BASIC ELECTRICITY

THE FUNDAMENTALS
General Composition of Matter
Matter
•Anything that has mass and occupies space is
defined as matter
•Matter may be invisible to the eye
•All matter is composed of discrete, tiny particles
called atoms
ATOM
ATOM IS A BUILDING BLOCKS
OF MATTER

Composed of subatomic
particles such as the proton
neutron and electron
Electron Shells and Energy Levels
Valence Electrons
is the number of chemical bonds an atom can form.
Ions
is the process by which an atom loses or gains electrons
 Electron Shells and Energy Levels
What Are Energy Levels?
(also called electron shells) are fixed distances
from the nucleus of an atom where electrons
may be found

are a little like the steps of a staircase

In the atomic
model Figure beside, where
would you find electrons that
have the most energy?
Answer
 Electrons with the most energy would
be found in energy level IV.
Energy Levels and Orbitals
The smallest atoms are hydrogen atoms. They have just one electron orbiting
the nucleus.
That one electron is in the first energy level. Bigger atoms have more
electrons. Electrons are always added to the lowest energy level first until it
has the maximum number of electrons possible.
Then electrons are added to the next higher energy level until that level is
full, and so on
How many electrons can a given energy level
hold?
the maximum numbers of electrons possible for the first four energy levels
are shown in the Figure above.
For example, energy level I can hold a maximum of two electrons, and energy
level II can hold a maximum of eight electrons.
The maximum number depends on the number of orbitals at a given energy
level.
An orbital is a volume of space within an atom where an electron is most
likely to be found.
Energy level III can hold a maximum of 18
electrons. How many orbitals does this energy level
At two electrons per orbital, this energy level must have nine
orbitals.
The Outermost Level
Electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom have a special
significance.
These electrons are called valence electrons, and they determine many of
the properties of an atom.
 An atom is most stable if its outermost energy level contains as many
electrons as it can hold.
Summary
Energy levels (also called electron shells) are fixed distances from the nucleus
of an atom where electrons may be found. As you go farther from the nucleus,
electrons at higher energy levels have more energy.
Electrons are always added to the lowest energy level first until it has the
maximum number of electrons possible, and then electrons are added to the
next higher energy level until that level is full, and so on. The maximum
number of electrons at a given energy level depends on its number of orbitals.
There are at most two electrons per orbital.
Electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom are called valence
electrons. They determine many of the properties of an atom, including how
reactive it is.
Energy Levels and Orbitals
The smallest atoms are hydrogen atoms. They have just one electron orbiting
the nucleus.
That one electron is in the first energy level. Bigger atoms have more
electrons. Electrons are always added to the lowest energy level first until it
has the maximum number of electrons possible.
Then electrons are added to the next higher energy level until that level is
full, and so on
Review
1. What is matter?
2. What is Atom
3. Atom is made of what small particles?
4. What is the 2 charges of atom?
5. What is the difference of proton, neutron and electron? Give the exact
location of each other
Review
1. What are energy levels?
2. Relate energy levels to the amount of energy their electrons have.
3. What must happen for an electron to jump to a different energy level?
4. How many electrons can the fourth energy level have? How many orbitals
are there at this energy level?
5. An atom of sodium has 11 electrons. Make a sketch of a sodium atom,
showing how many electrons it has at each energy level. Infer how reactive
sodium atoms are.
Conductors ,insulators, and
semiconductors
Metric Prefixes and SI Units
Metric Prefixes are incredibly
useful for describing quantities of
the International System of Units
(SI) in a more succinct manner
Physical SI Units
Quantity SI Unit Unit Abbreviation
Time second s
Length meter m
Mass gram g
Temperature kelvin K
Force newton N
Conversion
• as a first simple example, lets translate 1 Ampere (A) into smaller values.
•
• A milliampere is 1 thousandth of the unit Ampere hence 1 Ampere is equal to
1000 milliamperes.

• Going further, 1 milliampere is equivalent to 1000 microamperes and so on.

• Going in the opposite direction, 1 Ampere is .001 Kiloampere, or 1000

Amperes is 1 Kiloampere. Now that's a lot of current!
• As you may have noticed, switching between prefixes is the same as moving the decimal
point over by 3 places.

• This is also the same as multiplying or dividing by 1000. When you're going up to a larger
prefix, from Kilo to Mega for
• example, the decimal place is moved three places to the left. 100,000 Kilowatts equals
100 Megawatts.

• 10 Kilowatts equals .01 Megawatts.

• Mega is the prefix right above Kilo so regardless of whether we are talking about Watts,
Amperes, Farads, or whatever unit, the movement of the decimal place by three positions
to the left still works when moving up a prefix.
Practice
1.0 mA to A
2.10 nF to pF
3.500 kW to W
4..01 mV to µV
5.20,000 kΩ to MΩ
6.4680 MHz to GHz
7.4 TiB to GiB
8.200 Mb to kb
9..00007 s to µs
10.1450 nH to µH
Practice Answers
1..05 A
2.10,000 pF
3.500,000 W
4.10 µV
5.20 MΩ
6.4.68 GHz
7.4096 GiB
8.200,000 kb
9.70 µs
10.1.45 µH
Static electricity
Static electricity is caused when certain materials are rubbed against each other.
Electrons can be rubbed off one material and on to another.
The material that has got extra electrons is now negatively charged
The material which has lost electrons is positively charged.
Static electricity
It is this imbalance of positive and negative charges that causes:
Balloons to stick to walls.
Your hair to stand on end when brush your hair on a dry day.
And the electric shock you sometimes get from the door handle.
Two kinds of charges
After being rubbed, a plastic ruler can attract paper scraps.

Ruler carries electric charge.

It exerts electric force on paper.
This charging method is called charging by friction.

The interaction between static electric charges is called

electrostatics.
Where do charges come from?
Matter is made up of atoms.

+ Proton (positive charge)

–
neutron (neutral)
+
+ +

– electron (negative charge)

– –

atom nucleus
Where do charges come from?
If electrons = protons neutral

If electrons > protons  gaining electrons, negative

charge

If electrons < protons  losing electrons, positive

charge
Electro-negativity Relative +++++
++++
Glass
Human Hair
electro-negativity +++ Nylon

ranking for some ++ Silk

common materials + Fur

Aluminum

from electron donating - Paper

Cotton
materials (+, glass) to - - Copper
---
electron accepting Rubber
---- PVC
materials (-, teflon) - - - - - Teflon
Where do charges come from?
Rubbing materials does NOT create electric charges. It just
transfers electrons from one material to the other.
 Where do charges come from?
When a balloon rubs a piece of wool...
electrons are pulled from the
– +
wool to the balloon.
– +
–
– + The balloon has more
– electrons than usual.
– +
wool + The balloon: – charged,
The wool: +charged
 Insulators and conductors
Insulators: materials that do NOT allow electrons to flow
through them easily.

Insulators can be easily charged by friction as the extra

electrons gained CANNOT easily escape.
4 Insulators and conductors
Conductors: materials that allow electrons to flow
through them easily.

Conductors CANNOT be easily charged by friction as

the extra electrons gained can easily escape.
 When negatively charged rod is put near a metal can...
Induction: The
production electrons of the can are
of a charge - - - - - - - pushed away from the rod.
in an induced
uncharged charges +
+ + attraction  top of the can: positive
body by + + buttom of the can: negative
bringing a
charged & attraction > repulsion
object close - -
metal can -
to it - -
repulsion
Attraction of uncharged objects
Similarly, when charged rod is close to paper scrap...

molecules of paper align.

- - - - - - -
 attraction between
attraction
++ + + the rod and + charge >
–––– repulsion between the
paper ++ + + rod and - charge.
––––

repulsion
Attraction of uncharged objects
Similarly, when charged rod is close to paper scrap...

molecules of paper align.

- - - - - - -
 attraction between
attraction
++ + + the rod and + charge >
–––– repulsion between the
paper ++ + + rod and - charge.
––––

repulsion
Magnetic Poles
Magnetic Poles: A region on a magnet which
produces magnetic forces
The poles of a suspended magnet will align
themselves to the poles of the Earth
Fundamental Rule: Like poles repel; opposite
poles attract
• Magnetic poles behave similarly to electric
charges EXCEPT:

◦ Electric charges can be

isolated
◦ Magnetic poles cannot
Magnetic Field: The space around a magnet
in which a magnetic force is exerted
◦ The shape of a magnetic field is revealed by
magnetic field lines
◦ Directed away from north poles and toward
south poles
The strength of magnetic fields are
measured in units of Tesla (T)
Magnetic fields are caused by the motion of
electric charges
◦ Since motion is relative, so are magnetic
fields
Magnets at rest consist of charges in motion
◦ Every spinning electron is a tiny magnet
◦ Electrons spinning in the same direction
produce a stronger magnet
Magnetic Domain: Clusters
of aligned atoms
If the magnetic domains of a material can
align, this material is called ferromagnetic.
Permanent magnets are made by
placing materials in strong magnetic
fields
◦Aligns the domains
It is possible to weaken a magnet by
dropping or heating it
◦Pushes the domains out of alignment
Earth’s Magnetic Field
Currents in the molten part of Earth
beneath the crust create the Earth’s
magnetic field
◦ Moving charges loop within the Earth
Earth’s magnetic field is not stable
◦ Magnetic pole and geographic pole are offset
Magnetic poles are located:
◦ North: Hudson Bay region of northern
Canada (1800 km from geographic pole)
◦ South: Just south of Australia
Magnetic Declination: Difference
between geographic and magnetic
poles
The magnetic field of Earth reverses on an
irregular cycle
1 million years ago, the field completely “shut
off” for 10,000-20,000 years
Its strength has decreased by 5% over the last
100 years
◦ Indicates a reversal possibly in the next 200 years
Electric Current
Recall: Electric current is the
movement of electric charges
◦ Current produces a magnetic
field
When current is carried
through a conductor, the
magnetic field produces a
pattern of concentric circles
This concept is known as
Oersted’s Principle
If the current switches
direction, the compass
needles will turn 180o
If a current carrying wire is bent into a
loop:
◦Field lines become bunched inside
the loop
Two overlapping loops:
◦Twice the concentration of magnetic
field lines
Electromagnet: A current-carrying coil
of wire with many loops
◦The magnetic domains of a piece of
iron placed in the coil will be aligned
◦The will intensify the magnetic field
◦The strongest electromagnets use
superconductors as a core
An alarm bell uses an
electromagnet with a
changing magnetic field to
move a plunger
A moving charged particle could be
deflected by a magnetic field
For particles moving parallel to the
magnetic field, no deflection occurs
For particles moving perpendicular to the
magnetic field, maximum deflection
occurs
A current carrying wire will also be deflected
when it encounters a magnetic field
◦The particles trapped inside the wire are deflected,
therefore pushing the wire itself
If the direction of the current is reversed, the
deflecting force acts in the opposite direction
A simple DC motor uses a permanent
magnet to establish a field where an
electromagnet is made to rotate
◦ When connected to a battery, the electro-
magnet will rotate one half turn
◦ Its south pole will align with the north pole
of the permanent magnet
 These two devices change the
direction of the current at exactly
the correct moment so that the
poles of the electromagnet
reverse
This causes the electromagnet to
Brushes keep spinning

Commutator
As the armature passes through the horizontal
position, the poles of the electromagnet
reverse due to the commutator
Conventional Current
assumes that current flows out of the positive
terminal, through the circuit and into the negative
terminal of the source. This was the convention
chosen during the discovery of electricity.
Conventional Current Version.
Electron Flow
is what actually happens and electrons flow out of
the negative terminal, through the circuit and into
the positive terminal of the source
Electron Flow Version.
Both Conventional Current
and Electron Flow are
used. Many textbooks are
available in both formats.
In fact, it makes no difference which
way current is flowing as long as it is
used consistently. The direction of
current flow does not affect what
the current does.
Ohm's law magic triangle
defines the relationship between voltage, current and resistance.

These basic electrical units apply to direct current, or alternating current.

Ohm’s Law is the foundation of electronics and electricity.

This formula is used extensively by electricians.

Without a thorough understanding of “Ohm’s Law” an electrician can not design or
troubleshoot even the simplest of electronic or electrical circuits.

Ohm established in the late 1820’s that if a voltage was applied to a resistance then “current
would flow and then power would be consumed”.
Voltage measured in volts, symbolized by
the letters "E" or "V".

Current measured in amps, symbolized by

the letter "I".

Resistance measured in ohms, symbolized

by the letter "R".
If you know E and I, and wish to
determine R, just eliminate R from the
picture and see what's left:
If you know E and R, and wish to determine I, eliminate I and see
what's left:
if you know I and R, and wish to determine E, eliminate E and see
what's left:
Let's see how these equations might work to help us analyze
simple circuits:

If we know the values of any two of the three quantities

(voltage, current, and resistance) in this circuit, we can use
Ohm's Law to determine the third.
calculate the amount of
current (I) in a circuit,
given values of voltage (E)
and resistance (R):
calculate the amount of
resistance (R) in a circuit,
given values of voltage (E)
and current (I):
calculate the amount of voltage
supplied by a battery, given
values of current (I) and
resistance (R):
The force or
pressure
behind
electricity
POWER LAW

• The amount of current times the voltage level at a given point

measured in wattage or watts.
• It states that the power dissipated in a device is inversely
proportional to the squared value of the voltage across it.
• It can also be stated as the power dissipated in a device is
directly proportional to the squared value of the current going
through it.
POWER LAW FORMULAS/FORMULAE
P=IXE
P = E2/R
P = I2 X R

POWER LAW IS NAMED AFTER

SCOTTISH MATHEMATICIAN JAMES
WATT
 ENERGY SOURCE &
GENERATING POWER
PLANTS
 SOLAR ENERGY – Harvests the energy of the sun through collector panels or solar
panels
 WIND ENERGY – using the winds’ power to turn the turbines to power up generators
 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY – using high temperatures produced from the earth to heat up
water and turn it into steam
HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY – using the power of the water to turn the generators
(usually collected from dams)
 NUCLEAR ENERGY – energy is created by using specific nuclear reactions which turns
the generator
 FOSSIL FUELS (coal, oil, natural gas) – Coal Power plants, Diesel Power plants
 WIND ENERGY
SOLAR ENERGY
HYDROELECTRIC PLANT GEOTHERMAL PLANT

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

RESISTOR
RESISTOR
Fixed resistors have built into the design a means of
opposing current.

The general use of a resistor in a circuit is to limit the

amount of current flow
What are Resistors???????

117
RESISTOR
Resistors are important because they are control devices for
electronics.
Resistors can be physical devices.
Resistance can also be a physical characteristic of a circuit or
component.
Resistors allow a circuit to deliver exactly the right amount of
current, voltage, or power to a circuit or device (and no more).
What is Resistance?
Resistance is defined as the opposition to current flow.
The primary purpose of a resistor is to control current.
◦ By control we mean limit or adjust
A resistor is a linear device (unlike some other circuit components
that are not linear)
◦ Like diodes and transistors

119
Fixed vs. Variable
Fixed resistors are designed to have a nearly constant amount of
resistance regardless of voltage, current, age, heat, or time.
◦ They have a stable value within a tolerance.
◦ The narrower the tolerance, the more expensive
Variable resistors can change resistance value.
◦ They are adjustable.
◦ Examples: potentiometers and rheostats

120
 Symbols and Characteristics
Resistor schematic symbols are used to represent a variety of circuit components with
resistance.

The schematic symbol is a zigzag line.

Real resistors look like a tube or a cylinder.
A resistor is often called a load on a circuit.

121
More Resistor Characteristics
Another important characteristic is the power rating.
A power rating is related to physical size.
The resistance value has nothing to do with physical size.
Resistance is often related to a concept like friction, but they are not
exactly the same.
Resistance is useful.

122
Types of Resistors
Fixed

Symbol:

123
Types of Resistors

Variable
◦ Potentiometer
◦ Rheostat
◦ Tapped

Symbol:

124
Measurement and Symbol
Resistance is measured in
Ohms

Symbol for resistance is

W (Greek symbol Omega)

125
Resistor Color Code Chart

126
Black (0)
Brown (1) Memory Aid (mnemonic)
Red (2)
Orange (3)
Yellow (4)
Green (5)
Blue (6)
Violet (7)
Grey (8)
White (9)

127
Black (0) = Big
Brown (1) = Boys
Memory Aid (mnemonic)
Red (2) = Race
Orange (3) = Our
Yellow (4) = Young
Green (5) = Girls
Blue (6) = But
Violet (7) = Violet
Grey (8) = Generally
White (9) = Wins

128
Memory Aid (mnemonic)
Big Boys Race Our Young Girls But Violet Generally
Wins

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Remember, it starts with zero

129
Identifying the Bands

Notice this gap between the

3rd and 4th color band.

130
Identifying the Bands

One band can also be closer

to the end on one side. This
is the first band.
131
Identifying the Bands
Here is a picture showing the color bands starting closer to one end.

132
Identifying the Bands
Here is a resistor showing the gap between bands.

In this picture it is hard to see which

band is closer to the end, but the gap
is easy to see.

133
Reading the Resistor Value
From the Color Bands

These three bands identify the

resistor value.
134
Reading the Resistor Value From the Color Bands

The 4th band indicates

the tolerance range.

135
Example

First Band: Yellow

Big Boys Race Our Young
0, 1, 2, 3, 4

136
Example

First Band: Yellow

equals 4.

137
Example

Second Band: Violet

138
Example

Second Band: Violet

equals 7.

139
Example

Third Band: Brown

equals 1.

140
Example

Third Band: is the multiplier

equals a single zero

141
Example

Fourth Band: Gold

142
Example

Fourth Band: Gold

This is the tolerance band.

143
Example

Gold equals a tolerance

of five percent.

144
Example

So this resistor has a value of

470 Ω with five percent tolerance.

145
Example

This resistor should have a

measured value between
446.5 Ω and 493.5 Ω.

146
Determine the value of the
following resistor.

147
Determine the value of the
following resistor.

Brown, Black, Red, Gold

148
Determine the value of the
following resistor.

Brown, Black, Red, Gold

1 0 2 5 percent

149
Determine the value of the
following resistor.

Equals 1000 Ω, plus or minus 5 percent

150
Determine the value of the
following resistor.

151
Determine the value of the
following resistor.

152
More practice:
Determine the value of these
actual resistors.

153
Resistor Tolerance
Resistor tolerance is a range of resistance values where the resistor is still OK.
Resistor values have a range because they can change with age, current, or temperature.
The range is plus or minus from the indicated value.
Often, the resistance value does not have to be exact.

154
Resistor Tolerance

Use the indicated value of the resistor to determine tolerance.

Multiply the indicated value times the tolerance.
◦ Example: 5 percent of 1000 is .05 X 1000 = 50

Add and subtract the tolerance from the indicated value.

◦ Example: 1000 – 50 = 950, 1000 + 50 = 1050

The acceptable range of resistance is 950 Ω to 1050 Ω.

155
Resistor Measurement
Read resistor value from color code.
Measure the resistor value with a multimeter.
Compare indicated value to measured value.

156