INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRICITY

Matter is composed of atoms, which are composed of protons, neutrons,

and electrons
- PROTONS
- Positively charged
- Found “locked” in the nucleus with the neutrons
- ELECTRONS
- Negatively charged
- Moving around in the electron clouds
- Not “locked” into position
- Electrons can and do move between atoms, and can be
transferred to other materials and move around quite freely
at times
- This “free movement” of electrons is what we call electricity

1ST CONCEPT: LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

- States that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but may only change
form
- This applied here as electrical charges can be transferred between
objects

STATIC ELECTRICITY
- Anytime objects touch watch other, there is a transfer of electrons
- As the electrons in the outer energy levels of an atom are held less
tightly and can be torn away

- If there are enough extra electrons accumulating, then the object starts
to get “charged” up and has a noticeable difference in charge
- METHODS TO ADD UP ELECTRONS: friction, conduction, induction
 - If the charge dissipates quickly, no accumulation can occur (discharge)

Different materials allow the flow of energy, in our case electrons, to

varying degrees
- CONDUCTORS
- Materials that allow the easy flow of electrons
- INSULATORS
- Materials that do not allow the easy flow of electrons

ELECTRICITY
- Flow of electrons around a circuit
- Rate of movement of electrons that can be measured over a certain
amount of time
- The current is defined as the rate of charge movement or the
movement of electrons through an area over a given amount of
time
- Faster movement of electrons = Higher current
2ND CONCEPT: RESISTANCE
- Anything that slows down the flow of electrons
- Restriction to current flow
- Increasing resistance will reduce the flow of current
- Measured in ohms, which is abbreviated by the letter R and the
symbol is Ω (omega)

FACTORS THAT SLOW ELECTRONS

1. Materials - What the electrons are moving through
2. Temperature - How warm or cold the materials are
3. Length - How far the electrons need to move
4. Cross section - How wide the area is through which the electrons are
trying to move through

3RD CONCEPT: POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE / VOLTAGE

- Change in electrical potential energy between two points
- For example, a 9 volt battery has a difference in electrical potential
energy of 9 volts between the two terminals of the battery.
- One is at zero volts, and as the electrons are moved through the
battery, they gain 9 joules of electrical potential energy.
- Since charge is measured in a unit called coulombs and energy is in
joules, as the charges gain energy the potential difference is
- 9 joules per coulomb = 9 volts of potential difference.
ENERGY IS CONSTANTLY CONSERVED IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:
1. Chemical potential energy is converted to electrical potential energy in a
battery
2. Electrical potential energy is changed to thermal / light / mechanical
energy as the electricity moves through the different materials

ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
- A set of electrical components connected to provide one or more
complete paths for a movement of charge
- Physical model of the paths electricity can take

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS
- Graphical representations of an electrical circuit
- Standard set of scientific symbols used to represent different
components in a circuit:
 GENERAL CIRCUIT INFORMATION
- A circuit is a complete path for electrons to follow as they flow
- If the path is not complete, there can be no flow between two
points
- SHORT CIRCUIT
- A circuit which contains little or no resistance
- The components get too hot due to the excess current
and there isn’t enough resistance to slow it down
- This can cause fires
- E.g. 2 terminals of a battery directly connected,
uninsulated wires come into contact
- EMF (ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE)
- The energy per unit charge supplied by a source of
electric current
- Source of electric current
- Charge pump
- E.g. batteries and generators

A battery changes chemical potential energy to electrical potential energy as it

transfers the energy to the electrons in the battery. As they move along the
circuit, the energy is then transferred to the different components,
and dissipated (given off) usually as heat, light, or sound.

INCANDESCENT BULB
- Converts electrical energy to thermal energy (heat) and electromagnetic
radiation (light)
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS

1. SERIES CIRCUIT
- There is a single conducting path
- Has no junctions for electricity to follow
- All bulbs / resistors/ components in series will have the same current
- This is because the current can only flow as fast as the slowest
(most resistant) component will allow
- Requires all elements to conduct with no broken parts, or the current
stops
- The total current in a series depends on the number of resistors present
and resistance of each
- EQUIVALENT RESISTANCE (symbolized Req)
- Also known as the total resistance
- Sum of all resistances in a circuit from all components

ADVANTAGES:
1. Good for regulating current (all parts have the same current)
2. Good for reducing current on individual parts
3. Current stops if a component breaks

DISADVANTAGES:
1. All parts have the same current
2. If one part breaks, the whole circuit fails

2. PARALLEL CIRCUIT
- Components are connected across common points
- Provides separate conducting paths for electricity to follow
- Resistors in parallel have the same potential different across them
- The voltage is the same for all parts
- The current will be different for each part based upon the resistance of
each component
- More resistance = Slower current
- TOTAL CURRENT: sum of currents in parallel resistors
-
ADVANTAGES:
1. Does not require all elements to conduct
2. One part can malfunction, the rest will continue to work
3. Potential difference does not change for all components when one
component fails
4. Allows for standardization of products
5. Allows manufacturers to regulate current through a product by resistors
6. Home wired in parallel

DISADVANTAGES:
1. Current will change if one component fails
2. Current is different in all components

3. COMPLEX CIRCUIT
- Some segments are series, while other segments are parallel
- This is to take advantage of the benefits of both
- It is common in homes to have multiple outlets in parallel to each other
and in series with a fuse / circuit breaker
- Allows identical potential difference but safety from overload of
current
- FUSE
- Small metallic strip that melts when current becomes too high
- Replacement necessary when melted
- CIRCUIT BREAKER
- Device that triggers a switch to open circuit when current is too
high
- Reset switch when opened
- Both are specially designed for specific amounts of current