DIRECT CURRENT: Ohm’s Law,

Series, Parallel Connections,

Batteries and Power
DIRECT CURRENT
Is the unidirectional flow of an electric charge. A battery is a
prime example of DC power.
Electricity and Magnetism

Electric Circuits and Power

 Series and Parallel Circuits
 Analysis of Circuits
 Electric Power, AC, and DC Electricity
 Objectives:
1. Recognize and sketch examples of series and parallel circuits.
2. Describe a short circuit and why a short circuit may be a
dangerous hazard.
3. Calculate the current in a series or parallel circuit containing
up to three resistances.
4. Calculate the total resistance of a circuit by combining series
or parallel resistances.
5. Describe the differences between AC and DC electricity.
6. Calculate the power used in an AC or DC circuit from the
current and voltage.
Vocabulary Terms
 series circuit
 parallel circuit
 short circuit
 network circuit
 circuit analysis
 power
 Kirchhoff’s voltage law
 voltage drop direct
 current (DC)
 alternating current (AC)
 kilowatt
 Kirchhoff’s current law
 horsepower
 power factor
 circuit breaker
 watt
 kilowatt-hour
 Series and Parallel Circuits
Key Question:
How do series and parallel circuits work?
Series and Parallel Circuits

 In series circuits, current can only take one path.

 The amount of current is the same at all points in a series circuit.
Adding resistances in series

 Each resistance in a series circuit adds to

the total resistance of the circuit.

Rtotal = R1 + R2 + R3...
Total resistance
(ohms)
Individual resistances ()
Total resistance in a series
circuit
 Light bulbs, resistors, motors, and heaters usually have much
greater resistance than wires and batteries.
Voltage in a series circuit

 Each separate resistance creates a

voltage drop as the current passes
through.
 As current flows along a series
circuit, each type of resistor
transforms some of the electrical
energy into another form of energy
 Ohm’s law is used to calculate the
voltage drop across each resistor.
Series and Parallel Circuits

 In parallel circuits the current can take more than one path.
 Because there are multiple branches, the current is not the same
at all points in a parallel circuit.
Series and Parallel Circuits

 Sometimes these paths are called branches.

 The current through a branch is also called the branch current.
 When analyzing a parallel circuit, remember that the current
always has to go somewhere.
 The total current in the circuit is the sum of the currents in all the
branches.
 At every branch point the current flowing out must equal the
current flowing in.
 This rule is known as Kirchhoff’s current law.
Voltage and Current in a Parallel Circuit
 In a parallel circuit the voltage is the same across each
branch because each branch has a low resistance path back
to the battery.
 The amount of current in each branch in a parallel circuit is
not necessarily the same.
 The resistance in each branch determines the current in that
branch.
Advantages of parallel circuits

Parallel circuits have two big advantages over series circuits:

1. Each device in the circuit sees the full battery voltage.
2. Each device in the circuit may be turned off
independently without stopping the current flowing to other
devices in the circuit.
Short circuit

 A short circuit is a parallel path in a circuit with zero or very low

resistance.
 Short circuits can be made accidentally by connecting a wire
between two other wires at different voltages.
 Short circuits are dangerous because they can draw huge amounts of
current.
Calculate current

 Two bulbs with different resistances are connected in parallel to

batteries with a total voltage of 3 volts.
 Calculate the total current supplied by the battery.
Resistance in parallel circuits

 Adding resistance in parallel provides another path for

current, and more current flows.
 When more current flows for the same voltage, the total
resistance of the circuit decreases.
 This happens because every new path in a parallel circuit
allows more current to flow for the same voltage.
Adding resistance in parallel circuits

 A circuit contains a 2 ohm resistor and a 4 ohm resistor in parallel.

 Calculate the total resistance of the circuit.
 Analysis of Circuits

Key Question:
How do we analyze
network circuits?

*Students read Section 20.2

AFTER Investigation 20.2
Analysis of Circuits

 All circuits work by manipulating currents and

voltages.
 The process of circuit analysis means figuring out
what the currents and voltages in a circuit are, and
also how they are affected by each other.
 Three basic laws are the foundation of circuit
analysis.
Three circuit laws
Voltage divider circuit
Voltage divider

A circuit divides any supplied voltage by a ratio of the resistors.

V0 = R1 Vi
R1 + R 2
Output Input
resistor ratio voltage
voltage
(volts) () (volts)
 Solving circuit problems

1. Identify what the problem is asking you to find. Assign variables to the
unknown quantities.
2. Make a large clear diagram of the circuit. Label all of the known
resistances, currents, and voltages. Use the variables you defined to label
the unknowns.
3. You may need to combine resistances to find the total circuit resistance.
Use multiple steps to combine series and parallel resistors.
Alternating and direct current

 The current from a battery is

always in the same direction.
 One end of the battery is
positive and the other end is
negative.
 The direction of current flows
from positive to negative.
 This is called direct current, or
DC.
Alternating and direct current

 If voltage alternates, so does

current.
 When the voltage is positive, the
current in the circuit is
clockwise.
 When the voltage is negative the
current is the opposite direction.
 This type of current is called
alternating current, or AC.
 Solving circuit problems

4. If you know the total resistance and current, use Ohm’s law as V = IR to
calculate voltages or voltage drops. If you know the resistance and
voltage, use Ohm’s law as I = V ÷ R to calculate the current.
5. An unknown resistance can be found using Ohm’s law as R = V ÷ I, if
you know the current and the voltage drop through the resistor.
6. Use Kirchhoff’s current and voltage laws as necessary.
Solving circuit problems

 A bulb with a resistance of 1Ω is to be

used in a circuit with a 6-volt battery.
 The bulb requires 1 amp of current.
 If the bulb were connected directly to the
battery, it would draw 6 amps and burn out
instantly.
 To limit the current, a resistor is added in
series with the bulb.
 What size resistor is needed to make the
current 1 amp?
Network circuits

 In many circuits, resistors are connected both in series and in parallel.

 Such a circuit is called a network circuit.
 There is no single formula for adding resistors in a network circuit.
 For very complex circuits, electrical engineers use computer programs that
can rapidly solve equations for the circuit using Kirchhoff’s laws.
Calculate using network
circuits
 Three bulbs, each with a resistance
of 3Ω, are combined in the circuit
in the diagram
 Three volts are applied to the
circuit.
 Calculate the current in each of the
bulbs.
 From your calculations, do you
think all three bulbs will be equally
bright?
 Electric Power, AC, and DC Electricity

Key Question:
How much does electricity cost and
what do you pay for?

*Students read Section 20.3

AFTER Investigation 20.3
Electric Power, AC, and DC Electricity

 The watt (W) is a unit of power.

 Power is the rate at which energy moves or is
used.
 Since energy is measured in joules, power is
measured in joules per second.
 One joule per second is equal to one watt.
Reviewing terms
 Power in electric circuits

 One watt is a pretty small amount of power.

 In everyday use, larger units are more convenient to use.
 A kilowatt (kW) is equal to 1,000 watts.
 The other common unit of power often seen on electric motors is the
horsepower.
 One horsepower is 746 watts.
Power

Voltage (volts)
Power (watts) P = VI Current (amps)
Calculate power

 A light bulb with a

resistance of 3Ω is
connected to a 1.5-volt
battery in the circuit shown
at right.
 Calculate the power used
by the light bulb.
Paying for electricity

 Electric companies charge for the

number of kilowatt-hours used
during a set period of time, often a
month.
 One kilowatt-hour (kWh) means that
a kilowatt of power has been used
for one hour.
 Since power multiplied by time is
energy, a kilowatt-hour is a unit of
energy.
 One kilowatt-hour is 3.6 x 106 joules.
Calculate power

 Your electric company charges 14 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Your coffee maker has a power rating of 1,050 watts.
 How much does it cost to use the coffee maker one hour
per day for a month?
Alternating and direct current

 AC current is used for almost all high-power applications because it is

easier to generate and to transmit over long distances.
 The 120 volt AC (VAC) electricity used in homes and businesses
alternates between peak values of +170 V and -170 V at a frequency of 60
Hz.
 AC electricity is usually identified by the average voltage, (120 VAC) not
the peak voltage.
Power in AC circuits

 For a circuit containing a motor,

the power calculation is a little
different from that for a simple
resistance like a light bulb.
 Because motors store energy and
act like generators, the current and
voltage are not in phase with each
other.
 The current is always a little
behind the voltage.
Power for AC circuits

 Electrical engineers use a power factor (pf) to calculate power

for AC circuits with motors

Avg. voltage Avg. current (amps)

(volts)

Power (watts) P = VI x pf

power factor
0-100%
Application: Wiring in Homes and
Buildings
Application: Wiring in Homes and
Buildings