Electric circuit

• An electric circuit is a continuous conducting path along which

electric charges can flow

Electric circuits + _

A C
Physics
R1 R1
R2

B R2
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Components of
Electricity a circuit
• The flow of charge (electrons or ions)
• Energy source (cells)
• Conducting wires (low
• Metals have metallic bonding: + metals ions packed in an lattice
resistance)
arrangement with valence é – sea of delocalised é
• Resistors (for e.g. light
bulbs)
+ + + + + + + • Switch
+ + + + + +

• Metals are good conductors of electricity (sea of delocalised é)

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Energy source Potential difference

+ +
• In electrostatics we saw that é will move +
• The cells provide energy to the charges:
from the negative sphere to the positive
Chemical potential energy g electric energy sphere until equal charge exist on both

• Battery has two terminals: + and – • The charges have the potential to move

Low potential High potential

• The negative terminal produces é • There is a difference in the potential of the
• The positive terminal takes up the é two spheres

• The cell / battery creates a potential difference

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 Potential difference Potential difference
• The chemical reaction in the battery • The charge at the negative side of the
produces é at the negative terminal battery has electrical potential energy

• The charges have the potential to move • Potential difference / voltage:

The difference in electric potential energy
• There is a potential difference between between two points
the two terminals of the battery

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Potential difference Potential difference

Potential difference: The energy transferred per unit
Work / energy (J)
charge between two points W
• Negative charges at the negative terminal of the battery has lots of energy
V=
(that it gained from the battery)
Q
• As it moves through the circuit is loses energy (because of resistance)
Potential difference (V) Charge (C)
• Charges at the positive terminal has less energy

• This difference in energy between the two points is the potential difference 1 V = 1 Joule of energy transferred to / from 1 C of charge
of the battery
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Examples: 2) How much energy is transferred when a 60 V source

allows 6 C charge to flow through a conductor?
1) 120 J of work is done in a light bulb to make 20 C
charge flow through it. What is the potential
difference across the light bulb?

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 EMF - Potential difference of the battery EMF - Potential difference of the battery
EMF: The maximum amount of energy that the EMF: The maximum amount of energy that the
battery can supply per unit charge battery can supply per unit charge
• The potential difference measured across the terminals of a battery when no Total EMF
charges are flowing in the circuit (when switch is open)
voltage used voltage supplied
• The terminal potential difference: the voltage measured across the terminals inside battery
of a battery when charges are flowing in the circuit (when switch is closed) to circuit
(battery gets hot) (terminal potential difference)
• The terminal potential difference < EMF due to internal resistance (inside
the battery)
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Current Current: rate of flow of charge

What happens in a circuit
• In other words: the amount of charge that moves past a point in a conductor
1) The battery gives energy to the charges (EMF) per second
2) The charges moves through the wires and also through resistors Charge (C)
Q
3) As the charge moves through the resistors, they lose energy I=
4) When the charge reaches the + terminal of the battery they have 0 energy
Δt
5) The battery pulls the charge in again and gives them another batch of energy Current (A) Time (s)
1 A = 1 C of charge moving past a point in 1 s
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Examples:
1) 2 C charge passes a point in 4 seconds. Measuring current & potential difference
Calculate the size of the current.
Ammeter  measures current
 connected in series
 low resistance (charge flows through it)

2) Current passing through a light bulb in 1 hour is 0,45 A. Voltmeter  measures voltage across two points
How much charge is passing through the bulb?  connected in parallel
 high resistance (charge does not flow through it)

• Connect red contact to the positive terminal of the battery and the
black to the negative terminal of the battery
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 Ammeter & voltmeter scales
Why does a battery become flat?

- it has a specific amount of chemical

energy stored inside it
- as it works g transfers energy into other forms
- if depleted g battery is flat
all the stored energy was converted to other
forms

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Resistance Factors that affect resistance

• Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electric charges
• Type of material
• Resistance causes charges to lose energy
• Temperature (hotter g higher R)
• Resistance is constant at a given temperature
(∴ the resistance is not dependant on voltage or current) • Length (longer g higher R)

• Measured in ohm (Ω) • Thickness (thicker g lower R)

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Why do conductors get warm? Resistors in parallel & series

• As charge is moving through the conductor, é collide with the atoms • Series: charges have ONE path to follow
of the conductor

• The kinetic energy of the é get transferred to the atoms of the

conductor

• Atoms of the conductor now have more energy • Parallel: charges have two or more paths to follow

• Atoms vibrate faster g heats up

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 Combination circuit Relationship between resistance & voltage

• Some resistors get all of the current, while other resistors get only • The energy transferred (voltage) to a resistor is dependant on its resistance:
some of the current (“split up” current) - high resistance g bigger energy loss g high voltage
- low resistance g smaller energy loss g low voltage

The individual voltage across a resistor is directly

proportional to resistance and the current flowing
through it

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Relationship between resistance & current Relationship between current and EMF
• The current in a circuit is dependant on its resistance: • EMF for a battery is constant (but I can add batteries)
- high resistance g smaller current
- low resistance g bigger current • In a circuit of fixed resistance, if we increase the voltage of the battery (EMF)
(for a given constant voltage) by adding cells, the current goes up

Total current flowing through a circuit is inversely • If we decrease the voltage of the battery (EMF), by removing cells the
current goes down
proportional to the total resistance
• By changing the batteries (EMF), I am changing the current
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Take note Relationship between current voltage and current

• Resistance does not depend on voltage or current (resistance stays constant,
it only changes when temperature changes)
• TOTAL resistance can be changed by adding or removing resistors
• EMF stays constant and does not depend on resistance or current
Ohm’s Law: The voltage across a resistor is directly
proportional to the current flowing through it at
constant temperature

• Current depends on EMF of the cell and on the total resistance of the circuit

• The individual voltage across a resistor depend on the current (if resistance
is constant) and the resistance (if current is constant)
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 Ohm’s law Total resistance
Potential • Total resistance in series: Rs = R1 + R2 + R3 …

V difference (V) ̶ Adding resistors in series increases the total resistance of the circuit
R=
I 1 1 1 1
• Total resistance in parallel:
Rp = R1 + R2 + R3 …
Current (A) ̶ Adding resistors in parallel decreases the total resistance of the circuit
Resistance (Ω)

A resistor has a resistance of 1 Ω if 1 A of current loses 1 V of energy as it • Total resistance in a combination circuit: RT = Rp + Rs
moves through the resistor
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Equivalent resistance
• One resistor that has a resistance equivalent to two or more resistors
acting together

• If I replace two or more resistors with ONE resistor, what should the
resistance of the replacement be?

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Example p206 Example 1

The EMF of the battery is
28,5 V.
Calculate the:
1) total resistance of the
circuit
2) The total current through
the circuit

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Example 2 Example 3
What is the voltage across the resistor?

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Example 4 Example 5
What is the voltage across B? What is the voltage readings V1 and V2?
Both resistors are the same.

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Example 6 Example 7
What is the voltage readings V1, V2 and V3? 1) Calculate the voltage drop across each
The resistors are NOT the same. resistor
2) Calculate the resistance of R3

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Example 8 Example 9
Calculate the: What is the reading on A1, A2
1) Reading on the ammeter and A4?
2) Resistance of R2
3) Potential difference across
the 1 Ω resistor (V3)
4) The EMF of the cell

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Example 10 Example 11
What is the reading on A2, A3 What is the reading on A2, A3
and A4? and A4?
The reading on A1 is 0,12A. The reading on A1 is 12A.

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Example 12 Example 13
A 18 V cell is connected to two Calculate the:
resistors, 2 Ω and 6 Ω 1) reading on A3
respectively, in parallell.
2) reading on A1
Calculate the current through
each of the ammeters when the 3) resistance R1
switch is open and closed. 4) resistance R2
5) How would the reading on A1
change if R3 was removed?
Explain.

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 Example 14 12V

1. What is the reading on A4? 2A

2. Calculate the reading on V3. A4
V1
3. Calculate the reading on V1.
4. What is the reading on V2? R1 A2
5. Calculate the reading on A3. 4Ω
6. Calculate the reading on A2. A3 4Ω
7. Calculate the resistance of R1. V3
V2
8. Calculate the total resistance of
the circuit.

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