Basic Concepts

Looking for an adventure? Nah, don’t look further anymore. Opening a book is more adventurous than risking your life in some unknown distant lands. Oppsss. Wait! This is Electric Circuits not some English Literature subject. Sorry, my bad. :)

As they say, better late than never. This is, unfortunately, about a week overdue. (Sorry Sir, I’m not your usual facebook user that opens the account in a daily basis. hehehe)

Well, enough for some chit-chat and let’s begin our journey to the center of the circuits.

“Pikachu! I choose you!” These four words of Ash Ketchum from the popular Pokemon series linger in my ears even until now. Having some electric power is not just a puny move. Every child out there knows how powerful an electric current is. But what really is an electric current? How does it move in a circuit?

Fortunately for us CpE, ECE and EE students, we have the opportunity to be acquainted with these things. The other week was our first encounter and it is more of an introduction to its vast world. We were able to define and differentiate these terminologies and discussed some basic concepts needed to move forward deeper into its territory. Below is the gist of our 1^st week. Enjoy and have some fun. :)

Definition of terms

Electric Circuit - a path in which electrons from a voltage or current source flow; it is where electric current flows in a closed path; the interconnection of electrical elements

 Charge - the physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field; electrical property of the atomic particles of which matter consists; two types of charges – positive and negative , measured in coulombs (C)

Current - a flow of electric charge; this charge is often carried by moving electrons in a wire and can also be carried by ions in an electrolyte, or by both ions and electrons such as in a plasma; the time rate of change of charge, measured in amperes (A)

Voltage - the electric potential difference between two points, or the difference in electric potential energy of a unit charge transported between two points; the energy required to move a unit charge through an element, measured in volts (V)

Power- the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit; the rate of expending or absorbing energy, measured in watts (W)

Energy - a property of objects, transferable among them via fundamental interactions, which can be converted in form but not created or destroyed, measured in joules (J)

Had enough? I’m not yet done. :)

Ø  To continue, there are three basic elements of a simple electric circuits: a battery, a lamp and connecting wires. Such a simple circuit can exist by itself.

Ø  There are also two types of elements found in electric circuits: passive elements and active elements

o   Active elements – capable of generating energy

o   Passive elements – capable of absorbing energy

Ø  Lastly, we were also taught about the two kinds of sources: independent and dependent sources

o   Independent source – an active element that provides a specified voltage or current that is completely independent of other circuit elements

o   Dependent source – an active element in which the source of quantity is controlled by another voltage or current

 

Tired of reading? Watch this instead :)
 

That’s it folks. Thank you for reading my blog. GOD bless. :)