Slemani Polytechnic University

College of Engineering
Electrical Power Engineering Department

Electrical Circuits I

First Semester
DC Circuits

1
 Unit One
Basic Concepts
1. Introduction

Electric circuit theory and electromagnetic theory are the two fundamental
theories upon which all branches of electrical engineering are built. Many branches of
electrical engineering, such as power, electric machines, control, electronics,
communications, and instrumentation, are based on electric circuit theory. Therefore,
the basic electric circuit theory course is the most important course for an electrical
engineering student, and always an excellent starting point for a beginning student in
electrical engineering education.
In electrical engineering, we are often interested in communicating or transferring
energy from one point to another. To do this requires an interconnection of electrical
devices. Such interconnection is referred to as an electric circuit, and each component
of the circuit is known as an element.
An electric circuit is an interconnection of electrical elements.

2
 2. International System of Units (SI)

Quantities and Units:

As electrical engineers, we deal with measurable quantities. Our

measurement, however, must be communicated in a standard language that
virtually all professionals can understand, irrespective of the country where
the measurement is conducted. Such an international measurement language
is the International System of Units (SI), adopted by the General Conference
on Weights and Measures in 1960. In this system, there are seven principal
units from which the units of all other physical quantities can be derived.

- SI fundamental units

- Supplementary units

3
 - Electrical quantities and derived units with SI symbols.

- Magnetic quantities and derived units with SI symbols.

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
. Use scientific notation (powers of ten) to represent quantities.
. Express any number using a power of ten.
. Perform calculations with powers of ten.

4
Examples:

3 `

5
Metric Prefixes:
In engineering notation metric prefixes represent each of the most commonly
used powers of ten. These metric prefixes are listed below with their symbols and
corresponding powers of ten.

6
3. Electric Charge and Electric current:

Atomic Structure:
An atom is the smallest particle of an element that retains the characteristics of
that element.

Electric Charge:
Is an electrical property of the atomic particles of which matter consists,
measured in coulombs (C). The charge e on an electron is negative and equal in
magnitude to 1.602*10−19 C, so in 1C of charge there are 1/1.602*10−19= 6.24*1018
electrons.

Electric current:
Is the time rate of change of charge, measured in amperes (A).

dQ
i= dt

where:
i = current in amperes (A)
Q = charge in coulombs (C)
t = time in seconds (s)

One ampere (1 A) is the amount of current that exists when a number of electrons
having a total charge of one coulomb (1 C) move through a given cross-sectional area
in one second (1 s).

7
4. Voltage (potential difference):
Is the energy required to move a unit charge through an element, measured in
volts (V).Voltage, symbolized by V, is defined as energy or work per unit charge.

E
V= Q
Where:
V = voltage in volts (V)
E = energy in joules (J)
Q = charge in coulombs (C)

5. Power and Energy:

Power: is the time rate of expending or absorbing
energy, measured in watts (W).

8
 E
∗Q
E Q
P= = =V∗I
t t

Passive sign convention: is satisfied when the current enters through the positive
terminal of an element and P= +VI. If the current enters through the negative terminal,
P= -VI.

6. Circuit Elements:
Active & Passive Elements:

9
 There are two types of elements found in electric circuits: Active elements and
Passive elements.

An active element is capable of generating energy while a passive element is

absorbing energy. Examples of passive elements are resistors, capacitors, and
inductors. Typical active elements include generators, batteries, and operational
amplifiers. Our aim in this section is to gain familiarity with some important active
elements.

 Active elements
The most important active elements are voltage or current sources that generally
deliver power to the circuit connected to them. There are two kinds of sources:
 Independent sources.
 Dependent sources.

 An ideal independent source is an active element that provides a specified voltage

or current that is completely independent of other circuit elements.

The ideal Voltage Source

The Ideal Voltage Source An ideal voltage source can provide a constant voltage for
any current required by a circuit.

The ideal Current Source

10
An ideal current source can provide a constant current in any load. Just as in the case of
a voltage source, the ideal current source does not exist but can be approximated in
practice.

 An ideal dependent (or controlled) source is an active

element in which the source quantity is controlled by another voltage or current:

 Passive element is absorbing energy; Examples of passive elements are resistors,

capacitors, and inductors.

11
 Resistor
The resistance R of an element denotes its ability to resist the flow of electric
current; it is measured in ohms ( ).

Resistance Symbol

Conductance:
The reciprocal of resistance is conductance, symbolized by G. It is a measure of
the ease with which current is established. The formula is
1
G=
R
The unit of conductance is the Siemens, abbreviated S.

Capacitors
A capacitor is a mechanical configuration that accumulates charge Q when a voltage
V is applied and holds that charge when the voltage is removed. The proportionality
constant between charge and voltage is the capacitance C, that is,
Q = CV

Inductors
An inductor is a passive element designed to store energy in its magnetic field.
Inductors find numerous applications in electronic and power systems.
An inductor consists of a coil of conducting wire. If current is allowed to pass through
an inductor, it is found that the voltage across the inductor is directly proportional to the
time rate of change of the current.
Where L is the constant of proportionality called the inductance of the inductor.

12
AC & DC Sources

A direct current (dc): is a current that remains constant with time.

An alternating current (ac): is a current that varies sinusoidally with time.

13