ELECTRICITY

Electricity is a form of energy that comes from the flow of charged particles. Charged
particles, such as electrons and ions, are particles that carry an electrical charge (either positive
or negative).

An electric current is produced when electric charges move through an electrical conductor.
Electrons are the electric charges that move or flow through a conductor.

Conductors:

• Conductors are materials that allow the free flow of electric charges (electrons) through
them.
• A good conductor is any material which has electrons that are readily free to move.
• All metals are good conductors of electricity.
• The most common metal used in electric circuits is copper (Cu) because it is relatively
cheap and readily available.
• Water is considered to be a good conductor at high voltages only.
• Conductors offer very little resistance to the flow of an electric current.

Insulators:

• Poor conductors have few free electrons and do not allow charges to move freely through
them.
• Poor conductors are called insulators.
• Examples of poor conductors of electricity include rubber, plastic, glass and air.
• Insulators are used to cover electrical connections and wires to prevent the leakage of
electric current and heat.
• Insulators offer good resistance to the flow of an electric current.

Semi-conductors:

• A semi conductor is any material whose properties falls between those of a good
conductor and an insulator.
• At room temperature they conduct electricity more easily that an insulator but less readily
that a conductor.
• Examples of semi-conductors include silicon and germanium.
 THE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

An electric circuit is formed when a conductor allows free electrons to continuously move
through it. An electric circuit can best be described as the path along which electric charges flow
(think about the flow of water in a pipe).

The electric circuit consists of an electrical source which drives the electrical current through all
the different components of the circuit.

• An electric current can only flow in a circuit when there is a continuous path in the
circuit.
• A closed circuit is one in which there is a continuous path for current flow.
• An open circuit is one in which there is a break in the circuit and no current flows.
• A short circuit is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended
path.

Circuit Diagrams:

Circuit diagrams are used to visually represent the flow of electric current in a circuit. There are
many different symbols that are used to represent the different components in an electric circuit.

COMPONENT SYMBOL FUNCTION

Open switch Shows that the circuit is open

Closed switch Shows that the circuit is closed

Bulb or lamp Symbol for device converting electrical

energy to light energy
OR

Fixed Resistor Restricts the flow of electric current

OR
Variable resistor Resistance can be changed to alter flow of
current
OR
Cell or battery Supplies electrical energy. A battery is
usually made of more than one cell.
Wires joined Shows that conducting wires are joined

Wires crossing Shows that conducting wires cross each

other but are not joined

Fuse Safety device that "blows" if too much

current passes through it.

OR

Ammeter Device used to measure current.

Voltmeter Device used to measure voltage.

Ohmmeter Device used to measure resistance.

Switches:

A switch is a device used to complete a circuit or break the circuit. Switches are used to turn on
or stop the flow of electric current by creating open and closed circuits.

Cell or Battery:

A cell provides the electrical energy in the circuit. One end of the cell is positive and the other is
negative. A battery is made up of two or more cells connected together in series.
+
The diagrams below show two simple circuits. The first diagram shows an open circuit because
the switch is in the open position. The second diagram shows a closed circuit because the switch
is in the closed position. Notice the bulb lights only when the circuit is closed.

Re-draw the two diagrams shown above in the space below using the correct circuit symbols for
the components in the circuit.
 TYPES OF SIMPLE CIRCUITS

1. The Series circuit:

A series circuit is one that connects electrical components end to end, one after another to
form a single loop. The current flowing through each electrical component in a series
circuit is the same.

The disadvantage of a series circuit is that a break or fault in any component in the circuit
stops the flow of current in the entire circuit.

2. The Parallel circuit:

A parallel circuit is one that splits into two or more branches. The current flowing
through each branch is less than the current flowing from the electrical source. If one
component is faulty current will still flow to the components in the other branches.

Which of the two arrangements of circuits shown above is best for wiring in houses?
 SOME IMPORTANT TERMS USED IN ELECTRICITY

Current:

The continuous movement of free electrons through a conductor in a circuit is called current and
it is often referred to in terms of "flow". The symbol for current is I.

Electric current (I) is a measure of the rate of flow of electric charges through an electrical
conductor and can be defined as the amount of charge flowing per unit time.

Electric current (I) = Amount of electric charge(Q) = Q

Time (t) t

The coulomb (C) is the SI unit for electric charge.

The SI unit for measuring electric current is the ampere (A). The device used to measure electric
current is called an ammeter.

In order to measure the amount of current flowing through an electrical, component such as a
bulb, an ammeter must be connected in series to the component in the circuit.

The difference between the flow of current and the flow of electrons:
• Electrons flow from the negative side of the power source to the positive side of the
power source in a circuit.
• Current is said to flow from the positive side of the power source to the negative side of
the power source in a circuit. This is called the flow of conventional current.
The direction of the flow of conventional current and the flow of electrons is normally shown
using arrows on the circuit diagram as shown in the diagrams below.

Voltage: (also known as electromotive force or potential difference):

The force that causes electrons to flow in a circuit is called voltage (V). The volt is the unit of
a measurement of how hard electricity is pushed around a circuit.

In every circuit there must be an electrical source. The source produces an electromotive force
(emf) that enables charged particles to be forced around the circuit. The electromotive force is
measure in volts (V).

The electromotive force of an electric cell is the amount of chemical energy that is converted to
electrical energy when one coulomb of electric charge passes through the cell.

We can use a voltmeter to measure the potential difference or voltage across any component
in a circuit. The potential difference across an electrical source is equal to its emf. Note that the
voltmeter must be placed in parallel to the component we are measuring.

Potential difference is the amount of energy per unit charge needed to move a charged particle
from a reference point to a designated point in an electric circuit.

In order to measure the voltage or

potential difference across the bulb
in the diagram, the voltmeter must
be connected in parallel to the bulb
as shown.
Resistance:

Resistance (R) is the opposition to the flow of an electric current as it passes through a
conductor.

Electrical resistance is a measure of how much an electrical component opposes the flow of
current. The SI unit of resistance is the ohm (Ω).

• Every conductor has a certain amount of resistance.

• The resistance of a conductor is directly proportional to its length. In other words, if you
cut a piece of wire in half, its resistance will also decrease to half its original resistance.
• Resistance is inversely proportional to the thickness of the conductor. This means that a
thicker wire will have a lower resistance than a thinner wire of the same length and
material.

Electrical components that are specifically made to provide resistance are called resistors.
Resistors are included in electrical circuits to control the current flowing through the circuit (the
higher the resistance in the circuit, the lower the current flowing through the circuit and vice
versa).

This relationship will be easier understood when we look at Ohm's Law.

SUMMARY OF CURRENT, VOLTAGE AND RESISTANCE

QUANTITY SYMBOL SI UNIT OF SI UNIT

MEASUREMENT ABBREVIATION
Current I Ampere A

Voltage E or V Volt V
Resistance R Ohm Ω
 OHM'S LAW: The Relationship between voltage, current and resistance.

The resistance, R, of a component in an electric circuit can also be defined as the ratio of the
voltage, V, across it to the current, I, flowing through it. Mathematically, we can express this as:

V
R = ▬▬ This means that resistance is equal to voltage divided by current.
I
Rearranging the resistance formula above to make voltage the subject, we obtain the following
equation:

V = IR or Voltage = Current x Resistance, which is known as Ohm's Law.

Ohm's Law states that at a constant temperature, the current flowing through a conductor is
directly proportional to the potential difference across its ends.

This proportionality is only valid where resistance, R, remains constant. Conductors that obey
Ohm's Law are known as ohmic conductors.

The formula can be used to calculate any unknown value, once the other two values are known.
This is done by simply rearranging the formula as needed.

PROBLEM 1:

A CD player with a resistance of 40 ohms has a current of 0.1 amps flowing through it. Sketch
the circuit diagram and calculate how many volts are supplied to the CD player.
PROBLEM 2:

A nine volt (9V) battery supplies power to a cordless curling iron with a resistance of 18 ohms.
How much current is flowing through the curling iron?

PROBLEM 3:

A 110 volt wall outlet supplies power to a strobe light with a resistance of 2200 ohms.
How much current is flowing through the strobe light?

PROBLEM 4:

You are charging you new cellular phone at home. The electrical outlet provides a voltage of
110V and the current flowing through your phone is 11 amps. What is the resistance of your
phone?
As you can see from the problems above, the Ohm's Law equation can be rearranged to find
voltage, current and resistance, provided that two of the three values are known. This
rearrangement can be summarized using Ohm's triangle as shown below:

Simply "cover up" the value you want to find and use the other two values.

Power:

Power in an electric circuit is the rate of energy conversion or the rate of doing work. (work
done over time). It is defined as the amount of energy given off by a resistance when an electric
current passes through it. Power is measured in Watts (W).

Power is calculated using the following formula: P or W = VI or Power = Voltage x Current.

PROBLEM 5:

A bedside lamp operates at 220V with a current of 10A. What is the resistance of the lamp.
Calculate the power of the lamp.
 ELECTRICAL SAFETY

The Fuse:

Overloading occurs when appliances connected to the circuit require more power than the
circuit is designed to provide. When a circuit is overloaded the current becomes larger than
normal and this can lead to overheating of wires and appliances and electrical fires. we make use
of fuses to prevent overloading.

Fuses, or circuit breakers as they are sometimes called, are safety devices that help to reduce
the chances of fires being started. A fuse consists of a short length of wire with a low melting
point. If a short circuit or overload occurs and the wires become overheated, the fuse wire melts
and this breaks the circuit- cutting off the current and preventing further damage. When this
happens we say the fuse has "blown"

Fuses are usually found in fuse boxes and plugs. The choice of a fuse for an appliance depends
on:

• The power rating of the appliance measured in watts.

• The voltage at which it is operated.

There are several fuse ratings that are commercially available, with 2A, 5A, 10A and 13A being
the most common.

So how do we know which type of fuse to use?

The rating of the fuse used must be just above the current that is normally required by the
appliance.

We can calculate the correct fuse rating by using the formula P = IV that we learnt previously.

• First rearrange the formula to find current (I= P/V)

• Next calculate the current flowing in the circuit.
• Finally select a fuse type that is just above the current calculated above.
EXAMPLE:

A washing machine has a power rating of 500W, and the electricity is supplied at 110V.
Determine the type of fuse that should be used to protect the washing machine.

Solution: First calculate the current flowing through the circuit.

I = P/V = 500W/110V = 4.5A

Therefore a 5A fuse should be used to protect the machine.

If a 10A fuse was used what would happen? It would not blow even when the current gets too
high.

If a 2A fuse was used what would happen? The fuse would blow once the machine is turned on.

PROBLEM:

What is the value of the fuse that should be used in the plug operating at 240V and a power of
2kW. (1 kW = 1000W).
The Plug:

A person who touches the metallic parts of an appliance in contact with a live wire would get an
electric shock. To protect us, the metal casings of our appliances are connected to an earth wire.
When a fault occurs, the current would flow from the live wire, through the casing, and finally to
the Earth through the earth wire.

Any appliance that needs to be earthed should always be fitted to a three-pin plug. There are
three pins for the live, neutral and earth wires. The three wires are differentiated by their
coloured insulation. For new appliances the colours are:

• Brown for the live wire.

• Blue for the neutral wire.
• Yellow & green for the earth wire.

In older appliances the wires may have a different colour code; red for the live wire, black for the
neutral wire and green for the earth wire.

The diagram below shows the wiring in a three-pin plug.

(Green & Yellow) (Brown)

(Blue)
Electric Shock:

An electric shock occurs when a person comes into contact with an electrical energy source
and electrical current flows through a portion of the body causing a shock. Exposure to
electrical energy may result in no injury at all or may result in devastating damage or death.

Electric shock can result in:

• Severe burns to the skin and internal organs.

• Severe muscle contractions that can result in fractures, loss of consciousness or
dislocation of joints.
• The respiratory system can become paralyzed.
• Cardiac arrest: The heartbeat can become very fast and irregular or stop beating
altogether.
• Death caused by a combination of the above effects.

To prevent electric shock:

• Wear rubber shoes and gloves when doing repairs.

• Switch off the power supply before doing repairs.
• Install plugs and switches properly.
• Make good use of insulation and earthing.

If someone is being shocked or electrocuted follow these steps:

• Make sure you are not standing in or near water or a wet surface.
• Turn off the source of electricity e.g. unplug the appliance or turn off the breakers.
• Try to use a non-conductive material to pull or push the victim away from the electrical
source. Make sure you do not come in direct contact with the victim.
• Remove victim from source of shock and check vital signs. Call for help and then try
CPR etc.
Electrical Fires:

We have learnt that water conducts electricity. As such, we should never use water to
extinguish an electrical fire. When there is an electrical fire:

• The first thing to do is switch off the electrical mains.

• Use a carbon dioxide extinguisher or a dry chemical fire extinguisher on the fire.
• Sand can also be thrown on the fire to prevent it from spreading.

Flex of wires:

The term "flex" refers to the thickness of wires used in circuits. There are two types of electric
wiring:
• Flexible cords (flexes) that connect electrical appliances to the mains via plugs.
• Cables that are used for permanent wiring around the house.

There are many sizes and types of flexible cord. They are all made up of two or three
separately insulated cores. In each of these cores the conductor is made up of many thin
strands of copper which give the cord its flexibility.
In three-core flex the cores are colour coded: brown for live, blue for neutral, green and yellow
striped for earth (3).
Two-core flex has only the live and neutral conductors, coloured brown and blue. The outer
sheath of a flex can be PVC or rubber or rubber/textile braided. Two-core flex can have a round
or flat sheath.

Choosing the type of flex:

To select the correct size of flex, you must know the wattage (power output) of the appliance
being used.