General Introduction

Electrical Engineering
 Circuit Diagram
Scientists usually draw electric circuits using symbols;

cell lamp switch wires

DR. FARIS AL-SALEM 9/14/2016
 ELECTRICAL ENERGY
I. Series Circuit: the current has only one loop to
flow through
• things are wired one right after the other
• If one thing (bulb) goes out every thing goes out
• If the circuit is broken the entire flow of current stops

DR. FARIS AL-SALEM 9/14/2016

SERIES CIRCUIT
• Current is the same at each point in the circuit
• When another resistor (light bulb) is added in series,
the total resistance increases.
• When resistance increases, current will decrease.
• Decreased current means dimmer light.

9/14/2016
ii. Parallel Circuit:
● Contains two or more branches for current to
move through current splits up to flow through
the different branches
● All branches are connected to the same two
points of the circuit – the voltage difference is
the same in each branch
● More current flows through the branches that
have the lower resistance
SIMPLE CIRCUITS
• Series circuit
• All in a row
• 1 path for electricity
• 1 light goes out and the
circuit is broken

• Parallel circuit
• Many paths for electricity
• 1 light goes out and the
others stay on
 Measuring Current
Electric current is measured in amps (A) using an

ammeter connected in series in the circuit.

A
 Measuring Current
This is how we draw an ammeter in a circuit.

A A

SERIES CIRCUIT PARALLEL CIRCUIT

 Measuring Voltage
The ‘electrical push’ which the cell gives to the
current is called the voltage. It is measured in volts
(V) on a voltmeter

V
 Measuring Voltage
This is how we draw a voltmeter in a
circuit.

V
V
SERIES CIRCUIT PARALLEL CIRCUIT
Georg Simon Ohm (1787-1854)

OHM’S LAW

I=V/R
I = Current (Amperes) (amps)

V = Voltage (Volts)

R = Resistance (ohms)
 LET’S COMPARE SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUITS

Series Circuits Parallel Circuits

• 1 path(s) for current • multiple path(s) for current
• Current is the same at every point • Current can be different in each
• Voltage drops at each resistor branch

• Break in circuit stops all current • Voltage same across each resistance
• Adding resistance in series decreases • Break in circuit does not affect other
total current (dimmer light bulbs) bulbs
• Adding resistance in parallel
increases total current
The circuit is no longer complete, therefore current can not flow

The voltage decreases because the current is decreased

and the resistance increases.
 The current remains the same. The total resistance drops in a
parallel circuit as more bulbs are added

The current increases.

DR. FARIS AL-SALEM 9/14/2016

 Fuse: a small piece of metal that melts if the
current becomes too high

Circuit Breaker: contains a small piece of metal that bends

when it gets hot bending causes a switch to flip and
opens the circuit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBwClho4Z5s
 End of Lesson 3

Dr. Faris Al-Salem