Fundamentals of

Electric Circuits
Chapter 2

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 Overview
• This chapter will introduce Ohm’s law:
a central concept in electric circuits.
• Resistors will be discussed in more
detail.
• Circuit topology and the voltage and
current laws will be introduced.
• Finally, meters for measuring voltage,
current, and resistivity will be
presented.
2
 Resistivity
• Materials tend to resist the flow of
electricity through them.
• This property is called “resistance”
• The resistance of an object is a
function of its length, l, and cross
sectional area, A, and the material’s
resistivity:
l
R
A

3
 Wire Gauge and Resistivity
The resistance of a wire is determined by
the resistivity of the conductor as well as
the geometry:
R  l A

[In most cases, the resistance of wires can be assumed

to be 0 ohms.]
Resistivity of Common
Materials

5
 Ohm’s Law
• In a resistor, the voltage across a resistor is
directly proportional to the current flowing
through it.
V  IR
• The resistance of an element is measured in
units of Ohms, Ω, (V/A)
• The higher the resistance, the less current
will flow through for a given voltage.
• Ohm’s law requires conforming to the
passive sign convention.
6
 Conductance
We sometimes prefer to work with the
reciprocal of resistance (1/R), which is
called conductance (symbol G, unit
siemens (S)).

A resistor R has conductance G = 1/R.

Ohm’s law (i-v equation) can be written

as i  Gv
 Open and Short Circuits
An open circuit between A and B means I = 0.
Voltage across an open circuit: any value.
An open circuit is equivalent to R = ∞ Ω.

A short circuit between A and B means v = 0.

Current through a short circuit: any value.
A short circuit is equivalent to R = 0 Ω.
 Short and Open Circuits
• A connection with almost zero
resistance is called a short circuit.
• Ideally, any current may flow through
the short.
• In practice this is a connecting wire.
• A connection with infinite resistance is
called an open circuit.
• Here no matter the voltage, no current
flows.
9
 Linearity
• Not all materials obey Ohm’s
Law.
• Resistors that do are called
linear resistors because their
current voltage relationship is
always linearly proportional.
• Diodes and light bulbs are
examples of non-linear
elements

10
 Power Dissipation
• Running current through a resistor
dissipates power.
2
v
p  vi  i 2 R 
R
• The power dissipated is a non-linear
function of current or voltage
• Power dissipated is always positive
• A resistor can never generate power

11
 Resistors
(a) typical resistors (b) power resistor
(c) a 10 TΩ resistor (d) circuit symbol
 Power Dissipation
Ejemplo 2.4
• Tenemos una Resistencia de 560Ω,
está conectada a un circuito que hace
fluir una corriente de 42.4 mA a través
de ella. Calcule la tensión (voltaje) a
través de la Resistencia y la potencia
que está disipando.

13
 Nodes Branches and Loops
• Circuit elements can be interconnected in
multiple ways.
• To understand this, we need to be familiar
with some network topology concepts.
• A branch represents a single element such
as a voltage source or a resistor.
• A node is the point of connection between
two or more branches.
• A loop is any closed path in a circuit.

14
 Network Topology
• A loop is independent if it contains at
least one branch not shared by any
other independent loops.
• Two or more elements are in series if
they share a single node and thus carry
the same current
• Two or more elements are in parallel if
they are connected to the same two
nodes and thus have the same voltage.
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 Network Topology (Poll)
Determine el número de nodos y ramas en el siguiente circuito

A) 5 Nodos, 7 Ramas
B) 5 Nodos, 6 Ramas
C) 4 Nodos, 7 Ramas
D) 4 Nodos, 6 Ramas

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Network Topology (Poll)

A) 8 Nodos, 15 Ramas, 7 Mallas

B) 9 Nodos, 15 Ramas, 8 Mallas
C) 8 Nodos, 14 Ramas, 7 Mallas
D) 9 Nodos, 14 Ramas, 7 Mallas

17
 Kirchoff’s Laws
• Ohm’s law is not sufficient for circuit
analysis
• Kirchoff’s laws complete the needed
tools
• There are two laws:
– Current law
– Voltage law

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 KCL
• Kirchoff’s current law is based on
conservation of charge
• It states that the algebraic sum of
currents entering a node (or a closed
boundary) is zero.
• It can be expressed as:
N

i
n 1
n 0

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Example of KCL Application (Poll)

Find the current through resistor R3 if it

is known that the voltage source supplies
a current of 3 A.
A) 3 A
B) 6V
C) 6A
D) 3V
Answer: i = 6 A
 KVL
• Kirchoff’s voltage law is based on
conservation of energy
• It states that the algebraic sum of
voltages around a closed path (or loop)
is zero.
• It can be expressed as:
M

v
m 1
m 0

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 Example: Applying KVL (Poll)
Find vR2 (the voltage across R2) and the
voltage vx.

A) vR2 = 32 V ; vx = 6 V. B)vR2 = -32 V ; vx = -4 V.

C) vR2 = 32 V ; vx = 4 V. D) vR2 = -32 V ; vx =- 6 V.

Answer: vR2 = 32 V and vx = 6 V.

 Final de Sesión
Conceptos:
Ley de Ohm V=Ri
Potencia disipada en Resistencia
2
v
p  vi  i 2 R 
R
N
Ley de Kirchoff de Corrientes i
n 1
n 0

M
Ley de Kirchoff de Voltajes v
m 1
m 0