CURRENT ELECTRICITY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• To Learn
• Ohm’s law
• Resistance and types
• Chemical effects of current
• Types of current
• Cell and Batteries
• Simple voltage Cell
 What is Resistance?
• Resistance is the property of a component
which restricts the flow of electric current.
• Energy is used up as the voltage across the
component drives the current through it and
this energy appears as heat in the component.
• Resistance is measured in ohms, the symbol
for ohm is an omega .
 OHM’S LAW
• The current in a circuit is DIRECTLY proportional to the
applied voltage and INVERSELY proportional to the
circuit resistance. Ohm's law may be expressed as an
equation:
• As stated in Ohm's law, current is inversely
proportional to resistance.
• This means, as the resistance in a circuit
increases, the current decreases
proportionately.
• if any two quantities are known, the third one
can be determined
• If the battery (BAT) supplies a voltage of 1.5 volts and
the lamp (DS1) has a resistance of 5 ohms, then the
current in the circuit can be determined.
• Using this equation and substituting values:
 Resistance in series
• When resistors are connected in series their
combined resistance is equal to the individual
resistances added together.
• Combined resistance in series:
R = R1 + R2
• This can be extended for more resistors:
R = R1 + R2 + R3 + R4 + ...
• the combined resistance in series will always be
greater than any of the individual resistances.
 Resistance in parallel
• When resistors are connected in parallel their combined
resistance is less than any of the individual resistances.
• There is a special equation for the combined resistance of two
resistors R1 and R2:
• Combined resistance of two resistors in parallel: R = 1/R1
+1/R2
• For more than two resistors connected in parallel a this equation
must be used.
Total resistance= 1/R1 +1/R2 +1/R3
 Quiz:1
• Define Ohm’s law. (3)
• What is the resistance? How you can increase
or decrease in the circuit? Explain it with
examples. (10)
 Chemical effects of current
 Current can produce or speed up chemical
change, this ability of current is called
chemical effect.
 Electrolytes: The liquids which allows the
current to pass through them and also
dissociates into ions are called electrolytes
e.g. solutions of salts, acids and bases in
water, etc.
1. Electrolysis: The process of decomposition of
electrolyte solution into ions on passing the
current through it is called electrolysis.

• Practical applications of electrolysis are

Electrotyping, extraction of metals from the
ores, Purification of metals, Manufacture of
chemicals, Production of O2 and H2
• Electroplating: It is a process of depositing a
thin layer of one metal over another metal by
the method of electrolysis.
• The objects of cheap metals are coated with
precious metals like silver and gold to make
their look more attractive.
• The object to be electroplated is made the
cathode and the metal to be deposited is
made the anode.
 ELECTROLYSIS
• Electrode - an electrical conductor which
carries charge to or from a liquid undergoing
electrolysis.
• Electrolyte - a molten or aqueous solution
through which an electrical current can flow.
• Electrolysis is the break-down of a substance
by electricity
• Electrolysis only happens in:
– - molten ionic liquids or
– - aqueous solutions containing ions.
• There must be a complete circuit.
• A lamp or ammeter shows that electricity is flowing around the
circuit.
Electrolysis of zinc chloride
1. Electrolytes contain positive and negative ions.
2. During electrolysis, positive and negative electrodes are put
into the electrolyte.
3. The positive electrode is called the anode.
4. The negative electrode is called the cathode.
5. The negative ions (called anions) are attracted to the anode.
6. At the anode, the negative ions lose electrons to become
atoms/molecules.
7. The positive ions (called cations) are attracted to the
cathode.
8. At the cathode, the positive ions gain electrons to become
atoms/molecules
 At the electrodes
Cathode (-)
(negative electrode)
• Positive ions go here (cations).
• As metal ions are positive, they go to the cathode.
• Ions gain electrons. They are reduced and become neutral
atoms.
Anode (+)
(positive electrode)
• Negative ions go here (anions).
• As non-metal ions are negative, they go to the anode.
• Ions lose electrons. They are oxidised and become neutral
atoms
(which react together to form molecules).
 Types of Current
 There're two types of current, defined based
on the directions of the movement of the
electrons.
 An electric current is called a direct current
(D.C.) if electrons always flows in one
direction.
 An electric current caused by a chemical cell
or a battery is a direct current.
 If an electric current in a circuit reverses
direction every so often, it is called an
alternating current (A.C.).
 For example, the current that flows through
an domestic light bulb when connected to the
mains electricity supply reverses direction
100 times every second and is therefore an
alternating current.
 Source of Electricity
CELL AND BATTERIES
• Batteries consist of two or more voltaic cells that
are connected in series to provide a steady dc
voltage at the battery’s output terminals.

• The voltage is produced by a chemical reaction

inside the cell. Electrodes are immersed in an
electrolyte, which forces the electric charge to
separate in the form of ions and free electrons.
 Voltaic cell
• A voltaic cell is an electrochemical cell that uses a chemical reaction to
produce electrical energy.
• The important parts of a voltaic cell:
• The anode is an electrode where oxidation occurs.
• The cathode is an electrode where reduction occurs.
• A salt bridge is a chamber of electrolytes necessary to complete the
circuit in a voltaic cell.
• The oxidation and reduction reactions are separated into
compartments called half-cells.
• The external circuit is used to conduct the flow of electrons between
the electrodes of the voltaic cell and usually includes a load.
• The load is the part of the circuit which utilizes the flow of electrons to
perform some function
 The Zn Carbon Dry Cel
• In 1920 Herbert describes dry Leclanche cells
• The carbon is either insulated by a layer of
paper or given a half-inch clearance from the
bottom of the zinc vessel.
• Primary cell
• Anode:Zn
• Cathode:graphite rod
• Electrolyte:{NH4Cl}, {ZnCl2}, {MnO2}
 The zinc-carbon dry cell
• How It Works
• The anode in the dry cell battery has two terminals, one
that is positive and one that is negative.
• When a load is connected to the battery's terminals, a
chemical reaction occurs between the anode and the paste
that produces roughly 1.5 volts of electricity.
• A pin or "collector" in the middle of the battery conducts
this charge out of the battery to an external circuit.
• This circuit physically connects to the electronic device the
battery is in, providing the charge necessary for the device
to function
 The zinc-carbon dry cell
• At the anode (-) oxidation of the zinc case
produces electrons:
Zn(s) → Zn2+(aq) + 2e-
• At the cathode (+) Manganese dioxide is
reduced in a complicated reaction that is
thought to be:
2MnO2(s) + 2NH4+(aq) + 2e- → Mn2O3(s) + 2NH3(aq) + H2O(l)
• A new cell produces about 1.5 volts, but this diminishes
significantly during use.
• To maintain a net forward reaction, the soluble reaction
products must migrate away from the electrodes.
• During use the build up of products around the
electrodes slows and can even stop the forward
reaction.
• This is known as polarisation. If the cell is allowed to
rest, the products migrate away from the electrodes
and the cell can recover.
 Introduction to Batteries
• A battery’s voltage output and current rating are
determined by
• The elements used for the electrodes.
• The size of the electrodes.
• The type of electrolyte used.
• Cells and batteries are available in a wide
variety of types.
– Whether a battery may be recharged or not
depends on the cells used to make up the battery.
– A primary cell cannot be recharged because the
internal chemical reaction cannot be restored.
– A secondary cell, or storage cell, can be recharged
because its chemical reaction is reversible.
– Dry cells have a moist (paste) electrolyte that
cannot be spilled.
– Sealed rechargeable cells are secondary cells that
contain a sealed electrolyte that cannot be refilled.
 Common Types
of Primary Cells
– There are several different types of primary cells in
use today:
• Carbon-zinc dry cells.
• Alkaline cells.
• Zinc chloride cells.
• Mercury cells.
• Silver oxide cells.
 Additional Types
of Secondary Cells
• Fuel Cells
– Fuel cells using methanol and oxygen are being
developed.
– Fuel cells are used extensively in the space
program as sources of dc power.
– They are very efficient; capable of providing
hundreds of kilowatts of power.
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM LECTURE?
 REFERENCES
• 1.Pauline M .Scott for Claytons Electrotherapy and
Actinotherapy
THANK YOU