Capacitor and Dielectric

General Physics 2
What makes up a capacitor?
CAPACITOR
Simulation
CAPACITANCE
• Measure of the capacitor’s ability to store charge.
• The ratio of the magnitude of the charge on either conductor
to the potential difference between the conductors
• Capacitance is always a positive quantity
• The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (F).
Capacitance
Where:
Eq. 5.1.
C = the capacitance of the capacitor, which is
measured in farad (F)
Q = Charge on the conductors, which is measured in
(SI unit : Farad (F)) coulomb (C)
= potential difference, which is measured in volts (V)
A capacitor is a device that stores
energy as well as charge.
The circuit
is open
Chemical
potential
Energy
The circuit
is open
Chemical
potential
Energy will
turn into
Electric
potential
energy
Energy in Capacitor
Eq. 5.2.
(SI unit : Joule (J))
Where:
C = the capacitance of the
capacitor, which is measured
in farad (F)
Q = Charge on the conductors,
which is measured in coulomb
(C)
= potential difference, which is
measured in volts (V)
DIELECTRIC
• Non-conducting material, that when placed between the plates of
the capacitor, increases the capacitance.
• With a dielectric, the capacitance becomes,

Where:
= the dielectric constant of the material
 DIELECTRICS IN CAPACITORS SERVE
THREE PURPOSES

I. To keep the conducting plates from coming in contact, allowing for

smaller plate separations and therefore higher capacitance.
II. To increase the effective capacitance by reducing the electric field
strength, which means you get the same charge at a lower voltage; and
III. To reduce the possibility of shorting out by sparking (more formally
known as dielectric breakdown) during operation at high voltage.
PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
Composed of two conducting plates, that is parallel with each other.

Eq. 5.3. Where:

= capacitance, which is measure in
farad, (F)
A = is the surface area, which is
measures in
d = distance between plates, that is
(SI unit : Farad(F)) measured in meters
= Permittivity of free space, ε0 =
8.85 × 10−12 F/m
Sample Problem 5.1
What is the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with metal plates, each of area 1.00
m2, separated by 1.00 mm?
Sample Problem 5.2
What charge is stored in this capacitor if a voltage of 3.00 × 10 3 V is applied
to it?
Sample Problem 5.3
What charge is stored in a 180 μF capacitor when 120 V is applied to it ?
Sample Problem 5.4
Capacitor calculations.
(a) Calculate the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor whose plates are
20 cm * 3.0 cm and are separated by a 1.0-mm air gap. (b) What is the
charge on each plate if a 12-V battery is connected across the two plates? (c)
What is the electric field between the plates? (d) Estimate the area of the
plates needed to achieve a capacitance of 1 F, assuming the air gap d is 100
times smaller, or 10 microns (1 micron = 1 m = m).
Capacitor Network
General Physics 2
PARAMETE
SERIES PARALLEL
R
Equation 5.4 Equation 5.5

CHARGE

Equation 5.6 Equation 5.7

VOLTAGE

Equation 5.8 Equation 5.9

CAPACITOR
Practice Problem 5.1
Does the capacitance of a device depend on the applied voltage?
What about the charge stored in it?
Practice Problem 5.2
What is the capacitance of a large Van de Graaff generator’s
terminal, given that it stores 8.00 C of charge at a voltage of 12.0
MV?
Practice Problem 5.3
What is the capacitance of two square parallel plates 6.6 cm on a
side that are separated by 1.8 mm of paraffin?
Practice Problem 5.4
Ohm’s Law
General Physics 2
Guide Questions
1. What is the difference between ohmic and non ohmic
material?
2. What is the difference between EMF and potential difference
(PD)?
3. How can we determine the power supplied or dissipated?
4. How do we relate EMF, Resistance, Current, power and their
use in calculations?
5. How can we measure current and voltages?
Test your Understanding!

When you buy a water pipe in a hardware store, the

water isn’t included. When you buy copper wire,
electrons_____
A. must be supplied by you, just as water must
be supplied for a water pipe.
B. are already in the wire.
C. may fall out, which is why wires are
insulated.
D. enter it from the electric outlet.
Test your Understanding!
When you buy a water pipe in a hardware store, the
water isn’t included. When you buy copper wire,
electrons____
A. must be supplied by you, just as water must be
supplied for a water pipe.
B. are already in the wire.
C. may fall out, which is why wires are insulated.
D. enter it from the electric outlet.
Current
Where:
Eq. 5.10.
I = Current, which is measured in ampere (A)
Q = Charge, which is measured in coulomb (C)
= time, which is measured in seconds (s)
SI unit : Ampere (A)
 Using E.q. 5.10

rearranging this we can get

Charge
Where:
Eq. 5.11.
I = Current, which is measured in ampere (A)
Q = Charge, which is measured in coulomb (C)
= time, which is measured in seconds (s)
SI unit : Coulombs (C)
Conductance
where:
Eq. 5.12.
G = conductance, which is measured in seimens (S)
R = resistance, which is measured in ohm-meter ()

SI unit : seimens (S)

 What is a resistor?
A resistor is a device
commonly seen on an
electrical device, it has a
variety of applications so it
was manufactured in variety
of shapes and sizes.
 Resistance
Opposition of a
material to the flow
of charge
Conductance
where:
Eq. 5.13.
R = resistance, which is measured in ohm-meter
()
𝝆 = resistivity constant
SI unit : Ohm-meter ()
𝒍 = length of the wire, which is measured in meter
()
A = cross-sectional area which is measured in
meter ()
Resistivity
Simulation
Test your Understanding!

Which of the following type of copper wire would you

expect to have the least electric resistance?
A. thick long wire
B. thick short wire
C. thin long wire
D. thin short wire
Test your Understanding!

Which of the following type of copper wire would you

expect to have the least electric resistance?
A. thick long wire
B. thick short wire
C. thin long wire
D. thin short wire
Determine
Test the resistance
your Understanding! value of each
resistor
Resistor 1 - Red, Orange, Blue, Gold
Resistor 2 - Brown, Black, Green, Silver
Resistor 3 – Blue, Black, Brown, Gold
Resistor 4 – Red, Yellow, Violet, Red, Silver
Resistor 5 - White, Blue, Black, Silver
Ohm’s Law
Simulation
 Ohm’s Law
The current is directly
proportional to the
potential difference and
inversely proportional to
the resistance
Conductance
where:
Eq. 5.14.
V = voltage (SI unit; Volts
(V))
I = current (SI unit; Ampere
SI unit : Ampere () (A))

R = resistance(SI unit; Ohms

())
Test your Understanding!

When you double the voltage in a simple

electric circuit, you double the?
A. current.
B. resistance.
C. ohms.
D. resistors
Test your Understanding!

When you double the voltage in a simple

electric circuit, you double the?

A. current.
B. resistance.
C. ohms.
D. resistors
 What is Ohmic
materials?
materials that follow
ohms law
Ohmic material
 What is nonohmic
materials?
materials that do not
follow ohms law
nonohmic material
 What is potential
difference?
The electric potential
difference between two
points, is simply the energy
required to transport a unit
charge between those two
points.
Potential difference is measured
in volts
𝐽𝑂𝑈𝐿𝐸
1 𝑉𝑂𝐿𝑇 =
𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑅𝐺𝐸

V = E/Q
E=Q×V
 Q
E=Q×V

E = () × V
What is
electromotive force?
The number of joules
of chemical energy
transferred to electrical
energy and heat when
one coulomb of charge
passes through the
battery or cell
 What is electromotive
force?
The maximum electric potential
difference that can exist between
terminals of the voltage source.

Electromotive force is
actually not a force.
Sample Problem 5.5
Sample Problem 5.6
Practice Problem 5.5 and 5.6
 What is power?

Energy transfer
measured by the work
done in a certain time.
 𝐸
𝑃=
𝑡
Sample Problem 5.7
Sample Problem 5.8

For the short-circuit situation of

the diagram find the rates of
energy conversion and energy
dissipation in the battery and
the net power output of the
battery.
practice
Practice ProblemExercise
5.7, 5.8, and 5.9
Test your Understanding!

If you double both the current and the voltage

in a circuit, the power
A. remains unchanged if resistance remains constant.
B. halves.
C. doubles.
D. quadruples.
Test your Understanding!

If you double both the current and the voltage

in a circuit, the power
A. remains unchanged if resistance remains constant.
B. halves.
C. doubles.
D. quadruples.
How do we measure
current and voltage?
Resistor Network
General Physics 2
What is a
circuit?
How do this thing works?
A. What are the parts of the flashlight?
B. What make the flashlight work?
C. What is the function of the bulb?
D. How do the switch work?
E. How do flashlight work? (draw a schematic
diagram of the process)
 What is an electric circuit?
an interconnection of electrical components. An
electrical circuit consists of batteries, resistors,
inductors, capacitors, switches or transistors. An
electrical network consists of a closed loop.
Electric
Circuit
A circuit is a path
along that which the
electrons can flow.
For the electrons to
flow continuously,
this should be a
complete circuit
with no gaps (Paul
G, 2012)
 Electric
Circuit
Components
In the table are the
schematic diagrams
that we will be using
in drawing diagrams
regarding electric
circuit.
What is the difference
between series and
parallel circuit?
 Series
Circuit
There is a one
directional flow of
charge. In a series
connection there is
only a single
pathway where the
charge can flow
between the
terminals.
 Series
Circuit
In the series
circuit the
electrons do not
“pile up” in any
lamp but flow
through each
lamp—
simultaneously
(Paul G, 2012)
 Series
Circuit
In the series
circuit the
electrons do not
“pile up” in any
lamp but flow
through each
lamp—
simultaneously
(Paul G, 2012)
In a series circuit it is said that the current is the same all
throughout the circuit.
Since
𝐼 𝑇 =𝐼 1=𝐼 2=𝐼 3= 𝐼 4 =…=𝐼 𝑛
Where:
𝑞𝑇 𝑞 1 𝑞 2 𝑞3 𝑞 4 𝑞𝑛 q = charge
= = = = =…= t = time
𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 I = Current
T = total
n = number
Test your Understanding!

In a series circuit, if the current in one lamp is 2

amperes, the current in the battery is
A. half, 1 A.
B. 2 A.
C. not necessarily 2 A, depending on internal
battery resistance.
D. more than 2 A.
Test your Understanding!

In a series circuit, if the current in one lamp is 2

amperes, the current in the battery is
A. half, 1 A.
B. 2 A.
C. not necessarily 2 A, depending on internal
battery resistance.
D. more than 2 A.
 The same current I flows through each and the total
voltage V across all three is the sum of the separate
voltages across them Since

Where:
𝑉 𝑇 =𝑉 1 +𝑉 2+ 𝑉 3+ 𝑉 4 +… +𝑉 𝑛 V = voltage
T = total
n = number

𝐼𝑅 𝑇 =𝐼𝑅 1 + 𝐼𝑅 2 + 𝐼𝑅 3 + 𝐼𝑅 4 + …+ 𝐼𝑅 𝑛
 Now we will cancel the current since in a series
connection the current the same all throughout the circuit.

𝐼𝑅 𝑇 =𝐼𝑅 1 + 𝐼𝑅 2 + 𝐼𝑅 3 + 𝐼𝑅 4 + …+ 𝐼𝑅 𝑛

𝑅 𝑇 =𝑅1 + 𝑅 2+ 𝑅3 + 𝑅 4 + …+ 𝑅 𝑛
 Sample Problem 5.10
Given the schematic diagram in figure
6.4, find the following
a. Individual current
b. Individual voltage
c. Individual Power

Given: 𝑅1 =4 Ω 𝜀=24 V Figure 6.3: Schematic Diagram 1

𝑅 2=8 Ω
Required: Current, Voltage, and Power

𝑅𝑇 = 𝑅1 +
Equation: 𝑉 =𝐼𝑅
×𝑅 2
𝑉 𝑇
𝑇 = 𝑃= 𝐼𝑉
𝑅𝑇
Solution:

A STEP 1: what kind of circuit is shown in the diagram?

Series circuit
Therefore, what will be the individual current in
this kind of circuit?
𝐼 𝑇 =𝐼 1=𝐼 2=𝐼 3= 𝐼 4 =…=𝐼 𝑁
STEP 2: Find the total resistance in the circuit. Using eq.
Eq. 6.3
𝑅 𝑇 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅 2+ 𝑅3 + 𝑅 4 + …+ 𝑅 𝑛
A STEP 3: Substitute and Solve
= 4Ω+8Ω = 12 Ω
STEP 4: Find the total resistance in the circuit. Using
Ohm’s law
𝑉𝑇 24 𝑉
𝐼𝑇= = ¿2 A
𝑅𝑇 12 Ω
Since this is a series circuit, we can say that
2A =
A Therefore,

STEP 5: Check the SI unit, SF and BOX the final answer.

b STEP 1: To find the individual voltage we need to use
Ohm’s law, 𝑉 =𝐼𝑅
STEP 2: What are our givens?

𝑅1 =4 Ω 𝑅1 =8 Ω
STEP 3: How can we solve the individual voltage?
𝑉 1=𝐼 1 × 𝑅1 𝑉 2=𝐼 2 × 𝑅2
b STEP 4: Substitute the given to the set-up in step 3
𝑉 1=𝐼 1 × 𝑅1 𝑉 2=𝐼 2 × 𝑅2
𝑉 1=2 𝐴× 4 Ω 𝑉 2=2 𝐴× 8 Ω
𝑉 1=8 𝑉 𝑉 2=16 𝑉
STEP 5: Check the SI unit, SF and BOX the final answer.

𝑉 1=8 𝑉 𝑉 2=16 𝑉
C STEP 1: To find for the power we need to use,𝑃= 𝐼𝑉
𝑃 1=𝐼 1 × 𝑉 1 𝑃 2= 𝐼 2 ×𝑉 2
𝑃 1=2 𝐴 ×8 V 𝑃 2=2 𝐴 ×16 V
𝑃 1=16 𝑊 𝑃 2=32𝑊
STEP 2 : Check the SI unit, SF and BOX the final answer.

𝑃 1=16 𝑊 𝑃 2=32𝑊
 Sample Problem 5.11
Two identical light bulbs, each with resistance are connected to a source with
and negligible internal resistance. Find the current through each bulb, the
potential difference across each bulb, and the power delivered to each bulb and
to the entire network if the bulbs are connected in series.

Given: 𝑅1 =2 Ω 𝑅 2=2 Ω𝜀=8 V

Required: Current, Voltage, and Power
𝑉 𝑇
𝐼 𝑅𝑇 =
Equation: 𝑅 + 𝑅2
𝑇 1=
𝑅𝑇
𝑅 𝑇 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅 2
𝑃= 𝐼𝑉 𝑉 =𝐼 × 𝑅
Figure 6.4: Schematic Diagram 2
Solution:

A STEP 1: what kind of circuit is shown in the diagram?

Series circuit
Therefore what will be the individual current in
this kind of circuit?
𝐼 𝑇 =𝐼 1=𝐼 2=𝐼 3= 𝐼 4 =…=𝐼 𝑁
STEP 2: Find the total resistance in the circuit. Using eq.
Eq. 6.3
𝑅 𝑇 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅 2+ 𝑅3 + 𝑅 4 + …+ 𝑅 𝑛
A STEP 3: Substitute and Solve
= 2Ω+2Ω = 4Ω
STEP 4: Find the total resistance in the circuit. Using
Ohm’s law
𝑉𝑇 8𝑉
𝐼𝑇= = ¿2 A
𝑅𝑇 4Ω
Since this is a series circuit, we can say that
2A =
A Therefore,

STEP 5: Check the SI unit, SF and BOX the final answer.

b STEP 1: To find the individual voltage we need to use
Ohm’s law, 𝑉 =𝐼𝑅
STEP 2: What are our givens?

𝑅1 =2 Ω 𝑅1 =2 Ω
STEP 3: How can we solve the individual voltage?
𝑉 1=𝐼 1 × 𝑅1 𝑉 2=𝐼 2 × 𝑅2
b STEP 4: Substitute the given to the set-up in step 3
𝑉 1=𝐼 1 × 𝑅1 𝑉 2=𝐼 2 × 𝑅2
𝑉 1=2 𝐴× 2Ω 𝑉 2=2 𝐴× 2 Ω
𝑉 1=4 𝑉 𝑉 2=4 𝑉
STEP 5: Check the SI unit, SF and BOX the final answer.

𝑉 1=4 𝑉 𝑉 2=4 𝑉
C STEP 1: To find for the power we need to use,𝑃= 𝐼𝑉
𝑃 1=𝐼 1 × 𝑉 1 𝑃 2= 𝐼 2 ×𝑉 2
𝑃 1=2 𝐴 ×4 V 𝑃 2=2 𝐴 × 4 V
𝑃 1=8 𝑊 𝑃 2=8 𝑊
STEP 2 : Check the SI unit, SF and BOX the final answer.

𝑃 1=8 𝑊 𝑃 2=8 𝑊
Test your Understanding!

In which circuits shown in the figure are resistors

connected in series?
Parallel
Circuit
the devices in a parallel
circuit operate
independently of the
other device in the
circuit. This also means
that a break in one of the
paths within the circuit
will not interrupt the
flow of charge of the
other paths.
Parallel
Circuit
Electrical devices
directly
connected to the
same two points
of an electric
circuit are said to
be connected in
parallel (Paul G,
2012).
 Parallel
Circuit
Electrical devices
directly
connected to the
same two points
of an electric
circuit are said to
be connected in
Current
parallel (Paul G,
2012).
Since in a parallel circuit the pathway of the current can be split to branches
then we can say that the current will be divided among the branches. Then the
total charge will be the summation of all the current within a parallel circuit .
Since
𝐼 𝑇 =𝐼 1+ 𝐼 2 + 𝐼 3 + 𝐼 4 + …= 𝐼 𝑛
Where:
𝑞𝑇 𝑞 1 𝑞 2 𝑞3 𝑞 4 𝑞𝑛 q = charge
= + + + + …= t = time
𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 I = Current
T = total
n = number
Test your Understanding!
In a circuit with two lamps in parallel, if the current
in one lamp is 2 amperes, the current in the battery
is_______
A. half, 1 A.
B. 2 A.
C. more than 2 A.
D. cannot be calculated from the information
given
Test your Understanding!
In a circuit with two lamps in parallel, if the current
in one lamp is 2 amperes, the current in the battery
is______
A. half, 1 A.
B. 2 A.
C. more than 2 A.
D. cannot be calculated from the information
given
the parallel circuit is the same on all the branches since all
devices is connected to the same terminal of the circuit. This
makes the voltage across the parallel connection to be the same
all throughout the circuit. Since

𝑉 𝑇 =𝑉 1=𝑉 2=𝑉 3 =𝑉 4 =…=𝑉 𝑛

Where:
𝐼 𝑇 =𝐼 1+ 𝐼 2 + 𝐼 3 + 𝐼 4 + …= 𝐼 𝑛 V = voltage
T = total
n = number
𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉
= + + + +…
𝑅𝑇 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑅 4 𝑅𝑁
 And since the voltage do have the same value all
throughout the circuit
𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉
= + + + +…
𝑅𝑇 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑅 4 𝑅𝑁
1 1 1 1 1 1
= + + + +…
𝑅𝑇 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑅4 𝑅𝑁
1 1 1 1 1 1
= + + + +…
𝑅𝑇 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑅4 𝑅𝑁

The total resistance in a parallel circuit decreased, This

means the overall resistance of the circuit is less than the
resistance of any one of the branches (Paul G, 2012).
Sample Problem 5.12

A kitchen in North America has three appliances connected to a 120 V

circuit with a 15 A circuit breaker: an 850 W coffee maker, a 1200 W
microwave oven, and a 900 W toaster.
A.Draw a schematic diagram of this circuit.
B.Which of these appliances can be operated simultaneously without
tripping the circuit breaker?

Given: 𝐼=15 𝐴 𝑃 𝑀𝑂=1200 W 𝑃 𝑡 =900 W

𝜀=120 V 𝑃 𝐶𝑀 =850 W
Required: Power
Equation: 𝑃= 𝐼𝑉
Solution:
Solution:

b STEP 1: Find the maximum power that can operate

simultaneously for the circuit breaker to not trip.
We need find for the
𝑃 = 𝐼𝑉 Where:

𝑃 𝑀𝑎𝑥= 𝐼 𝐶𝐵 × 𝜀
𝑃 𝑀𝑎𝑥=15 𝐴 × 120 𝑉
𝑃 𝑀𝑎𝑥=1800 𝑊
b STEP 2: Find the total power of each combination. Since
there are only 3 devices we can pair them as
follows.
b STEP 3: To get the total power we can use the formula

𝑐𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟 +𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛=?

𝑃 𝐶𝑀 +𝑀𝑂 = 𝑃 𝐶𝑀 + 𝑃 𝑀𝑂
𝑃 𝐶𝑀 +𝑀𝑂 =850 𝑊 + 1200𝑊
𝑃 𝐶𝑀 +𝑀𝑂 =2050 𝑊
b STEP 4: To get the exceeding power we need to use this
formula

𝑃 𝑇 = 𝑃 𝑀𝑎𝑥 − 𝑃 𝐶𝑀 + 𝑀𝑂
𝑃 𝑇 =1800 𝑊 − 2050 𝑊
𝑃 𝑇 =− 250 𝑊
the power combination between coffee maker and microwave oven will
exceed the maximum power we can say that this combination will trip the
circuit breaker.
b STEP 5: To get the total power we can use the formula

𝑡𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 +𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛=?

𝑃 t + 𝑀𝑂 = 𝑃 𝑡 + 𝑃 𝑀𝑂
𝑃 t + 𝑀𝑂=90 0 𝑊 +1200 𝑊
𝑃 t + 𝑀𝑂 =2 10 0 𝑊
b STEP 6: To get the exceeding power we need to use this
formula

𝑃 𝑇 = 𝑃 𝑀𝑎𝑥 − 𝑃 t + 𝑀𝑂
𝑃 𝑇 =1800 𝑊 − 21 00 𝑊
𝑃 𝑇 =− 30 0 𝑊
the power combination between toaster and microwave oven will exceed
the maximum power we can say that this combination will trip the circuit
breaker.
b STEP 7: To get the total power we can use the formula

𝑡𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 +coffee maker=?

𝑃 t +𝐶 𝑀 = 𝑃 𝑡 + 𝑃 𝐶 𝑀
𝑃 t +𝐶 𝑀 =90 0 𝑊 +85 0 𝑊
𝑃 t +𝐶𝑀 =1750 𝑊
b STEP 6: To get the exceeding power we need to use this
formula

𝑃 𝑇 = 𝑃 𝑀𝑎𝑥 − 𝑃 t + 𝑀𝑂
𝑃 𝑇 =1800 𝑊 −1750 𝑊
𝑃 𝑇 =5 0 𝑊
The last combination of appliances as we can see will not exceed to the maximum
power that the circuit breaker can take. We can say that the appliances; toaster and
coffee maker will not trip the circuit breaker and it can be use simultaneously in the
kitchen
Sample Problem 5.13

A potential difference of 24 V from a battery is

applied to the network of resistors in Figure
a. What is the combined resistance of the 6 Ω
and 12 Ω resistors in parallel?
b. What is the current in the 8 Ω resistor?
c. What is the voltage across the parallel
network?
d. What is the current in the 6 Ω resistor? 12 Ω
resistor?
e. What will be the power dissipated by each
resistor?
 Given: 𝜀=24 V 𝑅1 =6 Ω
Required: 𝑅 2=12 Ω 𝑅 3=8 Ω

Current, Voltage, and Power

Equation:
Solution:

a STEP 1: Using E.q 6.6 we need to find first the total

resistance between
1 1 1 1 1 1
= + + + +…
𝑅𝑇 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑅4 𝑅𝑁
1 1 1
= +
𝑅 12 𝑅1 𝑅2
1
=
1
+
1
=
2 +1
Ω= To
3 get we need
Ω
𝑅 12 6 Ω 12 Ω 12 12
to reciprocate
12 the equation
𝑅12 = Ω
3
𝑅12 =4 Ω
b STEP 2: To get the total current in this circuit we need first to
determine the total resistance since we already have the
total voltage. Since Resistor is now in series with
resistor , we can now use E.q 6.3 to get the total
resistance
𝑅 𝑇 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅 2+ 𝑅3 + 𝑅 4 + …+ 𝑅 𝑛
𝑅 𝑇 = 𝑅12 + 𝑅3
𝑅 𝑇 =4 Ω + 8 Ω
𝑅 𝑇 =12 Ω
b STEP 3: After finding the total resistance we can now use
the ohm’s law to find the total current.
𝑉
𝐼 = Since the connection is
𝑅
𝑉 𝑇 already in series we can
𝐼 𝑇 = say that the total current
𝑅𝑇
is just equal to the
24 𝑉 individual current just like
𝐼𝑇= =2 𝐴
12 Ω as shown in E.q 6.1;
𝐼 𝑇 =2 𝐴
c STEP 4: To get the voltage across the parallel circuit or we
can say the voltage across point ab. We need to
use Ohm’s Law equation for potential difference.
𝑉 𝑎𝑏 = 𝐼 × 𝑅
𝑉 𝑎𝑏= 𝐼 12 × 𝑅
now,12
substituting the given
𝑉 𝑎𝑏= 2 𝐴 × 4 Ω
𝑉 𝑎𝑏 = 8 𝑉
d STEP 5: To compute for the current in the 6 Ω resistor we need to
use the current equation for the ohm’s law,
𝑉 𝑎𝑏
𝐼 1=
𝑅1
8 𝑉
𝐼 1=
6 Ω
4
𝐼 1= 𝐴
3
d STEP 6: To compute for the current in the 12 Ω resistor we need
to use the current equation for the ohm’s law,
𝑉 𝑎𝑏
𝐼 2=
𝑅2
8 𝑉
𝐼 2=
12 Ω
2
𝐼 2= 𝐴
3
 e STEP 7: To get the power dissipated we need to use the equation
for power which is
using the ohms law () we can also use the formula

2
𝑉 𝑉
𝑃= ×𝑉 =
𝑅 𝑅
′
r using the voltage formula ( 𝑉 =𝐼𝑅 ) on oh m s law we can also have
2 2 22
𝑉 ( 𝐼𝑅 ) 𝐼 ×𝑅 2
𝑃= = = =𝐼 × 𝑅
𝑅 𝑅 𝑅
e STEP 8: Using the formula we can now compute for the
power dissipated in each resistor

for the dissipated power on resistor 1

for the dissipated power on resistor 2
for the dissipated power on resistor 3
e STEP 9: Let us now substitute the given and compute for
the dissipated power

32 W
e
𝑃 2 =11 𝑊

5.33 W
5W
Practice Problem 5.10

The diagram below shows a circuit

with one battery and 10 resistors; 5
on the left and 5 on the right.
Determine…
A. the current through
B. the voltage drops across
C. the power dissipated by each
resistor
Test your Understanding!

One way to prevent overloading in your home

circuit is to
A. operate fewer devices at the same time.
B. change the wiring from parallel to series for
troublesome devices.
C. find a way to bypass the fuse.
D. find a way to bypass the circuit breaker.
Test your Understanding!

One way to prevent overloading in your home

circuit is to
A. operate fewer devices at the same time.
B. change the wiring from parallel to series for
troublesome devices.
C. find a way to bypass the fuse.
D. find a way to bypass the circuit breaker.
Practice Problem 5.11

Referring to the figure, how

much is through ?
Practice Problem 5.12

If becomes open in the figure

what happens to the voltage
across points A and B?
Practice Problem 5.13

If a 4.7 Ohms resistor is connected to a 12-volt

supply. What is the power dissipated by the
resistor?
Practice Problem 5.14

You want to run a 2.2-volt LED from a 12-volt supply. If

the LED uses a maximum of 20 milliamps of current.
What value of series resistance is required so as not to
burnout the LED?