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BASICS OF ELECTRICITY
What are the fundamental concepts?
 1600 VOLTAGE

The concept of voltage involves work, which in

turn involves force and distance. The SI unit of
work is the joule with unit symbol J in honor to
the English physicist James Prescott Joule, the SI
unit of force is the newton with unit symbol N,
and of course the SI unit for distance is the
meter with unit symbol m.

Work is required for moving an object against a

force that opposes the motion. For example,
lifting something against the force of gravity
requires work. In general the work required in
joules is the product of the force in newtons and
the distance moved in meters:

W = work in Joules (J)

JAMES PRESCOTT JOULE 𝑾 = 𝑭𝒅 F = force in Newton (N)

D = distance in meter (m)
English physicist
 1600 VOLTAGE

Energy is the capacity to do work. One of its

forms is potential energy, which is the energy a
body has because of its position.

The voltage difference (also called the potential

difference) between two points is the work in joules
required to move 1 C of charge from one point to
the other.

The SI unit of voltage is the volt with unit

symbol V. The quantity symbol is V although E
and e are also popular.

In general,

𝑾 V = voltage in Volts (V)

𝑽= W = work in Joules (J)
𝑸 Q = charge in Coulombs (C)
1600 OHM’S LAW

Ohm's law states that the current through a

conductor between two points is directly
proportional to the voltage across the two points.
Introducing the constant of proportionality, the
resistance, one arrives at the usual mathematical
equation that describes this relationship;
I = the current through the
conductor in units of ampere
𝑽 V = the voltage measured across
𝑰= the conductor in units of volts
𝑹 R = the resistance of the
conductor units of ohms

More specifically, Ohm's law states that the R in

this relation is constant, independent of the
current.
 1600 OHM’S LAW

Ohm’s law was named after the German

physicist Georg Simon Ohm, who, in a treatise
published in 1827, described measurements of
applied voltage and current through simple
electrical circuits containing various lengths of
wire.

GEORG SIMON OHM

German physicist
 1600 RESISTANCE

Resistance is this property of materials that opposes or resists

the movement of electrons and makes it necessary to apply a
voltage to cause current to flow. The SI unit of resistance is
the ohm with symbol Ω, the Greek uppercase letter
omega. The quantity symbol is R.

Four Factors Affecting Resistance:

1.The resistance of a metallic conductor is dependent on

the type of conductor material.

2.The resistance of a metallic conductor is directly

proportional to its length.

3.The resistance of a metallic conductor is inversely

proportional to the cross-sectional area.

4.The fourth major factor influencing the resistance of a

conductor is temperature.
 1600 RESISTANCE

The resistance of a conductor of uniform cross section is

directly proportional to the length of the conductor and
inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area. At a fixed
temperature the resistance of a conductor is
L = conductor length in meters
𝝆𝑳 A = the cross-sectional area in square meters
𝑹= ρ = quantity symbol for resistivity, the factor
𝑨 that depends on the type of material.

The SI unit of resistivity is the ohm-meter with unit symbol

Ω-m.
 1600 RESISTANCE

Materials Resistivity Materials Resistivity

(Conductors) Ω-m (Insulators) Ω-m
Silver 1.64 x 10 -8 Amber 5 x 10 14
Annealed Copper 1.72 x 10 -8 Glass 10 10 - 10 14
HardDrawn Copper 1.77 x 10 -8 Mica 10 11 - 10 15
Gold 2.44 x 10 -8 Quartz 75 x 10 16
Aluminum 2.83 x 10 -8 Sulfur 10 15
Tungsten 5.25 x 10 -8 Teflon > 10 13
Iron 12.3 x 10 -8 Wood 10 8 - 10 11
Steel 20 x 10 -8 Rubber 10 15
Lead 22 x 10 -8 air 1.3×1016 - 3.3×1016
Mercury 95 x 10 -8 Paraffin wax 10 17
Resistivity of some materials at 20°C.
 1600 RESISTANCE

A good conductor has a resistivity close to 10 -8 Ω-m.

Silver, the best conductor, is too expensive for most uses.
Copper is a common conductor, as is aluminum. Materials
with resistivities greater than 1010 Ω-m are insulators.
They can provide physical support without significant
current leakage. Also, insulating coatings on wires prevent
current leaks between wires that touch. Materials with
resistivities in the range of 10 -4 to 10 -7 Ω-m are
semiconductors, from which transistors are made.
 RESISTANCE

1. Calculate the resistance of the following at

20 ºC:

a. HDC, L = 1200 ft, A = 22mm2

b. Al, L = 500 m, d = .055 in
ILLUSTRATIVE
c. Annealed Copper, L = 10 mi, d = 2cm
EXAMPLES

2. A wire 50 m in length and 2 mm2 in cross

section has a resistance of 0.56 Ω. A 100-m
length of wire of the same material has a
resistance of 2 Ω at the same temperature.
Find the diameter of this wire.
 TEMPERATURE EFFECTS

The resistances of most good

conducting materials increase
almost linearly with temperature
over the range of normal
operating temperatures.
However, some materials, and
common semiconductors in
particular, have resistances that
decrease with temperature
increases.
 1600 CONDUCTANCE

The inverse of resistance is often useful. It is called

conductance and its quantity symbol is G. The SI unit of
conductance is the siemens with unit symbol S, which is
replacing the popular non-SI unit mho with symbol ʊ
(inverted omega). Since conductance is the inverse of
resistance.
𝟏
𝑮=
𝑹

In terms of conductance. Ohm’s law is I = G V

which shows that the greater the conductance of the
conductor, the greater the current for any applied voltage.
 1600 POWER

The rate at which something either absorbs or

produces energy is the power absorbed or produced.
A source of energy produces or delivers power and a
load absorbs it. The SI unit of power is the watt with
unit symbol W named after Scottish inventor,
mechanical engineer, and chemist James Watt. The
quantity symbol is P for constant power .

If 1 J of work is either absorbed or delivered at a

constant rate in 1 s, the corresponding power is 1 W.
In general,

𝑾 P = power in Watts (W)

𝑷= W = work in Joules (J)
𝒕 t = time in second (s)

JAMES WATT Common Conversion Factors!

1 hp = 746 W
Scottish inventor, ME, chemist
1 W = 3.413 Btu/hr
1600 ENERGY

Electric energy used or produced is the

product of the electric power input or
output and the time over which this input
or output occurs:

𝑾 = 𝑷𝒕
Electric energy is what customers
purchase from electric utility companies.
These companies do not use the joule as
an energy unit but instead use the much
larger and more convenient kilowatt-hour
(kWh) even though it is not an SI unit. The
number of kilowatt-hours consumed
equals the product of the power absorbed
in kilowatts and the time in hours over
which it is absorbed.
 BASICS OF ELECTRICITY

1. If electric energy costs 6 $/kilowatt-hour,

calculate the utility bill for one month for
operating eight 100-W light bulbs for 50
hours each, ten 60-W light bulbs for 70 hrs
each, one 2-kW air conditioner for 80 hrs.
ILLUSTRATIVE
one 3-kW range for 45 hrs, one 420-W
color TV set for 180 hrs. and one 300-W EXAMPLES
refrigerator for 75 hrs.
2. A lamp is designed for use at 120V and
has a current draw of 0.5A. Determine the
power consumed.
3. Find the voltage drop across a toaster that
gives off 7500 J of heat when a 13.64-A
current flows through it for 5 s.