April Murray 1

Notebook Assignment #4

Parts of the Electrical Circuit

A Simple electrical circuit contains 4 parts, a power
source, a load, connectors, and a switch. The power
source provides energy for the electricity to travel along
the circuits and the loads is the device that the circuit is
designed to power.

PART

DESCRIPTION

Ohms Law

Founded by Georg Ohm. A

voltage potential equals the
current multiplied by the
resistance.

Current

The rate at which charge flows

past a point on a circuit. The
current is the ratio of the
quantity of charge(Q) and time
(t).
Force or electrical pressure
that causes electrons to move
from one point to another.
Location-dependent quantity
that expresses the amount of
potential energy per unit of
charge at a specified location.

Voltage

Electrical
Potential

SYMBO
L

Unit

V=RI
V:Voltage
R:
Resistanc
e
I: Current
Amp
ere

Volt

Volt

(when a coulomb of charge, or any

given amount of the charge,
possesses a relatively large quantity
of potential energy at any given
location, then that location of high
electrical potential. Visa versa as
well, if coulomb possesses small
quantity of potential energy, said to
be of low electrical potential)

Resistance

The hindrance to the flow of

charge.

EQUATI
ON

ohm

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Notebook Assignment #4
(Radioactive use: Tungsten- 5.6x10^8 ohm x Meter)

Capacitor

Normally used to introduce a

time delay in a circuit.

(Think of as a battery with very low

capacity)

Transformer

Resistor

Motor
Power
Source

Conductor

Convert alternating current

from one voltage to another.
Transfer electrical energy
between 2 circuits. A
transformer consist of 2 wire
coils wrapped around a core.
The wire coils create
electromagnetic fields, and the
changes in these fields help to
transfer the energy.
You use the resistor to control
the voltages and the current
running through an electric
circuit. Device slows the flow of
electricity.
Output devices which produce
motion.
Source of electrons
(electricity)

Wire that connects all the

parts.
(ex: Metals and most liquids, gold,
platinum, silver, copper)
(4 factors that affect resistance of a
conductor; material used, length of
conductor, cross sectional diameter,
temperature of conductor)

Diode

Fuses

Used to transfer a.c. into d.c.

and they allow current to flow
in only one direction. They
work like a valve. A diode
usually has 2 electrodes- the
anode and cathode.
Used to protect circuits from

V/kV
A/m
A

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Notebook Assignment #4

Electromechanical
Circuit
Breaker

fault. Fuses are a very thin wire

that will melt when too much
current flows through it.
Broken down into 2 general
sub-groups:
1. Magnetically
actuated devices
-Based on current flow through a coil
generating a magnetic field that
unlatches a contact.

2. Thermally actuated
devices
-Mechanical motion, obtained by
resistance heating of thermostatic
metals, is used to unlatch a contact
or pair of contacts.

Battery
Electrical
Power
Switch

Power Loss

A device that stores energy in

chemical form.
The rate at which energy is
used.
Provides the control that closes
(continues) or opens (breaks)
the electrical energy flow on
the circuit.
(To turn on and off)
Heat from electrons hitting
each other.

Watt

REFERENCES:
www.ehow,com/list_5801387_four-basic

P=IV

P_loss=I2
R

April Murray 4
Notebook Assignment #4

https://www.brightknowledge.org/knowledgebank/engineering/features-and-resource/electrical-circuitcomponents
www.physicalclassroom.com/class/circuits/lesson-3/resistance
http://www.mechprod.com/circuit-protection--types