Electrical Engineering Cheat Sheet

Circuit Analysis
• Kirchhoff ’s Current Law (KCL):
X X
Iin = Iout

The sum of all currents entering a junction equals the sum of all currents leaving the junction.

• Kirchhoff ’s Voltage Law (KVL): X

V =0

The sum of the electrical potential differences (voltage) around any closed network is zero.
• Ohm’s Law:
V = IR
Where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance.
• Power:
V2
P = IV = I 2 R =
R
Power is the rate at which energy is consumed or produced.
• Energy:
E = P t = IV t
Energy is the total work done over time.

Resistors
• Series Resistors:
Req = R1 + R2 + . . . + Rn
The total resistance in a series circuit is the sum of individual resistances.
• Parallel Resistors:
1 1 1 1
= + + ... +
Req R1 R2 Rn
The total resistance in a parallel circuit is the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of individual
resistances.
• Voltage Divider:  
R2
Vout = Vin
R1 + R2
Used to obtain a fraction of the input voltage.
• Current Divider:  
R1
Iout = Iin
R1 + R2
Used to determine the current through a branch in a parallel circuit.

1
Capacitors
• Capacitance:
Q
C=
V
Where Q is charge and V is voltage.
• Energy Stored in a Capacitor:
1
E= CV 2
2
The energy stored in a capacitor is proportional to the capacitance and the square of the voltage.
• RC Circuit Charging Equation:
 t

Vc (t) = Vs 1 − e− RC

Where Vs is the supply voltage, R is resistance, and C is capacitance.

• RC Circuit Discharging Equation:
t
Vc (t) = V0 e− RC
Where V0 is the initial voltage across the capacitor.

Inductors
• Inductance:
NΦ
L=
I
Where N is the number of turns, Φ is the magnetic flux, and I is the current.
• Energy Stored in an Inductor:
1 2
E= LI
2
The energy stored in an inductor is proportional to the inductance and the square of the current.
• RL Circuit Response (Charging):
 R

VL (t) = Vs 1 − e− L t

Where Vs is the supply voltage.

• RL Circuit Response (Discharging):
R
VL (t) = V0 e− L t
Where V0 is the initial voltage across the inductor.

AC Circuits
• Impedance:
Z = R + jX
Where j is the imaginary unit and X is the reactance.
• Reactance:
1
X = ωL −
ωC
Where ω = 2πf is the angular frequency.
• Resonance Frequency:
1
ω0 = √
LC
The frequency at which the impedance is minimized in a series RLC circuit.

2
Digital Logic
• AND Gate:
Y =A·B
Output is true if both inputs are true.
• OR Gate:
Y =A+B
Output is true if at least one input is true.
• NOT Gate:
Y =A
Output is true if the input is false.
• NAND Gate:
Y = (A · B)
Output is true if at least one input is false.
• NOR Gate:
Y = (A + B)
Output is true if both inputs are false.
• XOR Gate:
Y =A⊕B
Output is true if inputs are different.

Boolean Algebra
• AND Rules:
– A·A=A
– A·1=A
– A·0=0
• OR Rules:
– A+A=A
– A+0=A
– A+1=1
• De Morgan’s Theorems:
– (A · B) = A + B
– (A + B) = A · B

Microcontrollers
• Arduino: A microcontroller platform for building interactive projects.
• Programming: Typically uses C/C++.
• Basic Commands:
– digitalWrite(pin, value): Set a digital pin to HIGH or LOW.
– analogWrite(pin, value): Set a PWM value on a pin.
– digitalRead(pin): Read the value from a digital pin.
– analogRead(pin): Read the value from an analog pin.

3
LEDs
• Light Emitting Diode (LED): A semiconductor device that emits light when current flows
through it.
• Color: LEDs are available in various colors, determined by the semiconductor material.

• Brightness Control: Can be controlled by varying the current.

• Series Resistor: Always use a resistor in series to limit current and prevent damage.

Energy and Power

• Energy: The capacity to do work, measured in Joules (J).
• Power: The rate of energy transfer, measured in Watts (W).
• Efficiency:
Output Power
Efficiency = × 100%
Input Power

Signals and Systems

• Signal: A function that conveys information.
• System: A device or process that operates on a signal.

• Analog Signal: Continuous-time, continuous-valued signals.

• Digital Signal: Discrete-time, discrete-valued signals.

Sine Waves
• Amplitude: The maximum value of a sine wave.
• Period: The time taken for one complete cycle.
• Frequency: The number of cycles per second, f = 1
T .

• Phase: The angle of the wave at a given point in time.

• Sine Wave Equation:
x(t) = A sin(ωt + ϕ)
Where A is amplitude, ω is angular frequency, and ϕ is phase shift.