“Introduction to Electricity”

Course Code: PHY104

Lecture # 10
Introduction to Electricity

Dr. Matiullah Khan

Associate Professor of Physics, KUST
E-mail: dr.matiullah@kust.edu.pk
What is electricity?
• Key words: electrons, conductors,
• insulators, charge, current

• By the end of this lesson you will be able

• to:

• State that electrons are free to move in a

• conductor
• Describe the electrical current in terms of
• movement of charges around a circuit
• Distinguish between conductors and insulators
• and give examples of each.
• Carry out calculations involving Q = It
 Rutherford Bohr model
Thomson’s Plum pudding model

What is inside an atom?

Quantum model of the nucleus
Charge cloud model Rutherford model
 The atom
• An atom is a fundamental unit of matter
• made up of

• protons (with a positive charge)

• neutrons (neutral – no charge)
• electrons (with a negative charge)
 What is electricity?
•Everything is made of atoms which contain POSITIVE
particles called PROTONS and NEGATIVE particles
called ELECTRONS.

Electron (-) Proton (+)

Neutron
•An atom will usually have the same number of
positives and negatives
•This makes the atom NEUTRAL.

Electron (-) Proton (+)

Neutron
 Electrical Charge
• Electric charge is given the symbol

•Q
• Electrons are the charge carriers
• that flow in an electrical circuit –
• from the negative to positive
• terminals.
 Electrical Charge
• Charge is measured in

• Coulombs
• which is given the symbol

•C
 Electrical Charge
• The charge on a proton is

•1.6 x 10 C -19

• which is the same size as the charge on an

• electron.
 What is electricity?
Electrons have a negative charge
(Q) measured in coulombs (C).

Electrons move round a circuit from

negative to positive (remember like
charges repel, opposites attract)
giving rise to an electric current.
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 Conductors & Insulators
• What makes something a good conductor?

• Good conductors allow electrons to move

• through them easily. Insulators do not
• allow electrons to move easily.
 What is electricity?
So electricity is…

movement of charge round a circuit.

We call this electric current.

 Charge, Current & Time
• Electric current is given the symbol

•I
• Electric current is the movement of
• negative charges (electrons) in a
• circuit
 Charge, Current & Time
• Current is the amount of charge flowing
• per second and is given the unit

•Amps (A)
 Charge, Current & Time
•so a current
If current of 1 Aflowing
is charge is 1 C of
percharge
secondtransferred
then in 1
s.

Q
I Charge transferred
in coulombs (C)

t
Current in Amps (A)
time in seconds (s)
 Charge, Current & Time
•This can be rearranged as

Q  It
•or
Q
t
I
• Key words: series, current, ammeter, voltmeter,
• battery, resistor, variable resistor, fuse, switch, lamp,
• voltage

• By the end of this lesson you will be able

• to:

• Draw circuit diagrams to show the correct positions of

• an ammeter in a series circuit.
• Draw and identify the circuit symbols for an
• ammeter, voltmeter, battery, resistor, variable
• resistor, fuse, switch and lamp.
• State that in a series circuit, the current is the same at
• all positions.
 Different types of circuit
• There are different ways in which you can
• connect cells and components (such as
• lamps) to create a circuit:

• series
• parallel
• a mixture of both
 Series Circuit
• A series circuit has only one electrical
path.

• You can trace from one side of the battery

to the other, through each component, without
lifting your finger from the page.
 Different types of circuit
• There are different ways in which you can
• connect cells and components (such as
• lamps) to create a circuit:

• series
• parallel
• a mixture of both
 Series Circuit
• A series circuit has only one electrical
path.

• You can trace from one side of the battery

to the other, through each component, without
lifting your finger from the page.

Physics Animations – Series Circuits

 Name that component
Resistor Fuse Battery Ammeter

On the back of p2 carefully draw each symbol and

label – in pencil!

Voltmeter Switch Lamp

Cell
Variable resistor
 Build a series circuit
• On the worksheet you will find four
• building circuit activities.

• Follow the instructions carefully!

• Answer each question as you go.
• Make careful observations.

• Lesson 2 build a series circuit.pub

 Build a series circuit
• Build a series circuit which contains a
• 6V battery pack, three 3.5 V lamps in
• lamp holders, and a meter used for
• measuring current.

• What is the meter called?

• Where is it positioned in the circuit?

Activity 1
 Activity 2

Bulbs are much dimmer!

 Parallel Circuits and Current
• We are measuring the current I in a
• parallel circuit.

• What have we observed?

• We find that the current in each of the
• branches adds up to the total current.
• How can this be written mathematically?
• IT = I1 + I2 + I3 and so on
 Electric Circuits
How many ways can you make two
light bulbs work?
 A SIMPLE CIRCUIT
SWITCH CELL

Clo
se
th es
wit
ch ,w
h at
hap
pen
s?

LIGHT BULB
 A SIMPLE CIRCUIT

2A 2A 2A

2A 2A 2A
 A Series Circuit

1A 1A 1A
Wh
at hap
p en
s no
w?

1A 1A 1A 1A
A Parallel
Circuit W
ha
th
ap
pe
ns
no
w?
A Parallel 2A 2A
Circuit

4A 2A 4A 4A

2A 2A
• Key words: voltage, potential difference,
• voltmeter, series, parallel

• By the end of this lesson you will be able

• to:

• Draw and identify the circuit symbols for a

• voltmeter, battery, and lamp
• State that the voltage of a supply is a measure
• of the energy given to the charges in a circuit.
• Draw circuit diagrams to show the correct positions of a
• voltmeter in a circuit.
• State that the sum of potential differences across the
• components in series is equal to the voltage of the
• supply.
• State that the potential difference across components
• in parallel is the same for each component.
What is electricity?

What is a voltage?

What is a volt?

Discussion
Demonstration
Voltage in series and parallel
What is the energy change which
takes place in a battery?

Chemical to Electrical
 When a battery is in a circuit…

• The electrical energy is carried by the

• electrons that move round the circuit.

• It is converted into others forms of

• energy.
 • If there is a bulb in the circuit, it is
• converted from

• to

http://www.members.shaw.ca/len92/current_animation.gif
• The amount of electrical energy the
• electrons have at any point in a circuit is
• known as their “potential”.

• As they move the electrons transfer energy

• into other forms.

• This means at any two points the electron has

• different amounts of energy.
Electrons start with (for example) 6J of energy. They have “potential

As they pass
through the
bulb, some of
the energy is
converted to
light.
Electrons which
have passed
through the bulb
have less
energy. Or less
There is a “potential”
“potential”.
difference
in the circuit
 What has “potential difference” got
to do with voltage?
• It is the same thing!

• The potential difference (p.d.), or voltage,

• of a battery is a measure of the electrical
• energy given to one coulomb of charge
• passing through the battery.
 Potential Difference or Voltage (V)

• A 9 V battery will give how much energy

• to each coulomb of charge passing
• through the battery?

• 9J
 Potential Difference or Voltage (V)

• A 1.5 V battery will give how much energy

• to each coulomb of charge passing
• through the battery?

• 1.5 J
 Potential Difference or Voltage (V)

• A battery with a p.d. of 6V will give how

• much energy to each coulomb of charge
• passing through the battery?

• 6J
 Voltage or p.d.
• Voltage (or p.d.) is measured in

• volts
• and is given the symbol

•V
 Summary of Units
Quantity Symbol Units Symbol
charge Q coulombs C

time t seconds s

current I amperes A

voltage V volts V
 How can we measure voltage?
• Voltage (or p.d.) can be measured using a
• voltmeter. V

• An ammeter is connected in the circuit

• but a voltmeter must be connected across
• the component.
 You can’t measure voltage…
• in a circuit

• through a circuit

• through a component

• flowing
 Build a series circuit
• Build a series circuit which contains a
• 6V battery, two 6V lamps, and a meter
• used for measuring potential difference
• across each lamp.

• What is the meter called?

• Where is it positioned in the circuit?

 Drawing a circuit diagram
• Now draw a circuit diagram of the series
• circuit which you built.

• Remember to use a ruler and pencil, draw

• components carefully, draw wires as
• straight lines (with corners as right
• angles!), and make sure all components are
• correctly draw and joined in the circuit.
 Series Circuits and Voltage
• We are measuring the potential difference (V) in a series circuit.

• What have we observed?

• We find that the

• How can this be written mathematically?

 Parallel Circuit
• Now use the same components to
• construct a parallel circuit.

• This is a circuit with different branches.

 Parallel Circuits and Voltage
• We are measuring the potential
• differences in a parallel circuit.

• What have we observed?

• How can this be written mathematically?

• Key words: electrical resistance, voltage,
• current, Ohm’s law, ohms, resistor,
• variable power supply

• By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• State that V/I for a resistor remains
• approximately constant for different currents.
• State that an increase in resistance of a circuit
• leads to a decrease in the current in that
• circuit.
• draw the symbol or a variable power supply and
• resistor.
• Key words: electrical resistance, voltage,
• current, Ohm’s law, ohms, resistor,
• variable power supply

• By the end of this lesson you will have

• practised:
• building a series circuit
• using an ammeter and a voltmeter to find
• current and voltage.
• graphing results
 Resistors
The symbol for a resistor is
 Resistors

• Resistors oppose (or resist) the

• flow of electric current. They have a
• property called resistance (R) which
• is measured in ohms (Ω).
 What is the relationship between
current and voltage in a resistor?
• Current is measured using an ammeter.
• Voltage is measured using a voltmeter.

• Investigation: relationship between

• current and voltage in a resistor.
 Relationship between current and
voltage in a resistor
I / Amps

Straight line through

the origin tells us that
current is

directly proportional to
voltage

The ratio V/I is constant

and is equal to resistance
p.d. / in the circuit.
Volts
 Relationship between current and
voltage in a resistor
V
is approximately constant
I
The constant is resistance R
V
R
I
Relationship between current and
voltage in a resistor
V
R Ohm’s Law
I

V  IR
 Resistors
cell
What do you expect
to happen to the current
A if you increase the value
of the resistor in the
circuit shown?

lamp
resistor Demonstration
 Calculate
• For a voltage of 12V, calculate the
• current for a resistant of

(i) 1 Ω
(ii) 2 Ω
(iii)4 Ω
(iv)24 Ω
(v) 1 k Ω
• What can you say about current and
• resistance for a fixed voltage? Complete
• the sentences.

• As resistance increases, the current

• As resistance decreases, the current

 Varying Resistance
• The opposition to current or resistance
• of a material (measured in Ω) depends
• on several things.

• Think and discuss what some of these

• might be.
 Varying Resistance
• The opposition to current or resistance of
• a material (measured in Ω) depends on
- type of material (the better the conductor, the
lower the resistance)
- length of material (the longer the material, the
higher the resistance)
- thickness of material (the thinner the material, the
higher the resistance)
- temperature of material (the higher the
temperature, the higher the resistance)
 Varying Resistance
• The relationship between length of the
• material and resistance allows us to make
• a
• variable resistor (or rheostat).
 Variable Resistor
A B
Incoming
current

Outgoing
current

Demonstration
 Variable Resistors
• In the above diagram, if the
• slider is moved in the direction
• A→B the resistance will
• increase because the length of
• wire through which the current
• passes increases.
 Uses of Variable Resistors?
• Variable resistors can be used

• as volume or brightness controls on

• televisions
• volume control on MP3 players
• light dimmer switches.
• Key words: resistance, series, parallel,
• ohms, ohmmeter
• By the end of this lesson you will be able
• to:
• State the relationships between total
• resistance and individual resistances in
• series and parallel circuits
• Carry out calculations involving the
• relationships between resistors in series
• and in parallel
• Key words: resistance, series, parallel,
• ohms, ohmmeter

• By the end of this lesson you will have

• practised:
• building a series circuit
• building a parallel circuit
• drawing circuit diagrams
• using an ohmmeter to measure resistance
• in a circuit
Variation of Resistance and Current for
a Lamp Filament
•Look at the circuit diagram below:

Handout
•Name each of the components

•Is this a series or parallel circuit?

•As the voltage across the lamp increases, what do you

expect to happen to the current?

•Sketch a graph of your prediction of the relationship

between current and voltage.
• In the resistor, current and voltage are
• directly proportional.

• But in a filament lamp, heat is generated.

• We know that resistance increases as
• temperature increases. So we see that as
• voltage increases, temperature increases,
• resistance increases and current
• increases – but more slowly than we might
• predict.
 Measuring Resistance
• We can find the resistance of a
• component by measuring

• voltage across the component using

• a voltmeter

• current through the component using

• an ammeter
 Measuring Resistance
• or we can measure it directly using an
• ohmmeter

Ω
Demonstration & experimen
 Series and Parallel Circuits
Voltage, Current and Resistance
Vs
- +

I1 I3
V1 V2 V3

R1 R2 R3
I2

What type of circuit is this?

 Vs
- +

I1 I3
V1 V2 V3

R1 R2 R3
I2

One electrical path from negative

to positive therefore series.
 Vs
- +

I1 I3
V1 V2 V3
R1 R2 R3

I2

What is the relationship between the three currents?

The current is the same at each point.

I1  I 2  I 3
 Vs
- +

I1 I3
V1 V2 V3
R1 R2 R3

I2

What is the relationship between the four voltages?

They add to equal the supply voltage.

Vs  V1  V2  V3
 Disadvantages of Series Circuits?
• When one component fails the whole circuit
• fails.

• The current is the same at all points and the

• voltage is divided between the bulbs. The
• more bulbs added the dimmer each one is.
 Vs
- +

I1 I3
V1 V2 V3
R1 R2 R3

I2

How do you find total resistance in series?

Add each resistance together.

Rtotal  R1  R2  R3
 Vs
- +

IT V1 IT

R1 I1

V2

R2
I2

V3

R3
I3

What type of circuit is this?

 Vs
- +

IT V1 IT

R1 I1

V2

R2
I2

V3

R3
I3

More than one electrical path – components connected on different

branches therefore parallel.
 Vs
- +
What is the
relationship
between the
IT V1 IT four
R1 currents?
I1

V2 The four currents

R2 I2 add to give the
total current.
V3
R3 I3

I T  I1  I 2  I 3
 Vs
- +
What is the
relationship
between the
IT V1 IT four
R1 voltages?
I1

V2 Each voltage is
R2 I2 equal to the
supply voltage.
V3
R3 I3

VS  V1  V2  V3
 Vs
- +

IT V1 IT
R1
I1 The
V2 resistance
R2 I2
in parallel?
V3
R3 I3

1 1 1 1
  
R
T
R1
R
2
R
3
If more resistors are connected in
parallel the total resistance will
always

decrease
This is because there are more
branches through which the
electricity can flow.
 Advantages of the Parallel Circuit?
• When one bulb fails the rest of the circuit
• continues to work.

• The more components, the lower the

• resistance. The total current drawn
• increases. Voltage in each branch is the same as
• the supply voltage therefore bulbs in parallel
• will each be as bright as a single bulb.What have you
learned today?
 Handout 3
• Key words: resistor, resistance, series,
• potential, potential divider
• By the end of this lesson you will be able
• to:
• State that a potential divider circuit
• consists of a number of resistors, or a
• variable resistor, connected across a
• power supply.
• Carry out calculations involving potential
• differences and resistance in a potential
• divider.
Name each component.
What type of circuit is this?

V V
The supply voltage is 6V. What is voltage V1? V2?

10Ω 10Ω

V1 V2
The supply voltage is 10V. What is voltage V1? V2?

10Ω 10Ω

V1 V2
The supply voltage is 5V. What is voltage V1? V2?

10Ω 10Ω

V1 V2
The supply voltage is 6V. What is voltage V1? V2?

5Ω 10Ω

V1 V2
A series circuit with two resistor and a power supply is
known as a potential divider.

Why is it
called a
potential
divider?

V1 V2
• The potential difference of the supply is
• divided between the two resistors.

• When the two resistors are identical (i.e.

• have the same value of resistance), the
• potential difference is split equally.
Investigating Potential Dividers
 Potential Divider Circuits
• A voltage divider consists of two devices,
usually resistors, connected in series.
R1=100 Ω V1 R1=4.5 kΩ V1

6V 6V

R2=100 Ω V2 R2=9 kΩ V2
•The current in each resistor is calculated
•using Ohm’s Law:

V
I
R
• What can we say about the current in a
• series circuit?

• It stays the same throughout the circuit.

V I =V
I1 = = 2 R 1 2

R 1 2
• In a voltage divider circuit

V V
I1 = = I2 ==
1 2

R 1 R 2
• This can also be written

V V
R =1

R
2

1 2
• If the resistance of one resistor
• is increased, the voltage across this
• resistor will

• This means the other voltage must

 Potential Dividers
R1
V1  VS What do the symbols mean?
R1  R2
R2 V1 is the voltage across resistor R1
V2  VS
R1  R2 V2 is the voltage across resistor R2
R1
V1  VS VS is the supply voltage
RT
RT is the total resistance
R2
V2  VS
RT
 Potential Dividers
R1
V1  VS Look again at the worksheet.
R1  R2
Use the formula to calculate V1
R2
V2  VS and V2 for each circuit.
R1  R2
The answers found using the
R1
V1  VS formula match the values
RT measured using the voltmeter.

R2
V2  VS
RT