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Basic Electrical Theory Guide

Electricity is invisible yet can hurt us, and we can control and predict its behavior. Matter is made of atoms and molecules and can be solid, liquid or gas. Conductors allow electricity to flow through, while insulators do not. Semiconductors have properties between conductors and insulators. Voltage is the pressure driving electricity, current is the flow, and resistance impedes flow. Direct current flows one way, while alternating current reverses direction periodically.

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140 views12 pages

Basic Electrical Theory Guide

Electricity is invisible yet can hurt us, and we can control and predict its behavior. Matter is made of atoms and molecules and can be solid, liquid or gas. Conductors allow electricity to flow through, while insulators do not. Semiconductors have properties between conductors and insulators. Voltage is the pressure driving electricity, current is the flow, and resistance impedes flow. Direct current flows one way, while alternating current reverses direction periodically.

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Basic Electrical Theory

Basic Electricity
● It is invisible
● It can hurt you
● We can control it
● We can predict it (Until recently nobody agreed which way it flowed:
(+ to -) “Conventional theory” or (- to +) “Electron theory”and did it even flow
at all?
Where Does Electricity Come From?
Matter

● Anything that takes up space and has mass is considered matter


● Matter can be solid, liquid, or gas
● Matter is made up of different combinations of atoms called molecules.
Conductors
● A conductor supports the flow of electricity through it

Examples of good conductors:

● Copper
● Gold
● Aluminum
● steel
Insulators
● An insulator is not capable of supporting the flow of electricity

Examples of good insulators

● Rubber
● Wood
● Ceramics
● Most plastics
● Glass
Semiconductors
● A semiconductor is neither a good conductor nor a good insulator

Examples of semiconductors

● Silicon
● Geranium
● Carbon
Terms to Know
● Voltage
○ Pressure in a hose
● Current
○ flow of water in that hose
● Resistance
○ Kink in the hose restricting the water
Voltage
● The higher the voltage, the more current flow it can create
● To keep current flowing, it is necessary to maintain electrical pressure
(voltage)
Current
● Electrical current is the movement (intensity) of electrons through a
conductor, such as a wire.
● Electrical current may be compared to water current flowing through a pipe
● The amount of current flow is measured in amperes
Resistance
● Resistance to current flow (The kink in the water hose)
● It is a resistance to load (Load is anything that can do work for you)
● Resistance is measured in ohms

Five basic Characteristics that Determine Resistance

1. The material
2. The length of the conductor
3. The diameter of the conductor
4. Temperature
5. The physical condition of the conductor
DC
With direct current, electricity flows in one direction between power and ground. In
this arrangement there is always a positive source of voltage and ground (0V)
source of voltage.
AC
With alternating current, the direction electricity flows throughout the circuit is
constantly reversing. You may even say that it is alternating direction. The rate of
reversal is measured in Hertz, which is number of reversals per second. So when
they say that the US power supply is 60 Hz, what they mean is that it is reversing
120 times per second (twice per cycle).

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