ELECTRIC CURRENT

 Electric Current is the rate of flow of electrons in a conductor. The SI

Unit of electric current is the Ampere.
 The magnitude of electric current is measured in coulombs per
second. The SI unit of electric current is Ampere and is denoted by
the letter A.
 Ampere is defined as one coulomb of charge moving past a point in
one second. If there are 6.241 x 1018 electrons flowing through our
frame in one second, then the electrical current flowing through it is
‘One Ampere.’
 1 ampere = 1 coulomb / 1 second
 Conventional Current Flow
 The conventional current flow is from the positive to the negative
terminal and indicates the direction in which positive charges would
flow.
 Electron Flow
 The electron flow is from negative to positive terminal. Electrons are
negatively charged and are therefore attract.

Effects of Electric Current

After defining electric current, let us learn various effects of electric
current. When a current flows through a conductor, there are a number of signs
which tell if a current is flowing or not. Following are the most prominent signs:

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 Heating Effect of Electric Current
When our clothes are crumpled, we use the iron box to make our clothes crisp
and neat. Iron box works on the principle of heating effect of current. There are
many such devices that work on the heating effect.
When an electric current flows through a conductor, heat is generated in the
conductor.

The heating effect is given by the following equation

H=I2RT

The heating effect depends on the following factor:

 The time ‘t‘ for which the current flows. The longer the current flows in a
conductor more heat is generated.
 The electrical resistance of the conductor. Higher the resistance, the
higher the heat produced.
 The amount of current. The larger the amount of current higher the heat
produced.
If the current is small then the amount of heat generated is likely to be very
small and may not be noticed. However, if the current is larger then it is
possible that a noticeable amount of heat is generated.

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Magnetic Effect of Electric Current
Another prominent effect that is noticeable when an electric current flows
through the conductor is the build-up of the magnetic field. We can observe this
when we place a compass close to a wire carrying a reasonably large direct
current, and the compass needle deflects.
The magnetic field generated by a current is put to good use in a number of
areas. By winding a wire into a coil, the effect can be increased, and an
electromagnet can be made.

Chemical Effect of Electric Current

When an electric current passes through a solution, the solution ionizes and
breaks down into ions. This is because a chemical reaction takes place when an
electric current passes through the solution. Depending on the nature of the
solution and the electrodes used, the following effects can be observed in the
solution:

 change in the colour of the solution

 metallic deposits on the electrodes
 a release of gas or production of bubbles in the solution
Electroplating and electrolysis are the applications of the chemical effect of
electric current.
EMF(Electro motive force)
• Terminal voltage is defined as the potential difference across the
terminals of a load when the circuit is on. While EMF is defined as the
maximum potential difference that is delivered by the battery when there
is no flow of current.
• A voltmeter is used for measuring the terminal voltage whereas a
potentiometer is used for measuring the EMF.
• Electromotive force is defined as the electric potential produced by either
an electrochemical cell or by changing the magnetic field. EMF is the
commonly used acronym for electromotive force.
• A generator or a battery is used for the conversion of energy from one
form to another. In these devices, one terminal becomes positively
charged while the other becomes negatively charged. Therefore, an
electromotive force is a work done on a unit electric charge.
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 • Electromotive force is used in the electromagnetic flowmeter which is an
application of Faraday’s law.
• ε = V + Ir
• Where,
• V is the voltage of the cell
• I is the current across the circuit
• r is the internal resistance of the cell
• ε is the electromotive force
 The unit for electromotive force is Volt.
 EMF is numerically expressed as the number of Joules of energy given by
the source divided by each Coulomb to enable a unit electric charge to
move across the circuit.
 EMF is defined as the work done on a unit charge
 EMF remains constant.
 EMF is independent of circuit resistance
 Due to EMF, electric, magnetic, and the gravitational field is caused
 It is represented by E
 Potential difference is defined as the energy which is dissipated as the
unit charge pass through the components.
 It is represented by V
 Potential difference is not constant.
 The potential difference depends on the resistance between the two points
during the measurement.
 Due to the potential difference, the only electric field is induced.
ELECTRIC POWER
 electric power measures the rate of electrical energy transfer by an
electric circuit per unit of time.
 Denoted by P and measured using the SI unit of power which is watt or
one joule per second.
 Electric power is commonly supplied by electric batteries and produced
by electric generators.
 Electric Power Formula
 P = VI

 P = I2R

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  P = V2/ R
 Power-Energy Formula
 Since power is the rate of energy consumption, energy can directly be
calculated using.
1. A 9V battery is connected to a resistor having a resistance of 10 Ω.
What is the current and power across the resistor?

2. A resistor having an electrical resistance value of 100 ohms, is

connected to another resistor with a resistance value of 200 ohms. The
two resistances are connected in series. What is the total resistance
across the system?

Ohm’s law and its limittation

 At constant temperature, the current through an ideal resistor is
directly proportional to the voltage applied across the resistor.
The constant of proportionality is written as R and this is the
resistance value of the resistor. Mathematically it can be
represented as

V = I·R

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 • The main criteria for Ohm’s law are to keep the resistance constant
because the proportionality constant in the relationship is resistance R.
• But we know that the variation of temperature affects the value of
resistance so to keep the resistance constant during experiments of Ohm’s
law the temperature is considered constant.
• Ohm’s law is not applicable to unilateral electrical elements like diodes
and transistors as they allow the current to flow through in one direction
only.
• For non-linear electrical elements with parameters like capacitance,
resistance, etc. the voltage and the current won’t be constant with respect
to time making it difficult to use Ohm’s law.
• When physical conditions are changed we cannot use ohms law

• Examples of non–linear elements are thyristors, electric arcs, etc.

APPLICATIONS OF OHMS LAW

• To know power consumption: The electrical heaters have a high-
resistance metal coil that allows a certain amount of current to pass across
them to provide the heat needed. Using this law, the power to be given to
the heaters is determined.
• For deciding the size of resistors: Electric appliances like electric kettles
and irons have a lot of resistors inside them. In order to provide the
necessary amount of heat, the resistors restrict the amount of current that
can flow through them. By using Ohm’s law, the size of resistors
included in them is defined.
• For deciding the size of resistors: Electric appliances like electric kettles
and irons have a lot of resistors inside them. In order to provide the
necessary amount of heat, the resistors restrict the amount of current that
can flow through them. By using Ohm’s law, the size of resistors
included in them is defined.

• Ohm’s Law is a fundamental principle in electrical engineering,

• which is used for circuit analysis,

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 • power calculations,
• voltage regulation, and instrumentation design.
• It determines the voltage, current, and resistance of components,
• calculates power, regulates voltage, and calibrates electrical instruments.
• Ohm’s Law is a fundamental principle in electrical engineering,
• which is used for circuit analysis,
• power calculations,
• voltage regulation, and instrumentation design.
• It determines the voltage, current, and resistance of components,
• calculates power, regulates voltage, and calibrates electrical instruments.
KIRCHOFF’S VOLTAGE LAW
• The algebraic sum of every voltage in the loop has to be equal to zero and
this property of Kirchhoff's law is called conservation of energy.
•

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 Kirchhoff's current law (1st Law) states that the current flowing into a node
(or a junction) must be equal to the current flowing out of it. This is a
consequence of charge conservation.

HEATING EFFECT OF ELECTRIC CURRENT

When an electric current is allowed to flow through a high resistance wire, such
as nichrome wire, the conductor heats up and produces heat. Such a heating
action of a conductor is known as the Heating effect of Current.

Electric bulb

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  Electric bulb contains a thick metallic wire made up of tungsten metal.
 The metal is kept in an inert environment with a neutral gas or vacuum.
 When current flows through the tungsten wire, it becomes heated and
emits light. This one referred as incandescent effect.

Most of the electric power drawn in the circuit from the electrical source is
dissipated in the form of heat and the rest is emitted in the form of light energy.

electric heater
 In an electric heater, high resistance nichrome wire is used as a coil.
The coil is wound on grooves made up in ceramic material or china
clay.

When the current flows in the coil, it becomes heated, which is then used to heat
cooking vessels.

STATIC ELECTRICITY

 Static electricity is the imbalance of electric charge on a surface of a

material. Static means fixed or stationary, therefore it is used in contrast
to dynamic (moving) electricity which are in the form of electric
currents.
 Static electricity, form of electricity resulting from the imbalance
between positive and negative charges within a material that occurs

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 when electrons (the negatively charged particles in an atom) move from
one material to another.
 If the electron-receiving material is either isolated or not an
electrical conductor, it tends to hold on to the electrons, resulting in a
buildup of electric charge. Since this charge is not moving, it is referred
to as static electricity
 Static electricity is the electric field which is developed due to the
stationary charges.
 The surface of the material includes some electric charges which
combine the static electricity on that material.
 These static charges might come on the surface or through the contact
with one of the most charged body or it can be through extra ions
present in the air.
 Positive Charge is one who loosed its electrons and becomes positively
charged.
 Negative Charge is one which gains electrons and becomes negatively
charged.
 And, charges which get separated in this fashion are known as static
electricity.
METHOD OF STATIC ELECTRICITY
 Triboelectric Effect: If two objects come closer and the charge is
transferred between them due to friction is known as the triboelectric
effect.
 Electrostatic Induction: It is the process of redistributing the charges on
the surface of an object because of the nearby charges or static electric
field.
SELF INDUCTANCE
 Self-inductance is the property of the current-carrying coil that resists
or opposes the change of current flowing through it. This occurs mainly
due to the self-induced emf produced in the coil itself. In simple terms,
we can say that self-inductance is a phenomenon where there is the
induction of a voltage in a current-carrying wire.
 We can derive an expression for the self-inductance of a coil from
Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction.
 VL = −N (dϕ / dt)

Where:

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  VL = induced voltage in volts
 N = number of turns in the coil
 dφ / dt = rate of change of magnetic flux in webers / second.

APPLICATIONS OF SELF INDUCTANCE

Tuning circuits
Sensors
Store energy in a device
Induction motors
Transformers
Filters
Chokes
Ferrite beads
Inductors used as relays.
MUTUAL INDUCTANCE

When two coils are brought in proximity to each other, the magnetic field in one
of the coils tends to link with the other. This further leads to the generation of
voltage in the second coil. This property of a coil which affects or changes the
current and voltage in a secondary coil is called mutual inductance.

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 APPLICATIONS OF MUTUAL INDUCTANCE

 Transformer
 Motor
 generator

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