Fundamentals of

Electrical Engineering
Electronic & Communication Engineering
Danang University of Technology

Course Administration (1)

Courses sequence:
Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering (215)
Circuit Theory (233)

The prerequisite of this course:

Fundamental physics (PHYS 122), including concepts of power,
energy, force, electric current, and electric fields
Fundamental mathematics (MATH 126), trigonometric and
(complex) exponential functions, introductory differential and
integral calculus, 1st and 2nd order linear differential equations

Grading policies:
HW (20%) + Lab (30%) + Midterm (20%) + Final exam (30%)

Course Administration (2)

Goals:
To develop the fundamental tools of linear circuit analysis which
will be useful to all engineers.
To learn the "alphabet" of circuits, including wires, resistors,
capacitors, inductors, independent and dependent voltage and
current sources, and operational amplifiers.
To prepare students for more advanced courses in circuit theory
(EE233).

Textbooks:
James W. Nilsson and Susan A. Ridel, Electric Circuits, 8th
edition, Prentice-Hall, 2008.

References:
Lessons in Electric Circuits (a free series of textbooks,
http://www.faqs.org/docs/electric/ )
EE 215, Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, EE Dept., UW
Acknowledgement: Materials of EE Dept., UW is re-used here

Objectives
At the end of the course, you will be able to :
Identify linear systems and represent those systems in schematic form
Explain precisely what the fundamental circuit variables mean and why
the fundamental laws governing them are true.
Apply Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws, Ohm's law, and the terminal
relations describing inductive and capacitive energy-storage elements to
circuit problems.
Simplify circuits using series and parallel equivalents and using
Thevenin and Norton equivalents
Perform node and loop analyses and set these up in standard matrix
format
Explain the physical underpinnings of capacitance and inductance.
Identify and model first and second order electric systems involving
capacitors and inductors
Predict the transient behavior of first and second order circuits

How To Cooperate ?
Instructors:
Office hours: 1 hour right after each class, at ECE
office
Teaching assistants:
TA hours: 2 hours per HW
Lab assistants
Support you during Lab hours: 1 Lab per week
Collaboration policy
HWs are assigned to each individual student
Labs are assigned to each group of 4 students
Allow to discuss solving methods, compare results
Copy answers from anything you has not generated:
CHEATING

Lecture 1
Circuit Variables
(chapter 1)

Preview
Know some applications of electrical engineering
Know and be able to use the definitions of voltage and
current
Know and be able to use the definitions of power and
energy
Be able to use the passive sign convention to calculate
the power for an ideal basic circuit

Overview of EE
Electrical engineering deals with systems that generate,
transmit and measure electric signals.
Signals: functions of one or many independent variables.
Electrical signals: Voltage signals & Current signals
Electrical engineering
combines the physicists models of natural phenomena with
the mathematicians tools
manipulate these models
produce systems that meet practical needs
Electrical systems: communication, computer, control, power
and signal processing systems

Communication Systems

Communication Systems

Computer Systems
Process information:
-

Use electric signals to process information ranging

from word processing to mathematical computations
Size and power:

From pocket calculators, personal computers to

supercomputers
Examples: calculators

Mechanical motion
electric circuit

sensor

electrical signals

Control Systems
Regulate processes:
-

From word processing to mathematical computations

Examples:

Control of temperature

Control of pressure

Control of flow rate in an oil pipeline

Elevators

Autopilot and autolanding systems

Power Systems
Generate and distribute electric power
Generate electric power by:
-

Nuclear generators

Hydroelectric generators

Thermal (coal, oil, gas) generators

Distribute electric power by:

Grid of conductors
Example: South-North 500kV power system

Signal Processing Systems

APPLICATIONS
Spectrum analysis
Feature extraction
Signal detection
Signal estimation
Signal verification
Signal recognition
Signal modeling

Analysis

Measures

APPLICATIONS
Noise removal
Interference separation
Signal compression
Analog/Digital
Signal coding
Signal synthesis
Filter
Spectrum shaping

Processed

Interactive Systems
Interaction takes place among the engineering
disciplines involved in designing & operating them
Communication engineers use computer to control sys
Computers contain control systems
Control systems contain computers
Power systems require extensive communication sys
A signal-processing system may involve
communication links, computers & control systems
Examples: Commercial airplanes, robots

One Thing In Common: Electric Circuits

Electric Circuits
An electric circuit is a mathematical model that
approximates the behavior of an actual electrical
system
Example: car battery

What is Electric Circuit?

Goals of electric system theory:
To analyze electrical systems
To determine/interpret/compare system
specifications and performance
Require mathematical model electric circuit
Mathematical model provides:
An important foundation for learning
The way to design systems
The way to operate systems
From now on: talking about an electrical circuit
we
mean a model !

Circuit Analysis
Concepts:
A commonly used mathematical model for electrical systems
is a circuit model

Ideal circuit components:

Has only two terminals, used to connect to other terminals
Be described mathematically in terms of current i / voltage v
Cannot be subdivided into other elements

General representation:

The type of element determines the

mathematical relationship between v & i

v
2

Voltage and Current

Water system:

Electricity system:

Pipes to carry water

- Wires to carry electricity

The flow of water through

- The flow of electricity
pipes is caused by pressure
through wires is caused by
differences
VOLTAGE differences

Water flows from high

pressure to low pressure

- Electricity flows from high

voltage to low voltage

What flows in electricity? CHARGE

How do we measure this flow? BY CURRENT

Current
In most circuits what moves are electrons, which have a
negative charge. The movement of negative charge in
one direction corresponds to the flow of positive current
in the opposite direction.
(The reason for this is that Ben Franklin had to pick a
direction for current flow. He had no idea what actually
moved. He guessed wrong.)
The rate of charge flow is the electric current

dq
i=
dt

i = the current in amperes (A)

q = the charge in coulombs (C)

t = the time in seconds (s)

1C
1A =
1s

Voltage
The energy per unit charge created by the separation
between positive and negative charges

dw
v=
dq

v = the voltage in volts (V)

w = the energy in joules (J)

q = the charge in coulombs (C)

Voltage is measured between two points, a high

point (+) and a low point (-). Knowing which
point is the high point and which the low is
called polarity. Often the points are given letters
or numbers to identify them. These can then be
used in subscripts.

Voltage
Another definition of voltage, which is consistent with
calling it electrical pressure, is that voltage is the amount
of work (which is energy, of course) needed to move one
unit of charge from the negative to the positive terminal.

dw
v=
dq

v = the voltage in volts (V)

w = the energy in joules (J)

q = the charge in coulombs (C)

Ass. Pro. 1.3

The current at the terminals of the following element is
given below. Calculate the total charge (in microcoulombs) entering the element at upper terminal.

t<0
0,
i=
5000 t
20
e
(A), t 0

Ass. Pro. 1.3

Ass. Pro. 1.4

The expression for the charge entering the uper
terminal is given in the equation. Find the maximum
value of the current entering the terminal if a =
0.03679s-1

1 t 1 at
q = 2 + 2 e ( C)
a a a

Ass. Pro.1.4

Power and Energy

Often, the useful output signal of the electrical system
is non-electrical
output of an image processing system?
output of a telephony system?
output of a light lamping?

Often, the useful output signal of the electrical system

is expressed in terms of power and energy
Also, all practical devices have limitations on the
amount of power that they can handle
Voltage and current calculation are not sufficient

Power Calculation
Power is the time rate of expending or absorbing energy
A lot of the general public get power and energy mixed
up. Power, p, is the change in energy with time.

dw
p=
dt

p = the power in watts (w)

w = the energy in joules (J)

t = the time in seconds (s)

Play with a trick: apply the Chain rule:

dw dw dq
p=
=
= v.i
dt dq dt
Note: Power may be delivered to the pair of terminals or
extracted from it

Passive Sign Convention

It is useful to establish an agreement about the voltage
drop, the direction of current, the sign of voltage and
current
The sign of voltage/current is indicated by plus/minus sign
The direction for the current is shown by the arrow placed
alongside the current
i

The voltage drops from 1 to 2

1
v

Passive sign convention:

If current flows in direction of voltage drop, then use

plus sign in any expression relating voltage to current.
Otherwise, use a minus sign

PSC and Examples

If current flows in direction of voltage drop, then use
positive sign in any expression relating voltage to current.
If p > 0, power is being delivered to the circuit inside the
box. If p < 0, power is being extracted from the circuit
inside the box

Plus sign: the current reference is in the direction of the reference

voltage drop across the terminals. Minus sign: vice verse

Car Battery Example (1)

What is the developed power or dissipated power ?
Ohms law: i = v/R = 12V/3 = 4A
At resistor: p = v.i =
Conclude
At battery: p = v.i =
Conclude

Car Battery Example (2)

Which car has the dead battery?
30A

1. Model the real system by a

circuit model.
2. Calculate powers:

Car Battery Example (2)

Which car has the dead battery?
30A

Ass. Pro. 1.6

The current at the terminals of the following element is
given below. Assuming the voltage at the terminals
corresponding to the given current is provided.
Calculate the total energy (in joules) delivered to the
element.
i
1
v
2

t<0
0,
i=
5000 t
20
e
( A), t 0

t<0
0,
v = 5000t
(kV ), t 0
10e

Ass. Pro. 1.6

Problem 1.27
a. Is the interconnected circuit
passed the power check?
b. Find the error and propose
your solution.

Problem 1.27

Study Guide Section 1.1

a. What is an electric circuit?
b. What is a lumped-parameter system?
c. If a signal is transmitted at a frequency of 106 Hz, what is
its wavelength?
d. If the signal in (c) is transmitted by a communication
system, what is the largest relevant dimension of that
communication system if it is to be treated as a lumpedparameter system?
e. Think about the problem-solving techniques you have
developed in your math and science classes. Do you
already use the steps enumerated on pages 8 and 9? Why
or why not?

Study Guide Section 1.2

a. 10 mA is the same as __________ A and ____________
A.
b. 50 k is the same as __________ M and
____________ .
c. 600 nF is the same as __________ F and
____________ pF.
d. Solve Assessment Problem 1.2 and Chapter Problem
1.1.

Study Guide Section 1.3 & 1.4

a. What blocks and arrows in Fig. 1.4 are covered in the
circuits class you are now taking?
b. Define voltage in words and with an equation.
c. Define current in words and with an equation.
d. Use the equations for voltage and current to confirm the
definition of the units volt and ampere (see Tables 1.1
and 1.2).

Study Guide Section 1.5

a. List the three attributes of an ideal basic circuit element.
i. Which of the attributes describes ideal?
ii. Which of the attributes describes basic?
iii. Which of the attributes describes circuit element?
b. What symbol do we use to describe the direction of
current flow? This symbol should remind you that current
flows through a circuit element.
c. What symbols do we use to describe the polarity of
voltage? These symbols should remind you that voltage is
defined across a circuit element.
d. Redraw the ideal basic circuit elements below so that the
voltage and current are both positive numbers.

Study Guide Section 1.5

e. Redraw the ideal basic circuit elements below so that the
voltage and current are both positive numbers.

Study Guide Section 1.5

f. The passive sign convention is extremely important, so make sure
you understand it. We will use the passive sign convention to
determine whether a given equation involving voltage and current
should use a positive sign or a negative sign. One way to remember
the passive sign convention is to realize that the current arrow always
points to the correct sign! Consider the following ideal basic circuit
element with current and voltage defined as shown:

Here, the passive sign convention tells us to use a + sign in any expression
involving voltage and current. You can see that the current arrow points to the
+ sign. Consider the next example:

Study Guide Section 1.5

Now the passive sign convention tells us to use a in any expression
involving voltage and current. You can see that the current arrow points
to the sign. Finally, consider the following example:

In this example the current doesnt appear to point at either the + or

sign. But since current must flow through the circuit element, we can
redraw the current on the other side of the circuit element in the same
direction:

Now we can see that the current arrow points at the + sign so we
should use the + sign in any expression involving voltage and current.

Study Guide Section 1.5

g. Decide whether the passive sign convention tells you to
use a + or a sign for the following circuit elements:

h. Solve Assessment Problem 1.3.

Study Guide Section 1.6

a. Define power in words and with an equation.
b. Use the defining equation for power to confirm the
definition of the unit watt (see Table 1.2).
c. Use the equation for power as a product of voltage and
current to confirm the definition of the unit watt (see Tables
1.1 and 1.2).
d. Write an equation for energy in terms of power. Write
another equation for energy in terms of voltage and current.
e. If you are given a plot of power versus time, what is one
way to find the energy for a given time interval without
integrating? Use this technique to solve Problem 1.19.
f. Write the equation for power in terms of voltage and current
for each of the circuit elements shown in Study Guide Section
4(g). Also state whether power is being delivered to or
extracted from the circuit element.

Study Guide Section 1.6

g. Note that in this text, when the power associated with a
circuit element is positive, we will use one of the following
interchangeable expressions:
Power is delivered to the circuit element
The circuit element absorbs power
When the power associated with a circuit element is
negative, we will use one of the following interchangeable
expressions:
Power is extracted from the circuit element
The circuit element generates power
The circuit element delivers power
g. Solve Assessment Problem 1.5 and Chapter Problem
1.26.