Chapter 1

General Electric System

(Lecture 3)

BASIC ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

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 Basic Electric Circuit Concepts
SERIES CIRCUIT:

-There is only ONE PATH for the electrons to take between any two points in the circuit.
*There will be no alternative route.

-Has more than one RESISTOR. Since there is only one path for the current to travel, the
current through each of the resistors is the same.
*Resistors are components that are used to control the amount of current flowing in a
circuit.

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 Basic Electric Circuit Concepts
PARALLEL CIRCUITS:

-Two or more components are connected between the same two points.

- Has more than one resistor and gets its name form having multiple
paths to move along.
* Charges can move through any of the several paths. If one of the
items in the circuit is broken, then no charge will move through that
path. But other paths will continue to have charges flow through them.

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 Basic Electric Circuit Concepts
EQUIVALENT RESISTANCE

-Is the amount of resistance that a single resistor would need in

order to equal the overall effect of the collection of resistors that are
present in the circuit.
RESISTORS IN SERIES:
Two resistances are connected in series if all the current from one
resistor must flow through the second; there is no alternative route.

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 Basic Electric Circuit Concepts
Equivalent resistance:

From conservation of charge: I1 = I2 = I

where I is the current through the combination.
From conservation of energy: V1 + V 2 = V

where V is the potential difference across both resistors.

The two resistors can be replaced by a single resistor with
the equivalent resistance

For more than two resistors, Req = R1 + R2 + R3 + ...

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 Basic Electric Circuit Concepts
RESISTORS IN PARALLEL:
- Two resistors are connected in parallel if they are joined at both
ends such that the potential difference across both resistors is the
same. The current splits, flows through the two resistors, then
comes back together with no alternate path.

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 Basic Electric Circuit Concepts
Equivalent resistance:

From conservation of
I1 + I2 = I
charge:
From conservation of
V1 = V 2 = V
energy:

The two resistors can be replaced by a single resistor with the

equivalent resistance Req:

For more than two resistors:

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Q. Find equivalent resistance between A and B.

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Q. Find equivalent resistance between A and B.

- R1 and R2 parallel (Ra)

- R3 and R4 parallel (Rb)
- Ra series with R5 (Rc)
- Rb parallel with Rc

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IDEAL SOURCES
§ An ideal source is an active element that provides a specified
voltage or current that is completely independent of other circuit
elements.

DC Voltage DC current
Source source
 VOLTAGE SOURCES
Ideal Real

§ An ideal voltage source is a two terminal § A real voltage sources is modeled as an

device that maintains the same voltage ideal voltage source in series with a
across the source's terminals no matter what resistor.
current is drawn from the terminals of the § There are limits to the current and output
source or what current flows into the voltage from the source.
terminals.
 CURRENT SOURCES
Ideal Real

§ An Ideal current source is a § A real current sources is modeled as

two-terminal circuit element an ideal current source in parallel
which supplies the same current with a resistor.
to any load resistance
connected across its terminals.
VOLTAGE SOURCE IN SERIES
§ DC voltage sources in series can be combined and replaced with a single source.
 VOLTAGE SOURCE IN PARALLEL
§ Since the voltage sources share common nodes, the only time two or more voltage
sources are allowed in parallel is when they have exactly the same voltage

This value far exceeds the rated drain current of the 12 V battery, resulting
in rapid discharge of E1 and a destructive impact on the smaller supply
due to the excessive currents.
 CURRENT SOURCES – A RULE
§ We found that voltage sources of different terminal voltages cannot be
placed in parallel.
§ Similarly, current sources of different values cannot be placed in series
due to a violation of Kirchhoff’s current law.
CURRENT SOURCES – A PARALLEL RULE
§ However, current sources can be placed in parallel just as voltage
sources can be placed in series.
§ In general, two or more current sources in parallel can be replaced by a single
current source having a magnitude determined by the difference of the sum of the
currents in one direction and the sum in the opposite direction. The new parallel
internal resistance is the total resistance of the resulting parallel resistive
elements.

Take care to note

the polarity of the
sources!

IT = I1 + I 2 + I 3 + I 4
= 2 + (-7) + 5 + 3
IT = 3 A