Ohm’s Law

Objective

1. Review common Elements Symbols use

in Electrical circuits.
2. Electricity
3. Resistor
ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
All you need to be an inventor is a good
imagination and a pile of junk.

-Thomas Edison
How you should be
thinking about
electric circuits:

Voltage: a force that pushes

the current through the
circuit (in this picture it
would be equivalent to
gravity)
 How you should be
thinking about
electric circuits:

Resistance: friction that

impedes flow of current
through the circuit
(rocks in the river)
How you should be
thinking about
electric circuits:

Current: the actual

“substance” that is
flowing through the
wires of the circuit
(electrons!)
QUESTION: WHY IS THE BIRD ON
THE WIRE SAFE?
ENGINEERS WORK TO SOLVE MANY
PROBLEMS
• Electrical Engineer may
design GBS for
your vehicle
• Mechanical Engineer may
create a robot
to discover water.
• Chemical Engineer may
find a cure for a disease.
ELECTRICITY AND VOLTAGE
- Electricity is the flow of electrons (-)
Charges (-) flow from HIGH voltage areas to LOW
voltage areas
 Voltage is like electrical pressure that
pushes and pulls charges

Dr. Faris al-Salem 9/14/2016

An electric circuit must include:
1. An energy source – “energizes” the electrons, ex.
battery, photoelectric cell in calculator
2. A conducting wire (connector) – provides a path for
current to flow
3. A load which is a device that converts electrical energy
to another form of energy, ex. light bulb
 Many electric circuits also include a switch that turns
the circuit on or off by closing or opening the circuit.
Generator when it changes
mechanical energy to electrical
energy

9/14/2016
Solar cell when it changes light
energy to electrical energy.

9/14/2016
 MODEL OF AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT
• Current is the flow of electric
charge.

• A model can help to understand how

this works in an electric circuit.

• In this model, the moped riders

represent the flow of charge and the
pizzas represent the electrical energy
carried by this current.
 BASIC ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONCEPTS
We use the SI (System International) units. The
system uses meters (m), kilograms (kg), seconds (s),
ampere (A), degree kelvin (OK) and candela (cd)
as the fundamental units.

pica (p): 10-12 tera (T): 1012

nano (n): 10-9 giga (G) : 109
micro (): 10-6 mega (M): 106
milli (m): 10-3 kilo (k): 103
RESISTORS
Objectives:
• List the major types of fixed resistors.
• Determine the resistance of a resistor using
the color code.
• Discuss how exceeding its power rating can
cause damage to a resistor.
• Discuss the use of a variable resistor as a
potentiometer.
RESISTORS

• Resistors are commonly used to perform two functions

in a circuit.
• The first use is to limit the flow of current in a circuit.

I=E/R
I = 15 V / 30 Ω
I = 0.5 A
RESISTORS
Fixed resistors have only one ohmic value, which cannot be
changed or adjusted. One type of fixed resistor is the
composition carbon resistor.
RESISTORS
Resistor colour code calculation
• The first band red has a value
of 2
• The second band purple has a
value of 7
2
• The third band has a multiplier
of x 10 7
• The last band indicates a x10
tolerance value of +/-5%
• Resistance value is 270Ω +/- +/-5%
5%
RESISTORS

Carbon resistors are very popular for most

applications because they are inexpensive and
readily available in standard sizes and wattages.

½ Watt 1 Watt 2 Watt

RESISTOR
Metal film resistors are another type of fixed resistor.
These resistors are superior to carbon resistors because
their ohmic value does not change with age and they
have improved tolerance
RESISTOR
Wire-wound resistors are fixed resistors that are made by
winding a piece of resistive wire around a ceramic core.
These are used when a high power rating is required.
RESISTOR
Exceeding the power rating causes damage to a
resistor.
RESISTOR

Variable resistors can change their value over a

specific range. A potentiometer is a variable
resistor with three terminals. A rheostat has only
two terminals.
 RESISTOR COLOR CODE

1st band color gives 1st number

2nd band color gives 2nd number
3rd band color gives # of zeros
4th band color gives tolerance or ±
 HOW TO READ IT

Resistors are color coded for easy reading.

To determine the value of a given resistor look for the
gold or silver tolerance band and hold the resistor with
this band to the right.
Then read the colored bands left to right.
HOW TO READ IT
Now look at the 2nd color band and match that
color to the same chart. Write this number next
to the 1st Digit.
Match the 3rd color band with the chart under
multiplier. This is the number you will multiple
the other 2 numbers by. Write it next to the
other 2 numbers with a multiplication sign
before it.
HOW TO READ IT

Example:
• First color is red which is 2
• Second color is black which is 0
• Third color is yellow which is 10,000
• Tolerance is silver which is 10%
Therefore the equation is:
2 0 x 10,000 = 200,000 Ohms ± 10%
Resistor Color Code Chart
HOW TO REMEMBER THE CODE

Remember the color codes with this

sentence: Big Brown Rabbits Often Yield
Great Big Vocal Groans When Gingerly
Slapped.
K OR M?

• Many resistors have large amounts of resistance,

so we use prefixes to have a handy short name
• “k” is for kilo and means 1000 times
• “M” is for mega and means 1,000,000 times
(million)
RESISTOR

Review:

1. Resistors are used in two main applications: as

voltage dividers and to limit the flow of
current in a circuit.
2. The value of fixed resistors cannot be changed.
3. There are several types of fixed resistors such
as composition carbon, metal film, and wire-
wound.
RESISTOR
Review:

4. Carbon resistors change their resistance with

age or if overheated.
5. Metal film resistors never change their value,
but are more expensive than carbon resistors.
6. The advantage of wire-wound resistors is their
high power ratings.
RESISTOR
Review:

7. Resistors often have bands of color to indicate

their resistance value and tolerance.
8. Resistors are produced in standard values. The
number of values between 0 and 100 Ω is
determined by the tolerance.