EECE251

Circuit Analysis I
Set 1: Basic Concepts and Resistive Circuits

Shahriar Mirabbasi
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of British Columbia
shahriar@ece.ubc.ca

SM EECE 251, Set 1 1

 Course Material
• Lecture notes (http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~shahriar/eece251.html)
• Textbook:
Basic Engineering Circuit Analysis, 10th edition
by J. David Irwin and R. Mark Nelms,
John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
• Must purchase WileyPlus edition:
- Binder Ready version from UBC Bookstore
includes access to electronic version online.
• Link to our section on WileyPlus:
http://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/class/cls295775/
• Another good reference:
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits, 4th Edition
by Charles Alexander and Matthew Sadiku, McGraw Hill,
2009
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 Motivation

Electrical circuits seem to be everywhere!

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 Overview
In this slide set we will review basic concepts,
electrical quantities and their units, circuit elements,
and basic circuit laws.

Reading Material: Chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook.

Note: Some of the figures in this slide set are taken from the books (R.
Decarlo and P.-M. Lin, Linear Circuit Analysis, Second Edition, 2001,
Oxford University Press) and (C.K. Alexander and M.N.O Sadiku,
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits, Second Edition, 2004, McGraw Hill)

SM EECE 251, Set 1 5

 What is an Electric Circuit?
• In electrical engineering, we are usually interested in
transferring energy or communicating signals from one point to
another.

To do this, we often require an interconnection of electrical

components.

An electric circuit is an interconnection of electrical

components.

• Typical circuit or electrical components that we will see in this

year:
batteries or voltage sources, current sources, resistors,
switches, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, operational
amplifiers, …
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 What is an Electric Circuit?
• According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
The complete path of an electric current including usually the source of
electric energy.

• According to Encyclopedia Britannica:

Path that transmits electric current.

A circuit includes a battery or a generator that gives energy to the

charged particles; devices that use current, such as lamps, motors, or
electronic computers; and connecting wires or transmission lines.
Circuits can be classified according to the type of current they carry
(see alternating current, direct current) or according to whether the
current remains whole (series) or divides to flow through several
branches simultaneously (parallel). Two basic laws that describe the
performance of electric circuits are Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's circuit
rules."

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 A Simple Circuit

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 A More Complicated Circuit

A Radio Receiver
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 System of Units

The International System of Units, or Système

International des Unités (SI), also known as metric
system uses 7 mutually independent base units. All other
units are derived units.

SI Base Units
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 SI Prefixes

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 Electric Current
• Originally scientists (in particular Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
an American scientist and inventor) thought that current is only
due to the movement of positive charges.

• Thus the direction of the current was considered the direction of

movement of positive charges.
current

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 Electric Current
• In reality in metallic conductors current is due to the movement
of electrons, however, we follow the universally accepted
convention that current is in the direction of positive charge
movement.

• Two ways of showing the same current:

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 Two Important Types of Current
• Direct current (DC) is a current that remains constant with time.
• Alternating current (AC) is a current that varies sinusoidally with
time.

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 Voltage (Separation of Charge)
• Voltage (electromotive force, or potential) is the energy required
to move a unit charge through a circuit element, and is
measured in Volts (Alessandro Antonio Volta (1745-1827) an
Italian Physicist).

dW
v
dq
• Similar to electric current, there are two important types of
voltage: DC and AC
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 Voltage
• “Voltage between two points in a circuit is the difference in
energy level of a unit charge located at each of the two points.

• Voltage is very similar to a gravitational force.

• Some examples:

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 Voltage Polarity
• The plus (+) and minus (-) sign are used to define voltage
polarity.
• The assumption is that the potential of the terminal with (+)
polarity is higher than the potential of the terminal with (-)
polarity by the amount of voltage drop.

• The polarity assignment is somewhat arbitrary! Is this a scientific

statement?!! What do you mean by arbitrary?!!!
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 Voltage Polarity
• Figures (a) and (b) are two equivalent representation of the
same voltage:

• Both show that the potential of terminal a is 9V higher than the

potential of terminal b.
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 Power
• The rate of change of (expending or absorbing) energy per unit
time, measured in Watts (James Watt (1736-1819) a Scottish
inventor and mechanical engineer)

dW dW dq
p vi
dt dq dt

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 A Classification of Circuit Components
• One common classification for circuit components is to group
them in two major groups:

1) Passive components or passive elements

Components or elements that absorb power.

2) Active components or active elements

Components that are not passive! that is, components that
deliver power.

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 Passive Sign Convention
• For calculating absorbed power: The power absorbed by any
circuit element with terminals A and B is equal to the voltage
drop from A to B multiplied by the current through the element
from A to B, i.e., P Vab I ab I ab

a b
+ -
Vab
• With this convention if P 0 , then the element is absorbing
(consuming) power. Otherwise (i.e., P 0 ) is absorbing negative
power or actually generating (delivering) power.

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 Tellegan s Theorem
• Principle of Conservation of the Power: The algebraic sum of
the powers absorbed by all elements in a circuit is zero at any
instance of time ( P=0). That is, the sum of absorbed powers is
equal to the sum of generated powers at each instance of time.

• This principle is also known as Tellegan s theorem. (Bernard

D.H. Tellegan (1900-1990), a Dutch electrical engineer)

• Similarly, one can write the principle of conservation of energy.

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 Passive Sign Convention
• Calculate the power absorbed or supplied by each of the
following elements:

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 Example
• Given the two diagrams shown below, determine whether the
element is absorbing or supplying power and how much.

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 Example
• Determine the unknown voltage or current in the following
figures:

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EECE 251, Set 1
 Example
• Suppose that your car is not starting. To determine whether the
battery is faulty, you turn on the light switch and find that the
lights are very dim, indicating a weak battery. You borrow a
friend's car and a set of jumper cables. However, how do you
connect his car's battery to yours? What do you want his battery
to do?

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 Circuit Elements
• Circuit components can be broadly classified as being either
active or passive.

• An active element is capable of generating energy.

Example: current or voltage sources

• A passive element is an element that does not generate energy,

however, they can either consume or store energy.
Example: resistors, capacitors, and inductors

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 (Ideal) Voltage and Current Sources
• Independent sources: An (ideal) independent source is an
active element that provides a specified voltage or current that
is independent of other circuit elements and/or how the source
is used in the circuit.
• Symbol for independent voltage source
(a) Used for constant or time-varying voltage
(b) Used for constant voltage (dc)

Question: Plot the v-i characteristic of the above dc source.

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 Ideal Voltage and Current Sources
• Equivalent representation of ideal independent current sources
whose current i(t) is maintained under all voltage requirements
of the attached circuit:

• What is the equivalent of the ideal voltage source shown on the

previous slide (Figure (a))?

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Common Voltage and Current Source Labeling

• Is this different from passive sign convention?

• Can we use the passive convention for sources

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 Example
• Determine the power absorbed or supplied by the elements of
the following network:

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 Short and Open Circuits
• A device with zero resistance is called short circuit and a device
with zero conductance (i.e., infinite resistance) is called open-
circuit.

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 Example
• The power absorbed by the 10-k resistor in the following circuit
is 3.6 mW. Determine the voltage and the current in the circuit.

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 Example
• Given the following network, find R and VS.

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 Example
• Given the following circuit, find the value of the voltage source
and the power absorbed by the resistance.

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 Terminology (Nodes and Branches)
• Note: our definition of nodes (and branches) is slightly different
from traditional definitions used in the textbooks!

• Please note that almost all components that we deal with in this
course are two-terminal components (resistors, sources, …)

• A true node (or node for short) is the point of connection of

three or more circuit elements. (The node includes the
interconnection wires.)

• A binary node (or b-node for short) has only two components
connected to it.

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 Example
• In the following circuit identify the nodes (and their types).

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 Example
• Are the following two circuits different? Identify the nodes (and
their types) in each circuit.

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 Branch
• A branch is a collection of elements that are connected between
two true nodes that includes only those two true nodes (and
does not include any other true nodes).

• In our example:

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 Loop
• A loop is any closed path in the circuit that does not cross any
true node but once.

• A window pane loop is a loop that does not contain any other
loops inside it.

• An independent loop is a loop that contains at least one

branch that is not part of any other independent loop.

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 Example
• In the following circuit, find the number of branches, nodes, and
window pane loops. Are the window pane loops independent?

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 Series and Parallel Connections
• Two or more elements are connected in series when they
belong to the same branch.(even if they are separated by other
elements).
• In general, circuit elements are in series when they are
sequentially connected end-to-end and only share binary nodes
among them.
• Elements that are in series carry the same current.

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 Series and Parallel Circuits
• Two or more circuit elements are in parallel if they are
connected between the same two true nodes .

• Consequently, parallel elements have the same voltage

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 Kirchhoff s Current Law (KCL)
• Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1824-1887), a German physicist,
stated two basic laws concerning the relationship between the
currents and voltages in an electrical circuit.

• KCL: The algebraic sum of the currents entering a node (or a

closed boundary) is zero.

• The current entering a node may be regarded as positive while

the currents leaving the node may be taken as negative or vice
versa.
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 KCL
• KCL is based on the law of conservation of charge.

• Example: Write the KCL for the node A inside this black box
circuit:

i4 A
i1
i3
i2

Black box circuit

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 KCL

• Alternative statement of KCL: For lumped circuits, the

algebraic sum of the currents leaving a node (or a closed
boundary) is zero.

• Can you think of another statement for KCL?

The sum of the currents entering a node is equal to the sum of
the currents leaving that node.

iin= iout

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 Example
• The following network is represented by its topological diagram.
Find the unknown currents in the network.

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 Example
• In the following circuit, find ix.

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 Closed Boundary
• A closed boundary is a closed curve (or surface), such as a
circle in a plane (or a sphere in three dimensional space) that
has a well-defined inside and outside.
• This closed boundary is sometimes called supernode or more
formally a Gauss surface.

• Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss

(1777-1855)
German mathematician
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 KCL Example
• Draw an appropriate closed boundary to find I in the following
graphical circuit representation.

2A

3A

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 Kirchhoff s Voltage Law (KVL)
• KVL: The algebraic sum of the voltage drops around any closed path
(or loop) is zero at any instance of time.

• Write KVL for the above circuit.

Sum of voltage drops=Sum of voltage rises

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 KVL Example
• Find VAC and VCH in the following circuit.
B

C H G
A
+ +
-
1V 4V
-2V
+ - -
D - 2V + E F

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 Example
• In the following circuit, find vo and i.

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 Example
• In the following circuit, assume VR1=26V and VR2=14V. Find VR3.

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 Example
• In the following circuit use KVL to determine Vae and Vec. Note
that we use the convention Vae to indicate the voltage of point a
with respect to point e or Vae=Va-Ve

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 Some Interesting Implications of KCL and KVL
• A series connection of two different current sources is
impossible. Why?

• A parallel connection of two different voltage sources is

impossible. Why?

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 More Interesting Implicationsz
• A current source supplying zero current is equivalent to an open
circuit:

• A voltage source supplying 0V is equivalent to a short circuit:

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 Series Resistors
• The equivalent resistance of any number of resistors connected
in series is the sum of the resistors (Why?)

1 1 1 1
Req R1 R2 Rn or
Geq G1 G2 Gn

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 Voltage Division
• In a series combination of n resistors, the voltage drop across
the resistor Rj for j=1,2, …, n is:

Rj
v j (t ) vin (t )
R1 R2 Rn

• What is the formula for two series resistors?!

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 Parallel Resistors
• The equivalent conductance of resistors connected in parallel is
the sum of their individual conductances:

1 1 1 1
Geq G1 G2 Gn or
Req R1 R2 Rn
• Why?

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 Current Division
• In a parallel combination of n resistors, the current through the
resistor Rj for j=1,2, …, n is:

Gj
i j (t ) iin (t )
G1 G2 Gn

• Why?

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Parallel Resistors and Current Division Example
• For the special case of two parallel resistors

R1R2 R2 R1
Req , i1 (t ) i(t ), and i2 (t ) i(t )
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
• Why?

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 Example
• In the following circuit find Req:

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 Example
• In the following circuit find the resistance seen between the two
terminal s A and B, i.e., RAB

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 Example
• In the following circuit find the current i.

20W

30W

30W

30W
i
12V

10W

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 Example
• In the following circuit find I1, I2, I3, Va, and Vb.

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 Board Notes

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 Wye-Delta Transformations
• In some circuits the resistors are neither in series nor in parallel.

• For example consider the following bridge circuit:

how can we combine the resistors R1 through R6?

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 Wye and Delta Networks
• A useful technique that can be used to simply many such
circuits is transformation from wye (Y) to delta (D) network.

• A wye (Y) or tee (T) network is a three-terminal network with the

following general form:

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 Wye and Delta Networks
• The delta (D) or pi (P) network has the following general form:

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 Delta-Wye Conversion
• In some cases it is more convenient to work with a Y network in
place of a D network.

• Let s superimpose a wye network on the existing delta network

and try to find the equivalent resistances in the wye network

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 Delta-Wye Conversion
• We calculate the equivalent resistance between terminals a and
c while terminal b is open in both cases:

Rac (Y ) R1 R3
Rac (D) Rb ( Ra Rc )
Rb ( Ra Rc )
Rac (Y ) Rac (D) R1 R3
Ra Rb Rc

Similarly: Rc ( Ra Rb )
R1 R2
Ra Rb Rc
Ra ( Rb Rc )
R2 R3
Ra Rb Rc
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 Delta-Wye Conversion
• Solving for R1, R2, and R3 we have:

Rb Rc
R1
Ra Rb Rc
Rc Ra
R2
Ra Rb Rc
Ra Rb
R3
Ra Rb Rc

• Each resistor in the Y network is the product if the resistors in

the two adjacent D branches, divided by the sum of the three D
resistors.

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 Wye-Delta Conversion
• From the previous page equations, we have:

Ra Rb Rc ( Ra Rb Rc )
R1R2 R2 R3 R3 R1
( Ra Rb Rc ) 2
Ra Rb Rc
Ra Rb Rc

• Dividing this equation by each of the previous slide equations:

R1R2 R2 R3 R3R1 R1R2 R2 R3 R3R1 R1R2 R2 R3 R3R1

Ra , Rb , and Rc
R1 R2 R3
• Each resistor in the D network is the sum of all the possible
products of Y resistors taken two at a time, divided by the
opposite Y resistor

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 Wye-Delta Transformations
• Y and D networks are said to be balanced when:

R1 R2 R3 RY and Ra Rb Rc RD

• For balanced Y and D networks the conversion formulas

become:

RD
RY and RD 3RY
3

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 Example
• For the following bridge network find Rab and i.

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 Example
• Find IS? E B

F C

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