Basic Electronics

Lecture 02

Prepared By
Zeeshan Fiaz
Outline

Ohm’s Law
Its Applications in Real Life
Electrical Energy
Electrical Power
Ohm’s Law
 Ohm's law states that, in an electrical circuit, the current passing through most
materials is directly proportional to the potential difference applied across them,
Mathematically,
V∝R
V=IR
where I is current in amperes (A), V is voltage in volts (V), and R is resistance in
ohms (Ω)
 For a constant resistance, if the voltage applied to a circuit is increased, the current
will increase and if the voltage is decreased, the current will decrease.
 Ohm’s law describes mathematical relation between voltage, current, and
resistance in a circuit. It can also be written in three equivalent forms;
Express I as a function of V and R
Express V as a function of I and R
Express R as a function of V and I

 Three expression for Ohm’s Law

Units of Voltage Units of Current
Basic unit of voltage is the volt (V). Basic unit of current is the
Multiple units of voltage are: ampere (A).
kilovolt (kV) 1 thousand volts or 1^3 V Submultiple units of current are:
megavolt (MV) 1 million volts or 10^6 milliampere (mA) 1-
V thousandth of an ampere or
Submultiple units of voltage are: 10^-3 A
millivolt (mV) 1-thousandth of a volt microampere (µA) 1- millionth
or 10^-3 V of an ampere or 10^-6 A
microvolt (µV) 1-millionth of a volt or
10^-6 V
Units of Resistance
Basic unit of resistance is the Ohm (Ω).
Multiple units of resistance are:
kilohm (kΩ) 1 thousand ohms or 1^03 Ω
Megohm (MΩ) 1 million ohms or 1^06 Ω

Problems

 How much is the current, I, in a 470-kΩ resistor if its voltage is 23.5 V?

 How much voltage will be dropped across a 40 kΩ resistance whose

current is 250 µA?

Note: Please consider related problems
 Linear Relationship of Current and voltage

 In resistive circuits, current and voltage are linearly proportional.

Linear means that if one is increased or decreased by a certain
percentage, the other will increase or decrease by the same
percentage, assuming that the resistance is constant in value. For
example, if the voltage across a resistor is tripled, the current will
triple. If the voltage is reduced by half, the current will decrease
by half.
 Let’s take a constant value of resistance, for example, and calculate the current for several values of
voltage ranging from 10 V to 100 V in the circuit in Figure 4(a). The current values obtained are shown
in Figure 4(b). The graph of the I values versus the V values is shown in Figure 4(c). Note that it is a
straight line graph. This graph shows that a change in voltage results in a linearly proportional change
in current. No matter what value R is, assuming that R is constant, the graph of I versus V will always
be a straight line.
Applications of Ohm’s Law
Current calculation in circuits
Voltage calculation in circuit
Resistance Calculation in circuit
Energy and power

 Energy is the ability to do work

 power is the rate at which energy is used
 In other words, power, P, is a certain amount of energy, W, used in
a certain length of time (t), expressed as follows:

P=W/t
where P is power in watts (W), W is energy in joules (J), and t is time
in seconds (s).
Amounts of power much less than one watt are common in certain areas of
electronics. As with small current and voltage values, metric prefixes are used
to designate small amounts of power. Thus, milliwatts (mW) and microwatts are
commonly found in some applications.

In the electrical utilities field, kilowatts (kW) and megawatts (MW) are common
units. Radio and television stations also use large amounts of power to transmit
signals. Electric motors are commonly rated in horsepower (hp) where 1 hp =
746 W.

Since power is the rate at which energy is used, power utilized over a period of
time represents energy consumption. If you multiply power in watts and time in
seconds, you have energy in joules, symbolized by W, W = Pt
Kilowatt-hour unit of Energy
The joule has been defined as the unit of energy. However, there is another
way to express energy. Since power is expressed in watts and time can be
expressed in hours, a unit of energy called the kilowatt-hour (kWh) can be
used.

Electric bills are charged on the basis of energy is being used. Because power
companies deal in huge amounts of energy, the most practical unit is the
kilowatt-hour.

For example, a 100 W light bulb burning for 10 h uses 1 kWh of energy.

W = Pt = (100 W)(10 h) = 1000 Wh = 1 kWh

Example
Power in Electrical Circuits

 When there is current through a resistance, the collisions of the electrons as

they move through the resistance give off heat, resulting in a conversion of
electrical energy to thermal energy.

 The amount of power dissipated in an electrical circuit is dependent on the

amount of resistance and on the amount of current, expressed as

P=(I^2)R
 The amount of power dissipated in a resistance may be calculated
using any one of three formulas, depending on which factors are
known:
P = I^2×R
P = V^2 / R
P = V×I

 These power expression also known as watt’s law

 Power Rating of the Resisters

 Power rating is the maximum amount of power that a resistor can dissipate without being
damaged by excessive heat buildup.

 The power rating is not related to the ohmic value (resistance) but rather is determined
mainly by the physical composition, size, and shape of the resistor. All else being equal, the
larger the surface area of a resistor, the more power it can dissipate.

 The surface area of a cylindrically shaped resistor is equal to the length (l) times the
circumference (c)
 When a resistor is used in a circuit, its power rating should be greater than the maximum power
that it will have to handle to create a safety margin.

 Therefore next higher standard value is used. For example, if a metal-film resistor is to dissipate
0.75 W in a circuit application, its rating should be the next higher standard value which is 1 W.

 When the power dissipated in a resistor is greater than its rating, the resistor will become
excessively hot. As a result, the resistor may burn open or its resistance value may be greatly
altered.

 A resistor that has been damaged because of overheating can often be detected by the charred or
altered appearance of its surface. If there is no visual evidence, a resistor that is suspected of being
damaged can be checked with an ohmmeter for an open or increased resistance value.