Basic Background 001

Electricity

Introduction
   

We shall explore electricity What is an amp ? What is a volt ? What is an ohm ?

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Ampere Defined
The ampere is that constant current which, if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular crosssection, and placed 1 metre apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2 107 Newton per metre of length.

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Did that help ?

For most of you, probably not  Unfortunately despite precision, the precise definition is not very helpful  We need to get a feel for electricity


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Basic Principles
  

Electricity is dynamic It moves to do its work We shall start considering water Here is a bucket containing 10 litres of water

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A tank of water
 

Six 10 litre buckets of water fill the tank completely How much water is now in the tank ?

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Exercise 01
Please calculate the volume of water now in the tank  Check your answer by clicking above  Move to the next slide when you are ready


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Measuring Water Flow

   

At first the water is static, it is not flowing Get a stopwatch ready Open the tap - what happens to the water ? Time the water flowing out of the tank

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Calculating the flow-rate

  

The water in the tank empties in 30 seconds The volume of water held by the tank is 60 litres What is the flow-rate ?

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Exercise 02
Please calculate the rate that water now leaves the tank  Give your answer in litres per second  Check your answer by clicking above  Move to the next slide when you are ready


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Slowing down the flow of water



How could we halve the rate of flow of water from the tank ? An easy method would be to close the tap partially Write down any other methods that you think could limit the flow of water from the tank

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Electricity, not water



The next few slides depict electrons as small balls that we can put in a bucket We cannot do this in reality, but the explanation holds true for the flow of electricity Please allow your thoughts to suspend belief

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Replacing water with electrons



Now we shall refill the tank with electrons instead (take the water out first!)  Use the bucket to fill the tank  Turn the tap on and allow electrons to flow through the piping
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A flow of electrons = current

 

Electrons flow analogously to water We observe the flow of electrons, counting as they pass the tap

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Rate of electron flow = amp



  

As with the water we observe the number of electrons flowing past the tap We have counted a certain number of electrons per second Electricity flows in electrons per second We call this amperes ( amps ) Amps = number of electrons per second
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The Electron a charge carrier

     

Carries a small amount of electricity Known as a charge The unit of electrical charge is the coulomb One electron carries 1.6 X 10-19 coulombs 6.25 X 1018 electrons make 1 coulomb That is a lot of electrons

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Amps, coulombs, electrons

  

1 ampere = a flow of 1 coulomb per second 1 ampere = 6.25 X 1018 electrons per second Amps are therefore a measure of the flow of electrons in a circuit per second The amp is often seen in circuit diagrams using the letter I

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Review


Make sure that you understand the principle of the flow of electrons being referred to as current The flow of electrons in any circuit is responsible for the operation of that circuit When you are ready, we will move on to the volt

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The Volt
     

Electrons dont like moving around A force is needed to move them The force is known as the volt More volts make more amps (electrons) flow around a circuit per second Think of a battery as an electron pump Twice the number of volts push twice the number of electrons per second
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Potential Difference ( p.d. )

 

Volts create a potential difference (voltage) across a circuit or component Here the p.d. is 1.5 volts

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Zillions of electrons!!!


 

1.5 v pushes a certain number of electrons around our circuit per second That number is so high it becomes unwieldy Therefore we measure the flow of electrons in amps, not electrons per second The flow of electrons is known as current

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Electrons do the work

  

A bulb lights because electrons flow through it Volts push the electrons Manufacturers often specify current i.e. the number of electrons per second the device requires We need to choose the volts carefully to avoid pushing too many electrons into our device at once
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Voltage summary
   

Volts push electrons around a circuit More volts means more current (amps) Be sure to understand this before moving on When you are ready, we will move on to Resistance

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Resistance
 

Hit the pipe with a hammer, it crimps The rate of flow of water reduces

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Resisting the flow

    

The waters flow rate reduces Why ? We have made it difficult for the water to flow This is analogous to resistance in circuitry We have created resistance to the flow of water We need to compare this to electricity
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Electrical Resistance
     

Electrons flow through metal easily Carbon is harder for electrons to travel through Carbon forms basis of most resistors Unit of resistance is the ohm ; Amps = volts/ resistance How can we raise the amps ?

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Operating an LED
     

Requires around 35 mA An LED has little resistance Put an LED across 12v battery - disaster We must regulate the flow of electrons Use a resistor in series with the LED Resistor will make life difficult for electrons flowing in the circuit and reduce the flow rate
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Calculate the Resistance

  

Use the Ohms Triangle to calculate resistance Use a finger to cover the R symbol Resistance = V/I Resistance = volts/ amps OR

;= V/I
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Exercise 03
   

 

Calculate the required resistor value 12 volts is available from the battery 35 milliamps is needed in the LED Use Ohms Triangle if you cannot remember the formula for resistance Check your answer by clicking above Move to the next slide when you are ready
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Conclusion


    

Amps measures number of electrons per second that flow in a circuit Each electron carries charge - coulombs Coulombs per second = amps Electrons per second = amps Volts pump the electrons Ohms resist the movement of electrons
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The End

Thank You
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Answer 001
6X

10 = 60 litres of water

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Answer 002 litres of water flow through the tap in 30 seconds  The rate of flow of water is  60 litres/30 seconds = 2 litres per second
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Exercise 03
  

12 volts is divided by 35 milliamps 12/ 35 x 10-3 = 342.86 ohms (approximately) Thus we need a resistor of 343 ; (or more) to limit the flow of electrons in the circuit

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References


http://www.bsimotors.com/resistor.jpg

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