DIRECT CURRENT

Current
Electric current in a conductor (e.g metal) is the flow of free electrons through a material.
The electrons are always present in the metal and are in constant random motion. If a source
of electromotive force (e.m.f) such as a battery is joined to the two ends of a wire, it attracts
the electrons so that they move generally in one direction.

+ -

Electric current through an area is defined as the total charge passing through that area per
unit time.
I = Q/t
units: Amperes (A).
Ammeter is used to measure current through a load (resistor). It has low resistance (i.e
negligible) so that it does not increase resistance in the circuit and is connected in series with
the load.
Voltage
This is the potential difference between two points. The e.m.f of a device e.g battery,
generator, is defined as the maximum potential difference that the device can produce across
its terminals.
units: Volts (V).
Voltmeter is used to measure potential difference across the load. It has very high resistance
so that it does not take any current and always connected in parallel with a load or a cell.

Resistance
As free electrons move through a conductor due to an applied potential difference, they
collide with each other and with atoms of the conductor crystal lattice. This property of the
conductor that restricts this movement is known as the resistance of the conductor.
units: ohm ().

Ohm's Law
Ohm's law states that for a metallic conductor at a constant temperature, the potential
difference V is proportional to the current I in the conductor.
V = IR
where R is a constant known as resistance.

Simple Electric Circuits

A simple DC circuit consists of a current source (e.g. battery) and one or more
"loads" (circuit elements). Each "load" absorbs electrical energy, converting it to some
other form of energy, e.g. a light bulb emits heat and light energy, an electric motor
performs mechanical work and emits heat.

Resistors in Series
Resistors in Parallel

Electrical Power
Electric power is defined as the rate at which electrical energy is consumed in an
electrical circuit.. Although sources such as electric batteries can supply electric power,
it is mostly produced by electric generators.
Electric Power, P = Current x Voltage
P = IV = (I2R or V2/R).
The SI unit of power is the watt, which is one joule per second

Example:

A 9V battery is connected to a resistor having a resistance of 10 Ω. What is the current

and power across the resistor?

Solution:

I = V/R = 9/10 = 0.9 A

P = VI = 9 × 0.9 = 8.1 J/s or 8.1 W

Electric Energy Consumption

Units used by Electric Power Company (Utility) are kWh.

Energy = Power x time

1 kWh = 103*1 J/s*3600s = 3.6 x 106 J