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Circuits: Electric Charge
Circuits: Electric Charge
Electric Charge
Electric Current
Figure 1 shows an electric circuit that consists of a battery, wire, switch and
bulb. The wire and filament of the bulb are made of metal. Atoms of a metal
have one or more electrons that are free to move. These electrons are called
free electrons.
When the switch is closed, the electrons move from the negative terminal to
the positive terminal, due to the energy from the battery, and the bulb glows.
This flow of electrons is called a current. Benjamin Franklin thought electricity
flows from a positively charged substance to a negatively charged substance.
His idea is still used today and is known as the conventional current
direction. Figure 2 shows the direction of electron flow and conventional
current direction.
Figure 2:
Conventional Current Flow
The rate at which the electrons flow in a circuit is measured in amperes (A).
One ampere of current is approximately equivalent to 6.24×10^18 electrons
moving past a boundary in one second.
The amount of charge (Q) is determined by a steady current (I) flowing in the
circuit for a time (t).
Q=I×t
Potential Difference
In Figure 1, to flow through the circuit, the electrons obtain energy from the
battery. A potential difference is set up across the positive and negative
terminal of the battery which causes the charges’ flow.
The potential difference between any two points in a circuit is the measure of
work done by an electron to move from one point to another. Potential energy
is measured in volts (V) and energy is measured in joules (J).
One volt is the potential difference between two points when one joule of
energy is transferred from electrical to other forms by one coulomb of electric
charge passing from one point to another.
Resistance
Combining Resistors
Conservation of Charge
The law of conservation of charge states that the total charge in an isolated
system never changes. In other words, charges can neither be created nor
destroyed. Charges can only be transferred. If a positive charge appears in a
system, it is accompanied by the appearance of a negative charge
somewhere else in the system. For example: When a plastic rod is rubbed
with woollen cloth, the plastic rod is negatively charged and the woollen cloth
is positively charged. Thus, the net charge in the system remains the same.
Summary
Consider the circuit shown below: The battery gives the charges potential
energy. In the bulb, electrical energy is transferred to thermal energy and then
radiated. The battery supplies 5 J of energy every second, so its power is 5
watts. The bulb is taking energy at the same rate, so its power is also 5 watts.
Figure 1: Electrical Power
Power is the rate at which energy is transformed from one form to another.
The SI unit of power is watt (W).
When a current flows through a resistor, it has a heating effect. Electrons lose
potential energy, which is changed into thermal energy. Hence, energy is
dissipated in the resistor.
D. Calculating Energy
We know that P=VI, hence the equation of energy can be written as:
G. Summary
Electrical power
Energy = Power × time = VIt
The unit for power is watt and the unit for energy is joules.
In a closed loop of a circuit, the sum of electromotive forces is equal to
the sum of the potential differences. This is Kirchhoff’s second law, and
is a consequence of the law of conservation of energy.