ELECTRIC CURRENT

A flow of charge from one place

to another. The unit is Ampere,
which equal to a flow of 1
coulomb per second.
 Moving charges as a
current
 Its described as a stream of
moving charges.
 May range very small currents
such as the nerve impulses to a
large as the solar wind emitted
by the sun.
 There must be a “net” flow of
charges towards one direction.
When moving charges is not a
current
 When there is no net flow of
charge even though there are
actual movement.
 Example:
 Electrons of a copper conductor in
absence of electric potential.
 Electrons just move randomly the
charge flowing charge flowing to
one direction is equal to those
flowing to the other direction.
 Electric current in a
conductor
 An isolated conductor in absence of
electric potential contains free flowing
electrons but no electric current.
Isolated
conducto
r

charges
 continuation:

 A conductor connected to a dry cell or

battery has the necessary electric potential
to influence the flow of charges towards
one direction, hence producing current.

Conductor

Charges
+ -
Battery
Direction of charges
continuation:

 Electric current (I ) is defined as the

amount of charges passing through a
hypothetical plane intersecting the
conductor per unit of time.
 Its unit is coulomb per second (C/s), also
called ampere (A).
Where:
Q I = Current (ampere,
I  A)

t
Q = Charge (coulomb, c)
t = Time (second, s)
continuation:

t = t0 t = t0 + 1 s
- -
- -
- -

plane plane
continuation:

 Independent to the selection of

hypothetical plane
a b c

I I

c’
a’ b’
Sample problem:

A wire carries a current of 0.8

ampere. How many electrons
passes every section of the
wire every one second?
 Current is a scalar
quantity
 Electric current is moving along
a conductor has only two
possible directions.
 Electric current are scalars.
Adding and Subtracting the
current does not consider the
orientation of the conductor in
space.
continuation:

I1

I0
I0 = I1 +
I2

I2
DIRECTION OF CURRENT
 In reality, electric current are
movement of electrons along the
conductor.

 For historical reason, current is

treated as flow of positive
charges to the direction opposite
that of the actual movement of
electrons.
continuation:

 These positive charges are not

actual particles. They are called
holes, vacant spaces where
there should be an electron. The
charge of a hole is +1.6 x 10-19 C.

 Electrons are known as negative

charge carriers. Holes are known
as positive charge carriers.
 Drift Speed
 The net motion of charged particles as a group:
Where:
I = electric current (A)

Q n = charge concentration

I  n / q / vd A
vd = drift velocity (m/s)
e = charge of electron
t A = cross-sectional area
of conductor(m2)

 Usually very small (10-5 or 10-4 m/s)

compared to random motion of
charges (106 m/s)

Iin A Iin
 Current Density
 Current per unit of cross-sectional
area of a conductor.
 A vector quantity with the same
direction as the motion of positive
charge carriers.
Where:
Where:
I = electric current (A)

I J = current density (A/m 2)

J  n / e / vd
n = charge concentration
vd = drift velocity (m/s)

A e = charge of electron
A = cross-sectional area
of conductor(m2)
Sample Problem:

A 491 gauge copper wire has a

nominal diameter of 0.64 mm.
This wire carries a constant
current of 1.67 A to a 4,910 watts
lamp. The density of free electron
is 8.5 x 1028 electrons/m3. Find the
current density and the
magnitude of drift velocity.
 Types of Current

 Direct current
 The direction of current is constant.
 The graph of current vs time is a
straight line.
 Developed by Tomas Alva Edison
 Soon replaced by alternating current as
primary means of transmitting
electricity, but still used in battery
operated devices.
continuation:

 Alternating Current
 The direction and magnitude of the current
continuously changes between two extremes.
 The graph of current vs time is sinosoid.
 Developed by Nikola Tesla and George
Westinghouse, forming rivalry with
Thomas Edison on War of the
Currents.
 The most commonly used method of electric
transmission today.
 Types of Current

Direct Current Alternating Current

I (A) I (A)

t (s) t (s)
 ELECTRIC
RESISTANCE
 Electric Resistance
 Property of the conducting medium that
weakens the transmission of electric
current.
 Denoted as R and its unit is Ohm (Ω).
Where:

L R = Resistance (Ohm,
Ω)
R ρ = resistivity (Ωm)

A L = Length of the wire

(m)
A = cross-sectional
area of a wire(m2)
Sample Problem:

A ρ

A piece of 1.0 m wire has a

resistance of 0.19 ohms. Calculate
the resistivity of the wire. The
cross-sectional area of the wire is
0.5 mm2.
Resistivity & Conductivity
 Resistivity (ρ)
 Measure of how much resistance a
material possesses against electric
current.
 Intrinsic property of a material that
depends on its electronic structure.

Conducting material Electric field

 continuation:
 Measure by placing the material
between two plates with constant
electric field (E ) and taking the ratio of
electric field and current density (J ).

Where:
E
 ρ = resistivity (Ωm)
E = electric field (N/c)
J J = current density
(A/m2)
 Varies with temperature
continuation:

 Conductivity
 Measure of how the material is
capable of conducting electricity.
 Reciprocal of resistivity.
 Variation of Resistivity
with Temperature
 Over a wide range of temperature, the graph of
resistivity vs temperature of metal is linear.

10
Room temperature
Resistivity 10-8 Ωm

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Temperature (Kelvin)
Variation of Resistivity with
Temperature
 Thus it can be represented by a
Linear equation.

   0  0 T  T0 
Where:
ρ = resistivity (Ωm)
ρ0 = resistivity at room temperature (Ωm)
T = temperature (Kelvin,K)
T0 = room temperature (K)
α = coefficient of resistivity (K-1)
continuation:

 The Temperature coefficient

of resistivity (α) determines
how much resistivity
increases with temperature.

 Its unit is (per Kelvin)K-1.

Sample Problem:

What is the resistivity of iron at

200K? Use the values of
resistivity (at room temperature)
and temperature coefficient of
the resistivity in the handout.
 Ohm’s Law
 The current I (Ampere, A) is directly
proportional to the potential difference V
(Volt,V) with resistance R (ohms,Ω) as
the proportionality constant.

V IR
continuation:

 Assumed that the resistance does

not vary with voltage or current.
 Not all conducting material follow
“Ohm’s Law”. Those are follow are
said to be ohmic , while those that
do not are said to be non ohmic.
 Current Potential Difference graph
of a 1000 W resistor, an Ohmic
device.

+2

Current (mA) 0

-2

-4 -2 0 +2 +4

Potential Difference (V)

 Current vs Potential Difference
graph of a pn junction diode, a
non-ohmic device.

+2

Current (mA) 0

-2

-4 -2 0 +2 +4

Potential Difference (V)

 Single Loop Circuit
 Circuit
 Close network of electronic devices
through which current constantly flows.

+ -
R
I
I
+ -
EMF Device EMF
Maintain potential difference.
Provides steady flow of charge.
EMF stand for Electromotive
force.
 The Resistor
 Provides a resistance to the circuit.
 It was specially designed to only
provide certain amount of resistance.
 An Ohmic device
 Such conductor device.
 It was verified experimentally by the
German physicist Georg Ohm (1787-
1854).
 Electromotive Force
 A circuit consists of electrons from the
negative terminal of a battery to the
positive terminal of the battery.
 Electrons must then return to the negative
terminal, or current will stop flowing.
 The electron are forced into this higher
potential by a electromotive force.

EMF
continuation:

 EMF Devices:
 Battery or Dry Cell

 Electrochemical Cell

 Electric Generator

 Photovoltaic Cell
continuation:
 Internal Resistance
 The resistance found inside real
batteries
 Lessen the output voltage of the battery.
 Denoted as ri
 Its SI unit is Ohms (Ω).
 A real battery is now drawn as:

ri

EMF
continuation:

Terminal Potential Difference (TPD)

 The output voltage of a source of emf
after internal resistance takes effect.
 The equation used to solve for terminal
potential difference is:
TPD = E – Iri
 Where:
TPD = voltage across the source (V)
E = voltage if the source is ideal emf (V)
ri = internal resistance of the source (Ω)
I = current flowing through the battery (A)
Sample Problem:
 A 6.0 V battery is connected to an
external 6.0 0hms resistor.
(a) What is the value of the current
flowing through the external circuit if
there is no internal resistance,
(b) What is the value of the current
flowing through the external circuit
when the internal resistance is 0.3
ohms?
Resistors in Single
Loop Circuit
 Resistors in Series

Circuit.
Where: R is resistance, I is electric current and V is
electric potential difference.

R1 R2 R3
+ - + - + -

RT
IT
+ -
VT
Equivalent resistance in a
Series Circuit

RT R1  R2  R3  .......  Rn
IT I1 I 2 I 3 ........ I n
VT V1  V2  V3  .........  Vn
Sample problem:
 Resistors R1 = 2.00 ohms, R2 =
3.00 ohms and R3 = 4.00 ohms are
in series connection with a
voltage source of 100.0 volts.
Find the equivalent resistance,
electric current and electric
potential difference.
Resistor in Parallel Circuit

I1
+ - R1

I2
+ - R2
RT

I3 R3
+ -

IT
+ -
VT
Equivalent resistance in
a Parallel Circuit
1 1 1 1 1
    ....... 
RT R1 R2 R3 Rn
I T I1  I 2  I 3  ........  I n
VT V1 V2 V3 ......... Vn
 Sample problem:

 Resistors R1 = 3.00 ohms, R2 =

5.00 ohms and R3 = 7.00 ohms are
in parallel connection with a
voltage source of 110.0 volts.
Find the equivalent resistance,
electric current and electric
potential difference.
Resistors in Single Loop Circuit
 Resistor in Series-Parallel Circuit
R1 RT
+ - R3
+ -
+
-

R2
IT
+ -
VT
POWER IN
CIRCUITS
The Power in the Circuits
 Flow of current across a circuit.
continuation:
 Movement of a charge across a
electric device:
 It moves from higher potential to
lower potential.
 Hence, there is a decrease in potential
energy.

Q
continuation:

 If there is a decrease in potential

energy, there must be a
transmission to another form of
energy.
 Light bulb: to heat and light.
 Electric motor: to mechanical energy

 Resistor: Internal energy/heat.

continuation:

 The rate at
which electric P IR
potential
2
energy is P I R
transformed to
another form of 2
energy is the V
POWER in the P
circuit. R
Sample Problem:
 A current flowing through a 25.0
ohm resistor is 2.0 A. How much
power is dissipated by the
resistor.
 MULTILOOP
CIRCUIT
 Provides multiple paths for current.
 When one component was cut-off,
others can still function.
What happen when one component in
a series circuit was cut-off?
What happen when one component in
a multiloop circuit was cut-off?
continuation:
 Current in a Multiloop Circuit
 The point where three or more
segments of the conductor meet is
called the junction.
 The current split at the junction.

Junction

current
 GUSTAV KIRCHHOFF
 German physicist who, in the
collaboration with Robert William
Bunsen, develop ed the science of
spectrum analysis.
 He showed that each element, when
heated to incandescence.
 He produced a characteristic pattern of
emission lines.
 He formulated Kirchhoff’s Law for
electric circuit.
 (1824-1887)
 KIRCHHOFF’S LAW
 In any closed circuit, the algebraic sum of all
EMF’s and potential drop is equal to zero.
(Using loop direction)
R1 R2
+
+

I1 + I2
+
R3
I3 +
Emf1 Emf2
Loop 1 Loop 2
- - -
 KIRCHHOFF’S LAW
 At any point in a circuit, the sum of the
currents leaving the junction point is equal
to the sum of all the current entering the
junction point. (Using current direction).
Junction point
R1 R2
+ +

+
+
I1 I2 +
R3
ε1 I3 ε2
- -
Sample Problem:
 In a given circuit below, Find: a) I 1, b) I2 and c) I3

15 Ω 10 Ω
+ +

+
+
I1 I2 +
9v 5Ω 12v
I3
- -
 RC CIRCUIT
(Resistor and Capacitor in a circuit)
  Resistor- Capacitor in a circuit.

+ -

S1 R
+

ε S2
C
-

Where: ε = Batteries (Emf)

Open
S1 & S2 = Switches
R = Resistor
C = Capacitor Close
 Charging a capacitor
I
I closed
+ -

S1 R
+

ε - S2
C I

open
I
I I

Where:

 VR  VC
VR = Potential difference
across the resistor.
VC = Potential difference
across the
capacitor.
continuation

 Current IO at the moment S1 closed (t = 0)


I0 
R

 Current I at any time t after S1 closed:

 q
I  
R RC
 After some time t
 The charge of the capacitor (q) increases
 Current (I ) decreases.
continuation

 Until the capacitor reaches its

equilibrium charge (qeq), happen
when VC reaches VC = ε, which
result to I = 0

 q
  qeq C
R RC
continuation

 Charge and current of the capacitor at

any given time t after t = 0.

 t
I  e RC
R
 t

q C 
 1  e RC 

 
continuation

 The time constant (τ) of RC series

circuit.
 The unit of time constant is second.
 At time t = τ
 Q = 0.63 Cε
 I = 0.37 Io
 The charging time of RC circuits are
often stated in terms of time constant.
Sample Problem:
A resistor with resistance R=1.0 x
106Ω, capacitor with capacitance
C=2.2 x 10-6F, a voltage source
with ε = 100 v, and a switch are
all connected in a single loop series
circuit. The switch is initially open.
When the switch is closed, calculate:
(a) Initial current across the resistor
(b) Equilibrium charge of the capacitor
(c) Time constant of the circuit
(d) Current through the resistor after 5 seconds
(e) Charge of the capacitor after 5 second
(f) Charge of the capacitor at t = τ