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Current and Voltage in Circuits

This document discusses key concepts about electric circuits including current, voltage, resistance and their relationships. It defines series and parallel circuits and explains their characteristics. Series circuits have the same current passing through each component while parallel circuits have the same voltage across each component. Connecting lamps in parallel allows individual control with switches and ensures the other lamps still work if one fails.

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Chalitha Ranasinghe
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63 views31 pages

Current and Voltage in Circuits

This document discusses key concepts about electric circuits including current, voltage, resistance and their relationships. It defines series and parallel circuits and explains their characteristics. Series circuits have the same current passing through each component while parallel circuits have the same voltage across each component. Connecting lamps in parallel allows individual control with switches and ensures the other lamps still work if one fails.

Uploaded by

Chalitha Ranasinghe
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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EDEXCEL IGCSE / CERTIFICATE IN PHYSICS 2-3

CURRENT AND VOLTAGE IN


CIRCUITS

BY: CHALITHA RANASINGHE


LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Explain why a series or parallel circuit is more appropriate for particular applications,
including domestic lighting.
• Know that electric current in solid metal conductors is a flow of negatively charged electrons.
• Understand and use the relationship between voltage, current and resistance:

voltage = current × resistance

V=I×R
• Understand that current is the rate of flow of charge.
• Understand and use the relationship between charge, current and time:

charge = current × time

Q=I×t
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Understand that lamps and LEDs can be used to indicate the presence of a current in a
circuit.
• Understand that voltage is the energy transferred per unit charge passed.
• Understand and use the relationship between energy transferred, charge and voltage:

energy transferred = charge × voltage

E=Q×V
• Understand that volt is a joule per coulomb.
• Understand why current is conserved at a junction in a circuit.
Electrical conductors and insulators
Complete the table below:
An electrical conductor
is a material through copper conductor
which electric current
flows easily. rubber insulator
1

steel conductor
2
All metals are
conductors. mercury conductor
3

Electrical insulators paper insulator


have a very high plastic insulator
4
resistance to the flow of
electric current. diamond insulator
5

graphite conductor
6
Electric charge
Electric charge can be either
positive or negative.

In an atom an electron has a


negative charge that is of the
same size as the positive
charge of a proton. Neutrons
have no electric charge.

As an atom has the same


number of electrons as protons
it is uncharged.
Electric current
An electric current is the rate of flow of
electric charge.

An electric current of one ampere (A)


flows when a charge of one coulomb (C)
passes a point in an electric circuit in one
second

In metallic conductors (e.g. copper wire)


electrons carry negative charge from the
negative side of a power supply, around a The arrow shows the
circuit and back into the positive side. direction of electron flow.
Charge-current equation
electric charge = current x time

Q=Ixt

also: I = Q ∕ t charge
and: t = Q ∕ I

current time
Question 1
Calculate the charge passing through a
device when a current of 500mA flows for 3
minutes.
Q=Ixt
= 500 mA x 3 minutes
= 0.5A x 180s
charge = 90C
Question 2
Calculate the current flowing when a charge of
240C flows through a device in 80s.
I=Q/t
current = 240 C
80s
current = 3A
Answers
Complete:
Q I t

60 C 2A 30 s
65 C 13 A 5s

960 C 3A 4 minutes

3C 50 mA 60 s
Voltage
The voltage is the energy in joules provided
when a charge of one coulomb passes through
the battery.

voltage = energy / charge

1 volt is the same as 1 joule per coulomb


Question
Calculate the voltage of a battery if it
supplies 300 joules of energy to 50C of
charge.
voltage = energy ÷ charge
= 300 J
50 C
battery voltage = 6V
Answers
Complete:
Voltage Energy Charge

12V 480J 40C


20V 500J 25C

6V 120J 20C

230V 69kJ 300C


Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
Electric current is the rate of flow of electric _______.
charge

Electric charge is measured in _________.


coulombs

A battery provides electrical _______


energy . The amount of energy
provided per _________
coulomb of electric charge passing is equal to
voltage
the ________ of the battery.
The _______
mains joules
supply gives 230 ________ to every coulomb of
charge.
WORD SELECTION:
coulombs charge mains joules
coulomb voltage energy
Electric circuits
An electric current will only flow if there is a
complete, unbroken electric circuit, that
contains a power supply.

A circuit diagram uses a standard set of symbols to


show how electrical components are connected
together.
Circuit symbols
cell a cell is required to push electrons
around a circuit

battery a battery consists of two or more


cells
wire wires should always been drawn
as straight lines

switch a switch enables the current in a


circuit to be turned on or off
Circuit symbols
indicator often a light bulb – this is used to
show whether or not a circuit is on
A ammeter measures electric current in
amperes (A)
V voltmeter measures voltage in volts (V)

wire junction
Circuit symbols
fixed a resistor is used to limit the
resistor current in a circuit

a device whose resistance


thermistor
decreases with temperature

variable a resistor that can change its


resistor resistance

light dependent a device whose resistance


resistor (LDR) decreases with brightness
Circuit symbols
fuse a fuse is designed to melt and so break
an electric circuit when too much
electric current flows
diode a diode only allows current to flow in
one direction (indicated by the arrow)

light emitting a diode that emits light when


diode (LED) it allows the flow of electric
current
Electric current flow
Electric current flows
from the POSITIVE
terminal of a power
supply around a circuit to
the NEGATIVE terminal.
In the circuit above the diode is
The longer thinner line of aligned so that it allows current
to flow through the radio.
the symbol for a cell is
the positive terminal.
Complete
symbol component symbol component

A ammeter heater

diode resistor

indicator thermistor

cell LDR
Question
Draw a circuit diagram
for the torch shown
below.
Series circuits
Circuit components are said to be connected in
series if the same electric current passes through
each of them in turn.
3A 3A

3A 3A

3A 3A 3A

The cell and the two lamps are in series with each other and
so the same electric current passes through all of them.
In a series circuit all
of the components
can be controlled by
using just one
switch.

Each component
shares the voltage of
the power supply
and so adding more
bulbs in series will
cause each bulb to
become dimmer.
Parallel circuits
The voltage across each component connected in
parallel is the same.

The voltmeter reading for


component X, V1 will be the
same as the voltmeter
reading for component Y, V2.
In a parallel circuit all
of the components
can be individually
controlled by using
separate switches.

If one light bulb


blows the other
bulbs will still carry
on working.
Currents in parallel circuits
The total current
through the whole 5A 5A
circuit is the sum of
the currents through 3A 3A
the separate 2A 2A
components.
What are the advantages of connecting two lamps in parallel rather than in
series to a power supply?

When connected in parallel:


1. the lamps are brighter than when connected in series
2. the lamps can be controlled individually with switches
3. one lamp will continue working even if the other does not
Calculate the currents measured by ammeters A1,
A2 and A3 in the circuit below.

6A
A3
A1 = 2A
A2 = 4A
A1
2A
A3 = 6A
A2
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
When components are _________
connected together in series they will
all have the same _________
current flowing through each of them.

When components are connected in parallel to each other


they will each have the same _________.
voltage

parallel
Lamps are usually connected in __________ to each other as
switches
this allows them to be controlled individually by _________
blows the others can still continue to
and if one lamp _______
operate.
WORD SELECTION:

blows current switches parallel connected voltage


QUESTIONS?

- THE END -

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