EE – 103:

Electrical Engineering
LECTURE 2: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ELECTRICITY
 Outline:
 What is Electrical Engineering?

 SI Units

 Basic Concepts

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 Outline:
 What is Electrical Engineering?

 SI Units

 Basic Concepts

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 What is Electrical Engineering?

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 Electrical Engineering
 The study of systems that produce, transmit and
measure electrical signals.

 It is an engineering discipline concerned with

the study, design and application of equipment,
devices and systems which use
electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

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 Electrical Engineering
 There are five main classifications of Electrical
Engineering:
1. Communication Systems:

2. Computer Systems

3. Control Systems

4. Power Systems

5. Signal-Processing Systems

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 Communication Systems
 Communication systems are electrical
systems that generate, transmit, and
distribute information.

 Examples include telephone systems,

television equipment, radio equipment,
satellite systems, and radar systems etc.

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 Computer Systems
 Computer systems use electric signals to
process information ranging from word
processing to mathematical computations.

 These systems include networks of

integrated circuits—miniature assemblies of
hundreds, thousands, or millions of
electrical components that often operate at
speeds and power levels close to
fundamental physical limits.

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 Control Systems
 Control systems use electric signals to
regulate processes.

 Examples include temperature control,

pressure control, altitude control, velocity
control, and position control etc.

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 Power Systems
 Power systems deal with the generation and
distribution of electric power.
Electric power is usually generated in large
quantities by nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, and
thermal (coal-, oil-, or gas-fired) generators.
Power is distributed by a grid of conductors that
crisscross the country.
 A major challenge in designing and operating
such a system is to provide sufficient redundancy
and control so that failure of any piece of
equipment does not leave a city, state, or region
completely without power.
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 Signal Processing Systems
 Signal-processing systems act on electric signals
that represent information. They transform the
signals and the information contained in them
into a more suitable form.
 For example, image-processing systems, radar,
laser scans, sonars, lidars, GPS, IMU etc.

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 Can you identify the types
of electrical systems used
in an aircraft?

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 Outline:
 What is Electrical Engineering?

 SI Units

 Basic Concepts

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 International System of Units
 The metric system was originally SI Base Units
established in France in 1795. Quantity SI base Symbol
unit
 The International System of Units Length meter m
(abbreviated SI after the French name,
Mass kilogram kg
Le Système International d’Unités) is a
revised version of the metric system. Temperature kelvin K
Time second s
 The SI was adopted by international Amount of
agreement in 1960. mole mol
substance
 There are seven SI base units. Luminous
candela cd
intensity

Electric current ampere A

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 Units of Measurement
Prefix Symbol Meaning Factor
Tera T 1 trillion times larger than the unit it precedes 1012
Giga G 1 billion times larger than the unit it precedes 109
Mega M 1 million times larger than the unit it precedes 106
kilo k 1000 times larger than the unit it precedes 103
deci d 10 times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-1
centi c 100 times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-2
milli m 1000 times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-3
micro μ 1 million times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-6
nano n 1 billion times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-9
pico p 1 trillion times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-12

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 Scientific Notation
 Very large and very small numbers are represented with
scientific Notation.

 In scientific notation, a quantity is expressed as a product of

a number between 1 and 10 and a power of ten (10x).
For example:
47,000,0.0 = 4.7 x 105
0.00022 = 2.2 x 10-4

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 Outline:
 What is Electrical Engineering?

 SI Units

 Basic Concepts

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 Circuit Theory
 An electric circuit is a mathematical model
that approximates the behavior of an
actual electrical system.

 The term electric circuit is commonly used

to refer to an actual electrical system as
well as to the model that represents it.

 Circuit theory is a special case of

electromagnetic field theory. It is the study
of static and moving electric charges.
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 Circuit Theory
 Three assumptions are required to use
circuit theory:
1. Electrical effects happen instantaneously
throughout a system.

2. The net charge on every component in the

system is always zero.

3. There is no magnetic coupling between the

components in a system.

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 Basic Concepts
 Electric Charge
 Electric Current
 Voltage

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 Electric Charge
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
 Charge is the characteristic property of subatomic particles (1735 - 1805)
responsible for electric phenomena.
 Electric charge is bipolar, meaning that electrical effects are
described in terms of positive and negative charges.
 The unit of quantity of electric charge is coulomb (C). +
 Electric charge exists in discrete quantities, which are integer Proton
multiples of the electronic charge, 1.6022×10−19 C. 1.602 x 10-19 C
 Electrical effects are attributed to both the separation of
charge and charges in motion. -
Electron
-1.602 x 10-19 C

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 Electric Charge
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
• Charged particles exhibit forces. (1735 - 1805)

• Like charges repel each other.

- -
• Opposite charges attract each
other. - +
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 Electric Current
 The rate of charge flow is known as the André-Marie
Ampère's
electric current. 1775-1836
 Symbol: i
 Units: Coulombs per second ≡ Amperes (A)
 Current has polarity.
 Direction of flow of current (conventionally) is
from positive to negative potential. Though
actual electronic current moves from negative
to positive potential.

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 Electric Current
André-Marie
Ampère's
i = dq/dt 1775-1836

Where,
q = charge (Coulombs)
t = time (in seconds)

 Current cannot flow unless there is a closed

path and a stimulus to flow.

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 Electric Current
Example 1: André-Marie
Ampère's
105 positively charged particles (each with charge 1.6×10-19 C) flow to 1775-1836
the right (+x direction) every nanosecond. How much electric current is
flowing?

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 Electric Current
Example 2: André-Marie
Ampère's
105 negatively charged particles (each with charge 1.6×10-19 C) flow to 1775-1836
the right (+x direction) every microsecond. How much electric current is
flowing?

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 Electric Current
André-Marie
Ampère's
1775-1836

Two different methods of labeling the same current.

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 Electric Current
André-Marie
Ampère's
1775-1836

(a,b) Incomplete, improper, and incorrect definitions of a

current. (c) the correct definition of i1(t).

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 Voltage
 Electromotive Force (EMF): The stimulus to cause
a current to flow in a circuit. A battery or a
generator.
 Potential Difference (or Voltage): An EMF source
causes different potential to exist in a circuit at two
points connected to it. This difference of potential
causes a flow of current. Voltage is measured in
Volts (V).
 Reference: Voltage is measured with respect to a
reference. If not specified, the reference is taken
to be at 0 V and is termed as GROUND or less
frequently as EARTH.
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 Voltage
Definition: energy per unit charge
Symbol: v
Units: Joules/Coulomb ≡ Volts (V)
v = dw/dq
where w = energy (in Joules),
q = charge (in Coulombs)

Subscript convention:
Vab means the potential at a minus that at b.
Vab ≡ Va - Vb

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 Voltage
 Conventions vary.
 Labels represent voltages with
respect to ground.
 If any other reference is required,
an arrow is used to mark it.

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 Voltage

(a, b) These are inadequate definitions of a voltage. (a, b) Terminal B is 5 V positive with respect
(c) A correct definition includes both a symbol for to terminal A; (c,d) terminal A is 5 V positive
the variable and a plus-minus symbol pair. with respect to terminal B.

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 Voltage
Example:
Find vab, vca, vcb
Note that the labeling convention has nothing to do with whether
or not v is positive or negative.

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 Any questions?

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 Books
Text Book:
◦ Electric Circuits (11th Edition)
by James W. Nilsson and Susan A. Riedel.
Published in 2018.

Reference Book:
◦ Principles of Electric Circuits (9th Edition)
by Thomas L. Floyd.
Published in 2013.

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 That’s it for today.

See you next week!

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