EEET2249

CIRCUIT THEORY
A/Prof. Alan Wong
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
About EEET2249
l In this course you will be introduced to the concepts and definitions
of charges, currents, voltages, power, and energy.

l You will learn the voltage- current relationship of basic circuit

elements resistors, inductors, capacitors, dependent and
independent voltage and current sources;

l Apply Kirchhoff s current and voltage laws to circuits in order to

determine voltage, current and power in branches of any circuits
excited by dc voltages and currents.

l Apply simplifying techniques to solve dc circuit problems using basic

circuit theorems and structured methods like node voltage and mesh
current analysis and much more
EEET2249 Circuit Theory

l Lecturer and Course Coordinator:

l A/Prof. Alan Wong
l Office: 10.8.18
l Telephone: 9925 2101
l Email: alan.wong@rmit.edu.au
EEET2249 Circuit Theory Work Load

In this subject each one of you will

have:
l 2 hours/week of lectures
l 2 hour/week of tutorial classes and
l 1 hour/week of laboratory
( one 2 hours lab in every fortnight)
l 7 hours/week of self learning
Assessment Components

5 Laboratory exercises 20%

1 Mid-Semester Test (Week 6) 10%

10 Online Homework (MasteringEngineering) 20%

Final examination(2 hours) 50%

EEET2249 Prescribed Text
Electric Circuits 9th Edition by Nilsson/Riedel,
Pearson Publication
Laboratory/Tutorial Sessions
l The timetable depends on your group.

l Please attend the Laboratory and Tutorial classes

scheduled for your group.

l Tutors will not permit you to attend classes scheduled for

other groups.

l In an unavoidable situation, with prior permission from

your Tutor or Coordinator, you may attend the classes for
another group.
 Laboratory Classes
Please check your group timetable.
Location: Laboratory 10.7.23
First Lab session starts in week-3 (for odd group) week-4 (for
even group)
Laboratory Classes
Instruction sheets are available on the MyRMIT Studies
All experimental results are to be entered into the lab sheets.
Required calculations and comments are also written on these
sheets.
Please hand them over to the Lab Tutor before you leave the
class. Marked sheets will be returned to you when you attend the
next Lab class.(after two weeks).
Some experiments may require preliminary calculations. You
need to perform these calculations before you start the
experiment.
Tutorial Classes

l Every week, starting from Week-2,

there will be one two-hour classes/week.
l Six Groups
Example of Tutorials
Example of Laboratory Manual
Example of Laboratory Manual
About Me
l B. Eng and PhD in Electrical Engineering
l Expertise power system, high voltage engineering, condition
monitoring of high voltage equipment
l Holding an Australian patent on partial discharge sensing
technology for power transmission and distribution overhead
line
l Filed two provisional patents on pole top fire mitigation
method and wireless power transmission technology in 2009
and fault detection system in 2011
l Multiple nominations for RMIT Student Choice Award J
l 2 kids, no pet
l Hobby: reading, travelling, drinking good coffee
EEET2249 Circuit Theory

Introduction to
Charges, Current, Voltage,
Power and Energy
Why study electric circuits?

Most of the devices people use in their day to day activities

at home, business and leisure contain some electric circuits.
As Electrical Engineers, in designing these devices, we need
to understand how these circuits work and quantify the
performance of the circuits.
In this course you will learn the physical basis of electric
circuits and the techniques necessary to analyse and
quantify the performance of circuits.
This skill is essential to work in any of the many branches in
Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The IEEE has 40
Technical Societies/Councils dealing with specialized areas
including Communications, Computing, Electronics and
Power. All these Societies require understanding of circuit
theory as a basic tool.
Basic Circuit Elements

Pentium processor Power system network

Eight Subdivisions of
Electrical Engineering
l Communication System
l Computer System

l Control Systems

l Electromagnetic

l Electronics

l Power Systems

l Photonics

l Signal Processing
Example : Smart Grid
l Communication System
l Computer System

l Control Systems

l Electromagnetic

l Electronics

l Power Systems

l Photonics

l Signal Processing
 What is electric circuit?

l An electric circuit is an interconnection of electrical elements

linked together by wires in a closed path so that an electric
current may flow continuously.
l Example: A light bulb connected to a battery.

switch
All electrical
elements have at
Lamp least two
battery
terminals as
shown in the
wire diagram.
Circuit model
The practical arrangement of a lamp connected to a battery
is drawn as a circuit model to simplify the analysis of the
behaviour of the lamp and the battery. We will consider the
symbols and their definitions in a later lecture.

+ This represents the bulb

-

This symbol
represents the
battery
 Circuit Diagrams
R2

E
R1 R3 C
A R2

+ - 12.6
+
-
R1 F
V G
12.6 V B D R3

Physical H
connection ideal wires

Circuit diagram representing the same arrangement

You should be able to draw a simplified circuit diagram

from the physical arrangements ( for example by looking at
a circuit board) and vice versa.
Circuit Laws and
Theorems
Kirchhoff s Current and Voltage Laws
Series and Parallel connections
Importance of Circuit Laws

To be able to design and analysis Electrical/Electronics Systems

sources KVL
Node Voltage Analysis

Ohm s Law

KCL Mesh Current Analysis

Voltage Divider
Rule
Current Divider Rule

Can you help me to understand all of this?

Contents
Basics in Electrical Engineering

Ohm s Law

Kirchhoff s Current Law

Kirchhoff s Voltage Law

Voltage and Current Sources

Before we start
Let s us look at some basic concept in
Electrical Engineering

1. Nodes
2. Open Circuit
3. Short Circuit
4. Closed Path
 Nodes

A node is a junction in which two or more

elements have a common connection.
Consider the circuit shown.
A C E
R Each element ( 4 in all) has two terminals
E
F marked. Here, the terminals A, C & E are
B R
D G all connected by ideal wires and there
R cannot be a voltage difference among
these three terminals.
H
A, C, E together form one node. Similarly,
terminals B, D & H form a second node.
Terminals F & G form another node.
Concept of Short circuit (SC)
When two terminals are
connected by a resistance-less
rest of the circuit
wire (R = 0 ) , we say that the
terminals are short circuited. In
this case, the voltage across the i(t) = variable
short circuited terminals is always
+ v=0 -
zero; but the current can be
anything (+ to - ) as R=0
determined by the rest of the Short circuit (SC)
circuit. Therefore, short circuit is
an special case of ideal voltage
source with zero volts.
Concept of Open circuit (OC)
When two terminals are left
unconnected ( imaginary wire of
infinite resistance, R = ), we rest of the circuit

say that the terminals are open

circuited. In this case the current i=0
through the open circuit is
always zero; but the voltage + -
v(t) = variable
across it can be anything (+ to -
R=
) as determined by the rest of
Open circuit (OC)
the circuit. Therefore, open circuit
is an special case of ideal current
source with zero current.
Closed Path
A closed path is a traversal through a series of nodes ending
in the same node without traversing a node more than once. If
we move from A to C to D to B to A, then we have traversed a
closed path. Closed paths are also called loops.
A C

Closed Loop

B D
Try This!
1. How many nodes can you find on this circuit diagram?
2. How many closed loop can you find on this circuit diagram?

Answer = 4 nodes
Ohm s Law
Ohm discovered that the voltage across a
resistor is proportional to the current through it
and he defined the proportionality constant as
the resistance in 1827. This is generally known
as Ohm s law.

V = IR

Georg Simon Ohm

Properties of Resistor
l The property R = voltage/current and therefore has the unit of
(volts/amperes).

l However, in SI, resistance has a unit called ohm with a

shorthand symbol of .

l The reference directions of v and i follow the passive

convention viz, current i enters the + voltage terminal.
+ V -

V = I x R (Ohms s Law)
Linear Model of Resistor
This is the linear model of a resistor. Most of the resistors are
linear within their operating range of current and may become
non-linear outside their normal range of operation.

V = I x R and the slope of the line is resistance R .

v Linear relationship between v and i

i
Resistance vs Conductance
According to Ohm s Law, V = IR
1
The same equation can be written as I =V( )
R
1
Where G=
R
The constant G is called the conductance. The SI unit used is siemens.
Resistance - Physical Parameters
The resistance of a wire of uniform area of cross-section, A (m2) and
length L (m) is related to the resistivity of the wire material.

L
R=
A
Here, the physical characteristic is called the resistivity of the
material and has a unit of m (ohm metre). The numerical
value depends on the temperature at which it is measured.

Some of the common types of resistors available to build circuits

are: carbon composition, carbon film, metal film and wire wound.
Resistivity,

Different materials have different resistivity and it changes with the

temperature of the material.

Material m (at 20oC)

polystyrene 1 x 1016 m insulator

silicon 2.3 x 103 m semiconductor
carbon 4 X 10-5 m conductor
aluminium 2.7 x 10-8 m conductor
copper 1.7 x 10-8 m Good conductor

Materials that are good conductors of electric current have low

values of resistivity.
Power in resistors
If we know the voltage and current that flows across a resistor, we
can work out the power absorbed or emitted by the resistor

P = IV
V
Since V = IR and I= (Ohm s Law)
R
We can rewrite the power equation as

2
P = I ( IR) = I R
OR

V V2
P =V( ) =
R R
Power rating of a resistor
Example:
If a voltage of 10 V is applied across a 100 resistor, the power
dissipated in the resistor is ( 102/100 ) = 1 W.
This amount of power heats up the resistor and it should be
capable of dispersing the heat generated. The ability to disperse
the heat depends on the surface area and therefore the physical
size of the resistor, the type of covering, the materials used etc.
If this amount of power cannot be dispersed by the resistor, its
temperature rises rapidly and it may ultimately burn out.
Power Rating
The power rating of a resistor refers to this power
handling capability. For example, the carbon
resistors most commonly used come in two power
ratings (sizes) namely watt and watt. Obviously
a W, 100 resistor is physically smaller in size
than a W, 100 resistor although their
resistances are the same.
Setting Voltage and Current Limits

Suppose you are to use W, 1.2 k resistors to build a circuit. Calculate

(i) the highest voltage that can be applied across the resistors

(ii) the maximum current that can flow through the resistors.

Power dissipated is highest when the voltage (or current) is at its highest
permissible value.
P = V /R
2

v max = Rp max = 1200 0.25 = 17.3 V => V2 = PR

=> V = sqrt (PR)
pmax 0.25 v 17.3
i max = = = 14.4 mA or max = = 14.4 mA
R 1200 R 1200

Therefore, if you let more than 17.3 V to appear across the 1.2 k,
watt resistor, the resistor will carry more than 14.4 mA and it will
burn out due to overheating. This kind of calculations are important
when you are designing and building practical circuits.
Resistors in Series
Let us consider a circuit shown below. This type of circuits, where
there is only one common point between any two elements, is
called a series circuit.

Currents in all the elements in SERIES are the same in

magnitude and direction.

B
R1 R2

ia ib

ia = ib
Resistors in Parallel
When both ends of a number of elements are connected together,
we say that those elements are in PARALLEL.
Voltages across resistors in parallel are equal because all the
elements are connected to the same potential.

R1
R1
R2
R2
R3

R4
VR1 = VR2
VR1 = VR2= VR3= VR4
Kirchhoff s Current Law (KCL)
This law arises from the principle of conservation of charges in
circuits, namely, charges cannot be created or destroyed in
circuits. Consequently, charge cannot accumulate at a node.

Definition: This law states that the algebraic sum

of the currents entering (or leaving) any node is
identically zero for all instants of time.
As we have seen earlier, the reference directions of currents are
assigned rather arbitrarily and we should take care of the signs of
the numerical value of currents.
N

i
k =1
k =0 where N is the total number of branches connected to
the node
Kirchhoff s Current Law
Example: I1 = 10A I3 = 5A

I2

According to the Definition: The algebraic sum of the currents

entering (or leaving) any node is identically zero for all instants
of time. Let s test this !

Case 1: Case 2:
sum of currents entering node = 0 sum of currents leaving node = 0

I1 + I2 I3 = 0 - I1 - I2 + I3 = 0
10 + I2 5 = 0 -10 - I2 + 5 = 0
5 + I2 = 0 and therefore - 5 - I2 = 0 and therefore
I2 = - 5A (leaving node) I2 = - 5A (leaving node)
Steps in Applying KCL
Step1 : Specify whether the assumption of current leaving or
entering the node is zero is applied

Step2: If the direction of the arbitrary arrows assigned to the

elements agrees with the assumption, apply positive
algebraic sign (+) otherwise, apply a negative sign to the
current

Step3: Write the KCL equation and solve for the unknown current
Worked Example - KCL
Consider the node shown below:

I2 = 2A
R2
I1 = 10A I4 = ?

R1 R4

R3 Question: What is the current I4 ?

I3 = 8A

Applying Kirchhoff s Current Law:

Step 1 & 2: Algebraic Sum of the Current Entering the Node is Zero
Step 3: I1 I2 + I3 I4 = 0
10 2 + 8 I4 = 0
I4 = 16A
Try This!
I2 = 4A
I1 = 10A I4 = ?

I3 = 4A

Question:

If I1 = 9A, I2 = 4A, I3 = 4A, determine the current I4?

Assumption: Net current entering a node is zero

Therefore, I1 - I2 - I3 + I4 = 0

10 - 4 - 4 + I4 = 0
I4 = -2A
or I4 = 2A (current leaving the node)
Validity of KCL ?
l An appreciation of why KCL is true can be obtained by considering
what would happen if it were violated.

l Imagine this: I1 + I2 + I3 + I4 = 1A or 1 coulomb/second

l Under the rule of conservation of energy, 1 C of charge would

accumulate at the node and 1 C of charge would exist
somewhere else! If there charge is 1 meter apart, The
resulting force (if you still remember the force equation from
last week) will be 9 x 109 Newton! And this is impossible!
 Kirchhoff s Voltage Law (KVL)

The algebraic sum of the voltages around any closed path in a

circuit is identically zero at any instant of time.

This law arises from the principle of conservation of energy. We note that the
voltage across an element is the work done by the rest of the circuit in moving 1 C of
charge from the + to terminal of the element.

Hence, when we move +1 C around a closed path through each element in the
circuit, energy may be expended in some elements and energy may be supplied by
some other elements. When we arrive at the starting point, the net energy absorbed
or delivered is zero.

Although the polarity marking for voltages could be done quite arbitrarily, once we
mark the voltage polarities, the signs of the voltages we add should be taken with
care.
N where N is the number of
In mathematical form, KVL around a
closed path: v
k =1
k=0 elements in the closed
path.
A simple rule to apply KVL correctly

Step 1: Mark the polarities (+ & -) of the voltage of each element

in a closed path.
Step 2: Start from the top left hand corner of the closed path
chosen and move in a clockwise direction. ( We can start at
any point in the closed path in any direction. However, habitually starting
from the same point and moving in the same direction reduce the
chances of inadvertently missing the last element.)

Step 3: As we enter an element, if the polarity of the first terminal

to encounter is +, we write down the + voltage for that
element. If the polarity of the first terminal entered is -, we
write down the sign for the element voltage.
Worked Example KVL
+ V2 -

-
Loop 1 V3
V1

+ V4 -
 Worked Example KVL
V2
+ -
Starting from the top left hand
- corner of the loop (dot
marked),
V1 Loop 1 V3
As we move from the dot in
+ clockwise direction, we
encounter
+ V4
- + sign first in element #2,
-sign first in element #3,
- sign first in element #4 and
+ sign first in element #1.
KVL Equation

+V2 -V3 -V4 +V1 = 0

Worked Example 6V

+
-
i
+

18 V
+ 3 VR
-
-

+
-
12 V

Question: what is the voltage across the 3 resistor ?

1st step: Mark the polarities (+ & -) of the voltage of each element
2nd step: Starting from the dotted top left hand corner, writing KVL we
obtain,

-6 + VR +12 18 = 0

VR = 12 V
Try This ! V2 = - 5 V

+
-
-
+ 24 V3
V1 = 9 V
-
+

+
-
V4 = - 10 V

Question: Determine the voltage across the 24 resistor.

Step 1: Assign a polarity sign to each element in the circuit

Step 2: Write the KVL equation by following the loop (clockwise)

V2 V3 +V4 - V1 = 0
(-5) V3 + (-10) 9 = 0
V3 = 5 9 - 10 = -14V (positive on top!)
Changing Voltage
V2 = - 5 V
Polarity

+
-
+
+ 24 V3
V1 = 9 V
-
-

+
-
V4 = - 10 V

Question: Determine the voltage across the 24 resistor.

Step 1: Assign a polarity sign to each element in the circuit
Step 2: Write the KVL equation by following the loop (clockwise)

V2 +V3 +V4 V1 = 0
(-5) + V3 + (-10) - 9 = 0
V3 = - 5 + 9 + 10 = + 14V (positive on top !!)
About Double Subscript
Notation for Voltages
What is Vab?

a + Vab
= Va V b
= Voltage between point a and b with
the positive reference at point a
or

What is Vba?
b -
Vba
= Vb V a
= Voltage between point a and b with
the positive reference at point b
Voltage and Current Sources
Independent Voltage and Current Sources,
Dependent Voltage and Current Sources,
 Source

Independent Source Dependent Source

Voltage-Controlled
Voltage-Controlled
Current Source
Voltage Source
Voltage Source Current Source
Current-Controlled
Current-Controlled
Current Source
Voltage Source
 Independent voltage source
An ideal independent voltage source provides a specified voltage
independent of the current through it and is independent of any
other circuit variables.
For example, an ideal 12.6 V source maintains a voltage of 12.6 V
across its terminals, whatever the current drawn from it.
The current drawn is determined by the rest of the circuit.

I is variable. Can v
be + or -
9V
+ 9V
- symbol of an
ideal voltage operating range
source i
Example of an independent voltage source
1k
+ - 1) In the first circuit, the 9 V voltage source
is connected to a resistance of 1 k. The
resulting a current is 9 mA.
i1
Since V = I x R (According to Ohm s Law),
+ -
I=V/R
9V = 9 / 1000
= 9 x 10-3 A

2) In the second circuit, the resistance is

+ 2.2 k
- changed to 2.2 k causing a current of 4.09 mA
to flow while the voltage still remains at 9 V.
i2
Since V = I x R (According to Ohm s Law),
+ -
I=V/R
9V = 9 / 2200
= 4.09 x 10-3 A
Independent current source
lAnideal independent current source provides a specified current
independent of the voltage across it. It is independent of any other
circuit variables.

lFor
example, an ideal 50 mA source delivers a current of 50 mA in
the direction shown by the arrow, whatever the voltage that
appears across it.

lThevoltage across the current source is determined by the rest of

the circuit.
+

V is variable.
Can be + or - i
50 mA
V I = 50 mA

operating range
- v
Example of an independent current source
1k
+ - 1) In the first circuit, the 50 mA current
source is connected to a resistance of 1 k.
V1 The voltage across the source becomes 50
V Since V = I x R (According to Ohm s Law),

V=IxR
50 mA = (50 x 10-3) x 1000
2.2 k = 50V
+ -
2) In the second circuit, the resistance is
V2 changed to 2.2 k. The current is still 50 mA
causing a voltage of 110 V across the source.

Since V = I x R (According to Ohm s Law),

50 mA
V=IxR
= (50 x 10-3) x 2200
= 110 V
Dependent or Controlled
Voltage Sources
Some devices such as transistors act like controlled sources.
Dependent voltage sources are ideal voltage generators whose
voltages follow specified time functions;

BUT the magnitudes of them are dependent on the values of

current or voltage in another section of the circuit.

A dependent voltage source has

Vd = r Ic the symbol shown and its output
+
voltage, vd is determined by a
- or controlling current ic or a
controlling voltage vc.
Vd = b Vc
Example: Voltage-Controlled
Voltage Source

+
Magnitude of the source
2Vx +
Depends on the voltage Vx Vx
-

-
Dependent current Sources
Dependent or controlled current sources are ideal current
generators whose current follow specified time functions; but the
magnitudes of them are dependent on the values of current or
voltage in another section of the circuit.

+
A dependent current source has the
Id = g Vc symbol shown and its output current,
id is determined by a controlling
or voltage vc or a controlling current ic.
- Id = d Ic
Example: Voltage-Controlled
Current Source

Magnitude of the source

2 Ix Depends on the voltage Vx Ix
Active Circuit Modelling
l Dependent sources do not serve as inputs to a circuit like
independent sources. They are used to model active circuits:
those containing electronic elements.

l The RLC circuits we have been considering so far are known

as passive circuits.
Example of Current Controlled
Current Source

Small signal linear model for the common emitter transistor

Example of Voltage Controlled
Voltage Source

the op-amp serves as an amplifier for the difference of the input node voltages.
Week 2 Supplementary Notes
Your 1st Circuit Analysis

ix

+
10W

Vs 15V 5W
0.5ix

Question: Using Ohm s Law, Kirchhoff s Current and

Voltage Law, determine the supply voltage Vs.
Solve for Vs ??
l We know that Vs can be determined from the KVL in the
loop shown below.
l Then we need to work out the voltage drop across the 10
ohm resistor (Vx)
ix

10W +

Vs 5W
0.5ix 15V

-
l To work out Vx, we need to first determine ix
l To work out ix, we need to apply KCL at node 1
l To apply KCL, we need to determine current across the 5 ohm
resistor. OK!
ix Node #1

10W +

Vs 5W
0.5ix 15V

-
Let s Start !
ix Node #1
iy
10W +

Vs 5W
0.5ix 15V

l We named the current flows through the 5 ohm resistor, iy

l Next, we select the current direction iy arbitrarily (downward)

l Applying Ohm s law,

iy = V/R = 15 / 5 = 3A
 ix Node #1
iy
10W +

Vs 5W
0.5ix 15V

l Apply KCL at Node 1 (assumption: net current

entering node is zero)
l ix +0.5ix iy = 0
l 1.5ix 3 = 0
l ix = 3 / 1.5 = 2A
 + Vx -
ix Node #1
iy
10W +

Vs 5W
0.5ix 15V

l Apply KVL at Closed Loop 1 (clockwise direction)

l Introduce v. polarity (in accordance to passive
convention) to the 10 ohm resistor
l Vx + 15 Vs = 0
l Since Vx = ix(10) = 2(10) = 20
l 20 + 15 Vs = 0
l Vs = 35 !!