EECE 210

Electric Circuits

Circuit Variables and Circuit Elements

Part II
Ideal Basic Circuit Elements
 Five ideal basic circuit elements:
 Voltage sources
 Current sources
 Resistors
 Inductors – Chapter 6
 Capacitors - Chapter 6
Electrical Sources
 An electrical source is a device that is capable of converting non-
electric energy to electric energy or vice versa
 Examples of electrical sources:

 Mains electricity
 Cells
 Batteries (two or more cells connected together)
• A discharging battery converts chemical energy to electric energy
• A battery being charged converts electric energy to chemical energy

 Electrical sources can either deliver or absorb electric power,

generally maintaining either voltage or current
 Ideal voltage source
 Ideal current source
Voltage and Current Sources
 Ideal Voltage/current sources are active elements
 Generate electrical energy

 Otherwise would be passive elements

 Ideal voltage source: a circuit element that maintains a prescribed

voltage across its terminals regardless of the current flowing in those
terminals
 Ideal current source: a circuit element that maintains a prescribed
current through its terminals regardless of the voltage across those
terminals
 They can be:

 Independent: of other voltages/currents in the circuit

 Dependent: on other voltages/currents in
the circuit (controlled sources)
 Dependent (Controlled) Sources
 Voltage-controlled voltage source (a)  Current-controlled voltage source (b)

controlled

μ : dimensionless ρ: Volts/Amp
controlling

 Voltage-controlled current source (c)  Current-controlled current source (d)

α : Amp/Volts
β : dimensionless
Interconnection of
Sources: Constraints
 Current sources in series or voltage
sources in parallel are forbidden
 Except if the sources are pointing in
the same direction and have exactly
the same values
 Similar concepts apply for
dependent sources
 Apply KVL and KCL to validate the
connections
Interconnection of Sources: Constraints
Voltage/Current Sources: Example
 What value of vg is required in order for the connection to be
valid?
 For this value of vg, find the power associated with the 8A
source.

 -2V

 -16W (delivered)
Electrical Resistance
 Resistance is the capacity of materials to impede the flow of
current or the flow of electric charge
 During interaction of moving electrons with atomic structure of
materials, some amount of electric energy is converted to thermal
energy and dissipated in the form of heat
 Might be undesirable: losses
• Copper wires or connections

 Might be useful: electrical devices take advantage of this resistance

heating, including stoves, toasters, irons, and heaters
Electrical Resistance
 Circuit element used to model this behavior is called the resistor

 Resistance of resistor denoted by the variable R

 Resistance measured in the unit ohms (Ω)
 Ideally constant value (does not depend on time)

Resistivity
length

R
A
Cross-sectional Area

 Reciprocal of resistance called conductance (G=1/R siemens)

Ohm’s Law
 When a current flows in a resistor, a voltage drop across it will be
induced according to Ohm’s Law
 Algebraic relationship between voltage and current for a resistor

v = Ri

• v = the voltage in volts

• i = the current in amperes
• R = the resistance in ohms
 Power

P=vi=Ri2= v2 /R
 Square of i or v  independent of reference values

 Power is consumed
Ohm’s Law: Example
 If vg = 1 kV and ig = 5 mA, find the value of R and the
power absorbed by the resistor

 R= 200kΩ
 P= 5W
Circuit Terminology
 Node is the junction of two or more circuit elements
 Path is a set of one or more adjoining circuit elements that may be
traversed in succession without passing through the same node
more than once
 If initial and final nodes are the same, the path is closed and
becomes a loop
Circuit Analysis
 A circuit is said to be solved when the voltage across and
the current in every element have been determined
 Flashlight circuit:

 Seven unknowns to be determined

 How?
Kirchhoff’s Laws
iC
 Two Kirchhoff’s laws based on
conservation of charge and iA iB
conservation of energy:
N
 Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL)
iD
 Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL)

 KCL: The algebraic sum of all – v3 +

the currents at any node in a + +

v2
v4
circuit equals zero –
–
+q
 KVL: The algebraic sum of all the
voltages around any closed path + +
v1 v5
–
in a circuit equals zero –
Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)
 KCL: The algebraic sum of all the currents at any node in
a circuit equals zero

An algebraic sign
corresponding to a
reference direction must
be assigned to every
current at the node ex:
Assigning a positive sign
to current leaving a node
and a negative sign to
current entering a node
Node a? b? c? d?
Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)
 KVL: The algebraic sum of all the voltages around any
closed path in a circuit equals zero
Circuit Analysis
 A circuit is said to be solved when the voltage across and
the current in every element have been determined
 Flashlight circuit:

 Seven unknowns to be determined

 How? Apply KCL and KVL
Circuit Analysis: Example I

 Find i0
 Find P in sources: delivered or absorbed?

 i0=-3A, P delivered to 120V: 360W, P delivered by 6A: 900W

Circuit Analysis: Example II

 idelta=4A, i0=24A, v0=480A