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Electrical engineering

Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that deals with the study and application
of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

It is a secondary energy source, meaning it is obtained by converting primary energy


sources, such as coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear power, and other natural sources.
Electricity can be generated using renewable or non-renewable energy sources.

The movement of electric charges is known as electricity.

Electric charge is the physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force
when placed in an electromagnetic field.

Electric Current (I)


The rate of charge flow past a particular point in an electric circuit is known as electric
current.

In this equation, Q is the charge in coulombs (C), I is the current in amperes (A), and t is
the time in seconds (s).
The instrument used to measure the current in a circuit is an ammeter.

Potential difference or Voltage (V)


The potential difference or voltage is the amount of energy per unit of charge needed to
move charges from a certain space point to another.

In this equation, V is the potential difference in volts (V), W is the energy in joules (J),
and Q is the charge in coulombs (C).
The device used to measure potential difference or voltage is a voltmeter.
Resistance (R)
Resistance is a measure of the opposition of a component to the flow of electric
current.

The lower the resistance of a component, the higher the current flows through the
component. Materials with lower resistance make better conductors. That’s why most
wires are made up of copper because this material has a low resistance value.

Ohm’s law, which defines resistance as the ratio of the potential difference and the
current:

R is the resistance measured in Ohms (Ω), V is the potential difference measured in


volts (V), and I is the current measured in amperes (A).

A multimeter is a measuring instrument that can measure multiple electrical properties.


A typical multimeter can measure voltage, resistance, and current. Some feature the
measurement of additional properties such as temperature and capacitance.

Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit.

Power P is measured in watts (W)

Electric circuits
Electric circuits are structures made out of electric devices, such as cables, resistors,
switches, power sources, etc., where the potential difference is established and a
current is formed.
A simple electric circuit

Kirchhoff's circuit laws

1. Conservation of current

The current entering any junction is equal to the current leaving that junction. i2 + i3 = i1 +
i4

The algebraic sum of currents in a network of conductors meeting at a point is zero.


2. Conservation of voltage

The sum of all the voltages around a loop is equal to zero.

v1 + v2 + v3 + v4 = 0

The directed sum of the potential differences (voltages) around any closed loop is
zero.

Inductance (L)
Inductance is the tendency of an electrical conductor to oppose a change in the
electric current flowing through it.

OR

Inductance is a property of an electrical component that describes its ability to store


energy in a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it.

The SI unit of inductance is the Henry (H), which can be represented in the current
and voltage rate of change.

2
L = μ𝑁 A/l
● L = Inductance (H),
● μ = Permeability (H/m or N/(Amp^2)),
● N = The coil’s number of turns,
● A = The coil’s cross-sectional area,
● l = Length of the coil (m).

Capacitance
Capacitance is the ability of a component or circuit to collect and store energy in the
form of an electrical charge.

SI unit: Farad (F)

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