Chapter 1: Basic Concepts

Prof. Hyun-Sik Kim

*Lecture materials are modified version of the contents provided by Prof. Minkyu Je (KAIST)
Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 1
 Outline

 System of Units

 Basic Quantities

 Circuit Elements

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 2

 System of Units
 International System of Units (SI Units)
 Adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1960
 Seven base units:
The units of all other physical quantities can be derived from these units.
 Six base units & one derived unit (coulomb) that are related to this text:

 The other base unit? → mole (denoted by mol) for “amount of substance”

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 3

 System of Units
 SI prefixes
 The SI unit uses prefixes based on the power of 10 to relate larger and
smaller units to the basic unit.

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 Charge
 Electric charge is an electrical property of matter that can result in
electrostatic attraction or repulsion in the presence of other matter

 SI unit of quantity of electric charge: coulomb (C)

 Defined as the quantity of charge that has passed through the cross section
of an electrical conductor carrying one ampere within one second
 −1 C is equivalent to the charge carried by about 6.242  1018 electrons
 Charge of an electron (electronic charge) is approximately −1.602  10−19 C.
 The charges found in nature are integral multiples of the electronic charge.

 Law of conservation of charge

 Charge can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred.
 Thus, the algebraic sum of the electric charge in a system does not change.

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 Current
 Current is defined as the time rate of change of charge:
t

dq (t )
i (t ) = or q (t ) = i ( x )dx
dt −

where i and q represent current and charge, respectively.

 SI unit of quantity of current: ampere (A)

 1 A = 1 Cs (coulomb per second)

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 Current
 Convention for current
 The current flow can be resulted both from positive and negative charges.
 Universally accepted conventional current flow represents the movement of
positive charges.

Positive charges Negative charges

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 Current
 Representation of current flow
 It is important to specify not only the magnitude but also the direction.
 A positive value for the current indicates flow in the direction of the arrow.
 A negative value indicates the flow in the direction opposite to the arrow.

2 C of charge pass 3 C of charge pass

from left to right from right to left
each second. each second.

A negative current of –5 A flowing in one

direction is the same as a current of +5 A
flowing in the opposite direction.

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 Current
 AC & DC current
 Alternating current (ac): a current that changes direction with respect to
time, which is commonly found in every household and used to run the
refrigerator, stove, washing machine, and so on, being supplied by home
outlets typically.
 Direct current (dc): a current that flows only in one direction and can be
constant or time varying, which is used in automobiles, flashlights, and so
on, being supplied by batteries typically.

Alternating current (ac) Direct current (dc)

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 Current
 Typical current magnitudes

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 10

 Voltage
 Voltage (electromotive force, potential) between two points is defined as the
difference in energy level of a unit charge located at each of the two points.

 SI unit of quantity of voltage: volt (V)

 1 V = 1 JC = 1 NmC
 Work or energy is measured in joules (J).
 1 joule is 1 newton meter (Nm).
 If a positive charge is moved between two points, the energy required to
move it is the difference in energy level between the two points, and is the
defined voltage:
dw (t )
v (t ) =
dq (t )

where v(t) and w(t) represent voltage and energy (or work), respectively

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 Voltage
 Representation of voltage
 Voltage is always measured in a relative form as the voltage difference
between two points.
 It is important to define a voltage with a reference direction so that it can be
determined which point is at the higher potential with respect to the other.
 Hence, like in the case of current, not only its magnitude but also its
direction must be specified.

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 Voltage
 Examples of voltage representation
The + and − signs define a reference direction for V1. V1 is defined
with the assumption that point A is at the higher potential than point
B. Hence, V1 = 2 V means that the difference in potential of points A
and B is 2 V and point A is at the higher potential.
If a unit positive charge is moved from point A through the circuit to
point B, it will give up energy to the circuit and have 2-J less energy
when it reaches point B.
If a unit positive charge is moved from point B to point A, extra
energy must be added to the charge by the circuit, and hence the
charge will end up with 2-J more energy at point A than it started
with at point B.

These two representations are equivalent to each other.

Both of them means that the potential between points a
and b is 9 V, and point a is at the higher potential.
There is a 9-V voltage drop from a to b, or equivalently
a 9-V voltage rise from b to a.

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 Voltage
 Typical voltage magnitudes

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 Energy
 Voltage-current relationship for energy transfer

Chemical Energy Electrical Energy Thermal Energy

 Charges flow out of the positive terminal of the battery and light bulb and
back into the negative terminal of the battery.
 The bulb absorbs energy, and the charges expend energy as they move
through the bulb; the current enters the positive terminal of the voltage.
 The battery supplies energy, and the charges gain energy as they pass
through the battery; the current leaves the positive terminal of the voltage.
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 Energy
 Examples of voltage-current relationships for energy absorbed and supplied

Energy is being supplied to the element by the rest of the

A A circuit.
3 C of charge are moving from point A (B) to point B (A)
through the element each second.
Each coulomb loses 4 J of energy as it passes through the
element from point A (B) to point B (A).
Therefore, the element is absorbing 12 J of energy per second.
B B

Energy is being supplied by the element to the rest of the

A A circuit.
3 C of charge are moving from point B (A) to point A (B)
through the element each second.
Each coulomb gains 4 J of energy as it passes through the
element from point B (A) to point A (B).
Therefore, the element is suppling 12 J of energy per second.
B B

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 Power
 Power is defined as the time rate of change of energy:
dw (t )  dw (t )   dq (t ) 
p(t ) = =   = v (t )i (t )
dt  dq (t )   dt 

where p(t) represents the (instantaneous) power.

 SI unit of quantity of power: watt (W)

 1 W = 1 Js (joule per sec)

 The change in energy from time t1 to time t2 can be found by

t2 t2
w = t 1
p(t ) dt = t 1
v (t )i (t ) dt .

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 Power
 Convention for power: passive sign convention
 The variable for the voltage v(t) is defined as the voltage across the element
with the positive reference at the same terminal that the current variable i(t)
is entering.
 If the sign of the power is positive, power is being absorbed by the element.
 If the sign is negative, power is being supplied by the element.

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 Power
 Examples of power calculation

P = (12 V)  (−4 A) = −48 W

The element is supplying power.

P = (4 V)  (2 A) = 8 W
The element is absorbing power.

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 Conservation of Energy
 Law of conservation of energy
 The sum of the powers absorbed by all elements in an electrical network is
zero:
 p(t ) = 0.

 The power supplied in a network is exactly equal to the power absorbed.

 Checking to verify that the law of energy conservation is satisfied for a
particular network is one way to check our calculations when analyzing
electrical networks.

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 Summary of V, I, Q, P, E
 Summary of electrical amounts

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 21

 Circuit Elements
 Circuit elements
 Terminal devices that are completely characterized by the current through
the element and/or the voltage across it.
 Circuit elements are employed in constructing electric circuits.

 Passive and active elements

 An active element is capable of generating energy (e.g., batteries and
generators).
 An passive element cannot generate energy; some passive elements
dissipate (use) energy and some are capable of storing energy (e.g.,
resistors, capacitors, and inductors)
 Independent and dependent voltage and current sources are important
active elements.

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 Independent Sources
 Independent voltage source
 Two-terminal element that
maintains a specified voltage
between its terminals
regardless of the current
through it

 Independent current source

 Two-terminal element that
maintains a specified current
regardless of the voltage
across its terminals

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 Independent Sources
 Limitation of the mathematical model (ideal source model)
 Mathematical models approximate actual physical systems only under a
certain range of conditions.
 Example: Car battery
 With the headlights on, turn on the radio. Do the headlights dim with the
radio on?
 If you try to crank your car with the headlights on, will the lights dim?

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 Dependent Sources
 Dependent sources generate a voltage or current that is determined by a
voltage or current at a specified location in the circuit.
 These sources are important because they are an integral part of the
mathematical models used to describe the behavior of many electronic
circuit elements.
 For example, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs)
and bipolar transistors are modeled with dependent sources, and therefore
the analysis of electronic circuits involves the use of these controlled
elements.

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 Dependent Sources
 Four types of dependent sources

VCVS: voltage-controlled voltage source CCVS: current-controlled voltage source

VCCS: voltage-controlled current source CCCS: current-controlled current source

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 26

 Dependent Sources
 Example: Determine the outputs.

Vo = 20 VS = 20  (2 V) = 40 V
The output voltage has been amplified from
2 V at the input terminals to 40 V at the
output terminals.
The circuit is a voltage amplifier with an
amplification factor of 20.

Io = 50 IS = 50  (1 mA) = 50 mA
The circuit has a current gain of 50,
meaning that the output current is 50 times
greater than the input current.
The circuit is a current amplifier with an
amplification factor of 50.

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 27

 Dependent Sources
 Example: Use law of energy conservation to find the current Io.

P2A = (6 V)  (−2 A) = −12 W

P1 = (6 V)  Io = 6Io W
P2 = (12 V)  (−9 A) = −108 W
P3 = (10 V)  (−3 A) = −30 W
P4V = (4 V)  (−8 A) = −32 W
PDS = (8Ix V)  (11 A) = (16 V)  (11 A) = 176 W

−12 + 6Io − 108 − 30 − 32 + 176 = 0

6Io = 12 + 108 + 30 + 32 − 176 = 6
Io = 1 A

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 Summary
 System of Units  Circuit Elements
 SI base units  Passive and active elements
 SI prefixes  Independent sources
 Dependent sources
 Basic Quantities
 Charge
 Conservation of charge
 Current
 Voltage
 Energy
 Conservation of energy
 Power

Basic Concepts EE201 Circuit Theory 29

 Recommended Problems
 Problems 1.1, 1.7, 1.15, 1.17, 1.18, 1.25, 1.30, 1.33, 1.35 (in text book)

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