Introduction to basic electric circuit

The Definition of Electrical Circuits

An electrical circuit is a closed loop of conductive material that allows electrons to flow through
continuously without beginning or end. There is continuous electrical current goes from the supply to the
load in an electrical circuit. People also say that a complete path, typically through conductors such as
wires and through circuit elements, is called an electric circuit.

In the simplest terms, an electric circuit is a pathway for an electric current to flow from one point to
another. From a high level, every circuit has three basic components:

 Voltage source
 Conductive path
 A Load

Electron flow from negative terminal to positive terminal.

Voltage Source
A voltage source introduces energy into a circuit via a potential difference between its positive (+) and
negative (–) terminals. Voltage sources can be AC or DC–the main difference being how the current
flows. AC sources produce voltages that vary sinusoidally, i.e. the current reverses direction periodically.
Examples are power from the grid or generators. On the other hand, DC sources produce current that
flows in one direction. Batteries are a source of DC voltage.
Conductive Path
A conductive path (aka a conductor) provides a medium for current flow through a circuit. These
components have a very low resistance to current, e.g., copper wires, lead solder, or metallic traces on a
printed circuit board (PCB). Conductors also help link other components together to achieve a single
function.

Load
A load is any device that consumes power in a circuit. It can be anything from a light-emitting diode
(LED) to a motor or siren.
Electric Circuit Analysis: Circuit Parameters

Current and voltage are the most essential parameters of electric circuits.

Current

Electric current is the flow of electrons through a circuit. The unit of measurement for current is
Ampere (A). As we discussed earlier, the current can be AC or DC.

We can find the value of current flowing through a circuit using Ohm’s law which states that the
current between any two points is proportional to the potential difference between them.

The equation is I = V/R (Where I is current, V is voltage, and R is resistance).s

Practically, we can obtain the value of current in a circuit using a digital multimeter.

Voltage
Voltage (V) sometimes referred to as Electromotive force (E) is the potential difference between any two
points in an electric circuit. The unit of measurement is the Volt. Like a current, the voltage can be AC or
DC.

Voltage is the pressure from an electrical circuit's power source that pushes charged electrons (current)
through a conducting loop, enabling them to do work such as illuminating a light.

Voltage can also be derived from Ohm’s Law using the formula V = IR (Where V is voltage, I is current,
and R is resistance).

Resistance
Resistance is the attribute of a component to resist the flow of electric current through a circuit. The unit
of measurement is Ohms (Greek symbol: Ω).

According to Ohm’s Law, the resistance of a conductor is the ratio of voltage (V) flowing across it to the
current (I) flowing through it. Mathematically, R = V/I (Where R is resistance, V is voltage, and I is
current).

Various factors affect the resistance of a material:

1. Temperature. The resistance of all substances changes to some degree with temperature. In the case of
pure metals, the resistance increases rapidly with a rise in temperature. The extreme case of this is
superconductivity. When materials reach a sufficiently low temperature, their resistance can completely
vanish; electrical currents can run through them without any resistance.

2. Length. Resistance of a uniform conductor is directly proportional to its length. When length increases,

resistance increases.
3. Cross-Sectional Area. The resistance of a uniform conductor is inversely proportional to its cross-
sectional area. When cross-sectional area increases, resistance decreases.

4. Material Properties. The resistance of a given conductor depends on the material from which it is
made. A numerical value called the resistivity is assigned to materials based on how well they conduct
electricity.

To remember trends in electrical resistance, it is helpful to think of water flowing in a pipe. If the length
of the pipe increases, the resistance increases. Think of drinking through a very long straw -- It would
take a lot of effort! On the other hand, increasing the diameter (and so the cross-sectional area) decreases
the resistance. A straw with a bigger diameter is easier to use, especially when drinking those thick fast-
food store milkshakes. Bringing all of these trends together results in this formula:

R=Pl/A

R is the resistance, P is the resistivity of the material, l is length, and A is cross-sectional area.

Basic Circuit Elements

As mentioned above in the introduction, a circuit is an interconnection of elements. These elements are
classified into active or passive elements, based on their capability to generate energy.

Active Circuit Elements

Active Elements are those which can generate energy. Examples include batteries, generators, operational
amplifiers (an integrated circuit that can amplify weak electric signals) and diodes ( a semiconductor
device with two terminals, typically allowing the flow of current in one direction only.). Note that in an
electrical circuit, the source elements are the most significant active elements.

Passive circuit Elements

Passive Elements can be defined as elements which can control the flow of electrons through them. They
either increase or decrease the voltage. Resistor, inductor and capacitor.

An open circuit is the one having a disconnection between components. The figure below displays an
open:
A short circuit is the one where components are connected with a very small or zero resistance wire. The
figure below displays an ideal short.

Resistance
An open circuit possesses infinite resistance; while a short circuit possess zero resistance.

Ω for open → Infinite

Ω for short → Zero

Current
Current always requires a path to flow. If it is open, no electrons will flow from one terminal to other and
the resultant current will be zero. Similarly, resistance is the other current controlling factor. As per
Ohm’s law, the higher resistance means lower current. In case of open, the infinite resistance means zero
current, and zero resistance means infinite current.

From Ohm’s law, I = V/R.

Current for open → I = V/R = V/Infinite = 0

Current for short → I = V/R = V/0 = Infinite

How it occurs
An open circuit occurs when a circuit is broken from some point, while a short occurs when some low
resistance path occurs between two points.

Practical case:

1. You are mounting the television plug into the wall outlet but one wire inside plug is not
connected. That is open.
2. The insulation of two wires in your extension breaks up. It is short.
 What is a Series, Parallel and series-parallel Circuit?

With simple series circuits, all components are connected end-to-end to form only one path for
the current to flow through the circuit:

With simple parallel circuits, all components are connected between the same two sets of
electrically common points, creating multiple paths for the current to flow from one end of the
battery to the other:

Rules regarding Series and Parallel Circuits

With each of these two basic circuit configurations, we have specific sets of rules describing
voltage, current, and resistance relationships.

Series Circuits:

 Voltage drops add to equal total voltage.

 All components share the same (equal) current.
 Resistances add to equal total resistance.

Parallel Circuits:

 All components share the same (equal) voltage.

 Branch currents add to equal total current.
  Resistances diminish to equal total resistance.

Series - Parallel Circuits

However, if circuit components are series-connected in some parts and parallel in others, we won’t be
able to apply a single set of rules to every part of that circuit. Instead, we will have to identify which parts
of that circuit are series and which parts are parallel, and then selectively apply series and parallel rules as
necessary to determine what is happening. Take the following circuit, for instance: