage and power dissipated if the current is
0.5A. Find the current, conductance and power
dissipated if the voltage is 2V.
EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

11

Quantity
symbol

Unit

Unit symbol

C
Q
I
E
f
L
T
V
P
R
T
t

Farad
Coulomb
Ampere
Volt
Hertz
Henry
Second
Volt
Watt
Ohm
Kelvin
Second

F
C
A
V
Hz
H
s
V
W

K
s

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

12

Common Prefixes
Prefix

Name

Meaning (multiply by)

tera

1012

giga

109

mega

106

kilo

103

milli

10-3

micro

10-6

nano

10-9

pico

10-12

EEE 1 (Essentials of Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

13