CE 311 ENGINEERING UTILITIES 1

ELECTRICAL UNITS

The Following electrical units are those most often used in working out
problems in electricity. The ‘IEEE Standard Dictionary Of Electrical and Electronics
Terms,” Wiley-Interscience (1972), gives the following definitions:

a) Amperes, that constant current which, if maintained in two straight parallel

conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross section, and placed 1
meter apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force
equal to 2 X 10-7 newton per meter of length. Unit of flow equal to one
coulomb of charge past given point in one second. Named after the French
physicist and mathematician, Andre M. Ampere (1775 – 1836).
b) Coulomb, the unit of electric charge in SI units (International System of Units).
The coulomb is the quantity of electric charge that passes any cross section of
a conductor in 1 second when the current is maintained constant at 1 ampere.
c) Farad, the unit of capacitance in SI units. The farad is the capacitance of a
capacitor in which a charge of 1 coulomb produces 1 volt potential difference
between its terminals.
d) Henry , that unit of inductance in SI units for which the induced voltage in volts
is numerically equal to the arte of change of current in amperes per second.

e) Joule, the unit of work and energy in SI units. The joule is the work done by a
force of 1 newton acting through a distance of 1 meter.

f) Microfarad, equal to 10-6 farad

g) Millihenry, equal to 10-3 henry ; microhenry, equal to 10-6 henry.

h) Volt, the unit of voltage or potential difference in SI units. The volt is the
voltage between two points of a conducting wire carrying a constant current
of 1 ampere, when the power dissipated between these points is 1 watt.
Named after the Italian physicist, Alessandro C. Volta (1754 – 1827) who
invented the first electric battery.
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i) Watt, the unit of power in SI units. The watt is the power required to do work
at the rate of 1 joule per second.
j) Ohm, the unit of resistance (and of impedance) in SI units. The ohm is the
resistance of a conductor such that a constant current of 1 ampere in it
produces a voltage of 1 volt between its ends. Named after the German
physicist, Georg S. Ohm 91787 – 1854)

k) Gram-calorie, the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water

1 centigrade degree. One gram-calorie is equal to 4.18 joules (nearly).

l) Horsepower (HP), used to rate electrical equipment and equal to 746 watts;
also equal to 2,546 Btu per hour.

m) Kilowatt, equal to 1,000 watts.

ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES:
Electricity cannot e weighed on a scale or measured into a container. But,
certain electrical “actions” can be measured. These actions or “terms’ are used to
describe electricity; voltage, current, resistance, and power.

Voltage Pressure Volts

Current Flow Ampere
Resistance Opposes flow ohms
Power Is the amount of work performed. It depends on Watts/VAR/VA
the amount of pressure and the volume of flow.

 VOLTAGE
Voltage is electrical pressure, a potential force or difference in electrical
charge between two points. It can push electrical current through a wire, but not
through its insulation.
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Voltage is measured in volts. One volt can push a certain amount of current,
two volts twice as much, and so on. A voltmeter measures the difference in
electrical pressure between two points in volts. A voltmeter is used in parallel.

𝑾
E=
𝑸

where:
E = potential difference or voltage (volt)
W = work done (joule)
Q = charge (coulomb)

 CURRENT
Current is electrical flow moving through a wire. Current flows in a wire or a
conductor pushed by voltage which an electric pressure.
Current is measured in amperes, or amps, for short. An ammeter measures
current flow in amps. It is inserted into the path of current flow, or in series, in a
circuit.

where I = current, A
Q = charge, C
T = time, sec
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 RESISTANCE
Resistance opposes current flow. It is like electrical “friction”. This res

resistance slows the flow of current. Every electrical component or circuit has
resistance. And, this resistance changes electrical energy into another form of
energy – heat, light, and motion.
Resistance is measured in ohms. A special meter, called an ohmmeter, can
measure the resistance of a device in ohms when no current is flowing.

𝐿 𝑉 𝐿²
R= 𝜌 = 𝜌 =𝜌
𝐴 𝐴² 𝑉
where:
R = resistance
A = cross-sectional area
𝜌 = resistivity
L = length
V = volume
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 Specific resistance or resistivity – the amount of change of resistance in a
material per unit change in temperature
 Circular mil (CM) – area of a circle having a diameter (D) of one mil.

 Factors Affecting Resistance

Five factors determine the resistance of conductor. These factors are length of the conductor, diameter,
temperature, physical condition and conductor material. The filament of a lamp, the windings of a motor
or coil, and the bimetal elements in sensors are conductors. So, these factors apply to circuit wirings as
well as working devices or loads.

 Length
Electrons in motion are constantly colliding as voltage pushes them through a conductor. If two
wires are the same materials and diameter, the longer wire will have more resistance than the shorter
wire. Wire resistance is often listed in ohms per foot (e.g., spark plug cables at 5 ohms per foot). Length
must be considered when replacing wires.

 Diameter
Large conductors allow more current flow with less voltage. If two wires are the same material and
length, the thinner wire will have more resistance than thicker wire. Wire resistance tables list ohms per
foot for wires of various thicknesses (e.g., size or gauge … 1,2,3 are thicker with less resistance and more
current capacity; 18, 20, 22 are thinner with more resistance and less current capacity). Replacement
wires and splices must be proper size to the circuit current.
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 Temperature
In most conductors, resistance increases as wire temperature increases. Electrons move faster, but
not necessarily in the right direction. Most insulators have less resistance at higher temperatures.
Semiconductor devices called thermistors have negative temperature coefficient (NTC) resistance
decrease as temperature sensors has an (NTC) thermistor. Other devices use (PTC) thermistors.

o Temperature coefficient. The resistance of a conductor at any temperature can be found

as follows:
Rt = R0(1 + α∆t)

Rt = resistance at temperature t◦C

Ro = resistance at temperature of the coefficient

The coefficient α is called the temperature coefficient and it can be described as the ratio of the increase
in resistance per degree C rise in temperature
 Physical Condition
Partially cut or nicked wire will act like smaller wire with high resistance in the damaged area. A
kink in the wire, poor splices, and loose or corroded connections also increase resistance. Take care not
to damage wires during testing or stripping insulation.

 Material
Materials with many free electrons are good conductors with low resistance to current flow.
Materials with many bound electrons are poor conductors (insulators) with high resistance to current
flow. Copper, aluminum, gold and silver have low resistance; rubber, glass, paper, ceramics, plastics, and
air have high resistance.
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Sample Problem:
1.

R = Ro (1+α∆T)
R = 1.72Ω [1+ (0.00393/oC * ( 0oC – 20oC) )]
R= 1.72 Ω [1+ (-0.0786)]
R= 1.58 Ω

2. Solve theoretically the resistance of a copper wire with Length 1.3 m and cross
sectional area of 5.5mm2
𝐿
R=ρ
𝐴
1.3 𝑚
R = 1.7x10-8 Ω*m x
5.5 𝑚𝑚2

R = 4.02 miliOhms
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