Basic Electrical Theory

Basic Electricity
● It’s invisible
● It can hurt you
● We can control it
● We can predict it

Until recently nobody agreed which way it flowed (+ to -) or (- to +) and did it even
flow at all.
Current Flow Theory
There are two theories on how current flows in a circuit.

● Electron Theory (- to +)
● Conventional Theory (+ to -)
Matter
● Anything that takes up space and has mass is considered matter
● Matter can be solid, a liquid, or a gas.
● Matter is made up of different combinations of atoms which are called
molecules.
Conductors
● A conductor support 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
● Glass
● Wood
● Ceramics
● Most Plastics
SemiConductors
● A semiconductor is neither a good conductor nor a good insulator

Examples of semiconductors

● Silicon
● Germanium
● 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 the current flow it can create.

● To keep current flowing, it is necessary to maintain electrical pressure.

Current
● Electrical Current is the movement (intensity) of electrons through a
conductor, such as a wire.
● The amount of current flow is measured in amps
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
The 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.
On 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 circut is
constantly reversing. You may even say that it is alternating direction. The rate of
reversal is measured in Hertz, which is the 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)