BASIC ELECTRICITY

PROF SUSIE CHONG LAT

EE Faculty Member
Technological Institute of the Philippines
 Unit
Unit11
 
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRICITY
INTENDED LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
 
After completing this unit, you are
expected to:
1. identify the methods of electricity and effects of
electricity.
2. describe the different electrical components.
3. identify various electrical instruments.
4. identify the fundamental electrical quantities and
units.
5. use metric prefixes in simplifying large and small
numbers.
6. perform mathematical operations involving powers
of ten and metric prefixes.
7. explain the difference between direct current and
alternating current.
 
electricity semiconductor
static electricity active element
dynamic electricity passive element
resistor electrical quantities
resistance metric prefixes
inductor direct current
inductance alternating current
transformer  
What is electricity?
Definition of Electricity

Electricity is a physical phenomenon

arising from the existence and
interaction of electric charge.

It is a form of energy generated by

friction, heat, light, magnetism,
chemical reaction, and pressure.
Two Types of Electricity:

• Static electricity – electricity at rest. It

cannot flow from one place to another.

• Dynamic electricity – also known as

current electricity. Electricity in motion.
It can be transmitted from one place to the
other.
Methods of Producing Electricity

There are six methods for producing

electricity:
1.Magnetism
2.Chemical reaction
3.Pressure
4.Heat
5.Friction
6.Light
1. Magnetism

Generator Principle of Electric Generator

2. Chemical Reaction

Cell/Battery Principle of a Cell/Battery

3. Pressure

Piezoelectric generator Principle of piezoelectric genera

tor
4. Heat

Seebeck generator How does a Seebeck generator works

(Thermoelectric generator)
5. Friction
6. Light

Solar Cell How does a solar cell works

Circuit Components

Resistors

Its function is to limit the amount of current

or divide the voltage in a circuit.
Capacitors
A capacitor is constructed of two
conductor plates separated by an
insulator (called a dielectric).

Its basic function is to concentrate

the electric field of voltage across
the dielectric.

As a result, the capacitor can accumulate and store electric

charge from the voltage source.
Inductors
An inductor is defined as a passive
component that is used in most electrical
circuits to store energy in the form of
magnetic energy when electric current
flows through it.

It is also known as the coil, choke, or

reactor.

It is a two-terminal electrical component that is characterized

by its inductance. Inductance is defined as the ratio of the
voltage to the rate of change of current. The SI unit of
inductance is Henry which is named after Joseph Henry who
was an American scientist.
Transformers

A transformer is an electrical
apparatus designed to
convert alternating current
from one voltage to another
voltage.

It can be designed to "step

up" or "step down" voltages
and works on the magnetic
induction principle.
Semiconductor Devices

Semiconductors are
materials which have a
conductivity between 
conductors (generally
metals) and nonconductors
or insulators (such as most
ceramics).

Semiconductor devices can display a range of useful properties

such as showing variable resistance, passing current more easily
in one direction than the other, and reacting to light and heat.
Their actual function includes the amplification of signals,
switching, and energy conversion. 
 Active and Passive Elements

Active elements - are capable of delivering power to

some external device.

Examples: dependent and independent voltage and

current sources

Passive elements – are capable of receiving power.

They are able to store finite amounts of energy and then
return that energy later to various external devices.

Examples are resistors, inductors, and capacitors.

Measuring Instruments

VOLTMETER OHMMETER
AMMETER
MULTIMETER
DIGITAL MULTIMETER
WATTMETER
OSCILLOSCOPE
Electrical Quantities and Units with SI Symbols

Quantity Symbol Unit Unit Symbol

Capacitanc C farad F
e
Charge Q coulomb C
Conductanc G siemen S
e
Current I ampere A
Energy W joule J
Frequency f hertz Hz
Impedance Z ohm Ω
Inductance L henry H
Power P watts W
Resistance R ohm Ω
Commonly Used Metric Prefixes in Electricity

Power of Value Metric Metric

Ten Prefix Symbol
109 one billion Giga G
106 one million Mega M
103 one thousand Kilo k
10-3 one- milli m
thousandth
10-6 one-millionth micro 
10-9 one-billionth nano n
10-12 one-trillionth pico p
Scientific Notation
Scientific notation is the way that scientists
easily handle very large numbers or very small
numbers.

For example, instead of writing 0.0000000056, we

write 5.6 x 10-9. So, how does this work?

We can think of 5.6 x 10-9 as the product of two

numbers: 5.6 (the digit term) and 10-9 (the
exponential term).
Here are some examples of scientific notation.

10000 = 1 x 104 24327 = 2.4327 x 104

1000 = 1 x 103 7354 = 7.354 x 103
100 = 1 x 102 482 = 4.82 x 102
89 = 8.9 x 101 (not usually
10 = 1 x 101
done)
1 = 100
0.32 = 3.2 x 10-1 (not usually
1/10 = 0.1 = 1 x 10-1
done)
1/100 = 0.01 = 1 x 10-2 0.053 = 5.3 x 10-2
1/1000 = 0.001 = 1 x 10-3 0.0078 = 7.8 x 10-3
1/10000 = 0.0001 = 1 x 10-4 0.00044 = 4.4 x 10-4
As you can see, the exponent of 10 is the number of
places the decimal point must be shifted to give the
number in long form.

A positive exponent shows that the decimal point is

shifted that number of places to the right.
Example: 24327 = 2.4327 x 104

A negative exponent shows that the decimal point is

shifted that number of places to the left.
Example: 0.0078 = 7.8 x 10-3
In scientific notation, the digit term indicates the
number of significant figures in the number. The
exponential term only places the decimal point. As
an example, 
46600000 = 4.66 x 107
This number only has 3 significant figures. The zeros
are not significant; they are only holding a place. As
another example,
0.00053 = 5.3 x 10-4
This number has 2 significant figures. The zeros are
only place holders.
EXAMPLE

Express the following as a quantity

having a metric prefix:
1) 89 x 10-9 F =
2) 270 x 10-6 A =
3) 385 x 103 V =
4) 375 x 103 x 103 V = 375 MV
EXAMPLE
 

1)What is 62000000000 Ω in GΩ?

 
Solution:
62000000000 Ω = 62000000000 x 100 Ω
Moving 9 decimal places to the left,
62000000000 x 100 becomes 62 x 100+9 (add 9 to
the exponent)
So, 62000000000 Ω = 62 x 100+9 Ω
= 62 x 109 GΩ = 62 GΩ
2) What is 0.00000000543 F in nF?
 
Solution:
0.00000000543 F = 0.00000000543 x 100 F
Moving 9 decimal places to the right,
0.00000000543 x 100 becomes 5.43 x 100-9
(subtract 9 to the exponent)
So, 0.00000000543 F = 5.43 x 100-9 Ω
= 5.43 x 10-9 F = 5.43 nF
 3) Convert 10000 kV to MV.

Solution:
10000 kV = 10000 x 103 V
Moving 3 decimal places to the left, 10000 x 103
becomes 10 x 103+3 (add 3 to the exponent)
So, 10000 kV = 10 x 103+3 V = 10 x 106 V
= 10 MV
4) Convert 45000 µA to mA.
 
Solution:
45000 µA = 45000 x 10-6 A
Moving 3 decimal places to the left, 45000 x 10-6
becomes 45 x 10-6+3 (add 3 to the exponent)
So, 45000 µA = 45 x 10-6 + 3 A = 45 x 10-3
= 45 mA
EXAMPLE

Add the following:

1) 235000 V + 450 kV = _______ kV

Solution:
235000 V = 235 kV
So, 235 kV + 450 kV = 685 kV
2) 440 mA + 640000 µA = ________ mA
Solution:
640000 µA = 640 mA
So, 440 mA + 640 mA = 1080 mA
Comparison of AC and DC
Direct Current

The DC electricity, flows in one direction.

The flow is said to be from negative to
positive.

The normal source of a DC electricity, is

the dry cell or storage battery.
 Alternating Current.

The AC electricity constantly reverses its direction of flow. It is

generated by machine called generator.

This type of current is universally accepted because of its

limited number of applications with the following
advantages.
• It is easily produced.
• It is cheaper to maintain.
• It could be transformed into higher voltage.
• It could be distributed to far distance with low voltage
drop.
• It is more efficient compared with the direct current.
Comparison of DC Voltage and AC Voltage

DC Voltage AC Voltage
• Fixed Polarity • Reverses polarity
• Varies between
• Has steady (constant) reversals in
value polarity
• Can be stepped up
• Steady value cannot or down for
be stepped up or electric power
down by a distribution
transformer • Easier to amplify

• Easier to measure
Heating effect is the same in AC and DC
Questions:

1. How do you feel when electricity goes off in a week?

2. From the six methods of producing what is the most

environment friendly?

3. Which instrument is used to measure the electric energy

consumed in our households?

4. Which is more dangerous to handle, AC or DC?