TECAU 3

Electricity
electricity is the flow of electric charge, and this flow
is called a current. It is considered a secondary
energy source, meaning that producing it requires
another power supplier. Some of these suppliers are
coal, oil, and natural gas, which are classified as
primary energy sources.

Electricity Works
To generate electrical energy, electrons need to flow through an object called a conductor.
Metals such as copper or aluminum are good conductors, allowing the electrons to move quickly
through them. Surrounding the conductors with insulators (or materials where electricity can’t
flow freely) forces the electrons to move only in one direction. By controlling the direction where
the electrons go, they can be used to power anything from a light bulb to an electric car

Electrical Current
an electrical charge causes static electricity, current electricity happens because of the flow of
electrons. Whereas the electric charges build up and remain at rest in static electricity, the
charges are constantly in motion with current electricity. The term current electricity aptly
describes the way electrons move. The negatively charged electrons flow through a conductor in
one direction, like a river current. In a river, the rate that the water moves from one spot to
another is the speed of the current. Meanwhile, with electricity, current measures the amount of
electric charge that’s transferred over a period of time across an electrical field. The conductor
where the electrons move from atom to atom usually comes in the form of wires. One of the
results of the current flow is the heating of a conductor, which becomes a source of energy. An
excellent example of this process is the heating of a stove brought about by the flow of electrical
current.
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Direct Current
In this form of current, the flow of the electrons is unidirectional, or they move only in one
particular direction. The amount of electric current may change, but it will always move in a
linear pattern. One typical producer of direct current (DC) is a battery, where the electrons
move from the negative terminal of the battery to the positive one. Other examples of power
sources that generate DC are solar cells and fuel cells. DC power is more consistent when it
comes to voltage delivery.When it comes to applications, DC is used in all electrical devices that
work with batteries.

Alternating Current
If DC power moves in just one direction, with alternating current (AC), the electrons move back
and forth, with the electron flow reversing direction multiple times per second. In the US, the
electric current alternates or changes direction at 60 hertz, or 60 times per second. AC is the
form of electric current produced by most power plants and distributed by power utilities. This
is the type of electricity used in homes and businesses, with the electric current coming from the
power sockets and is supplied by the utility grid.
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Circuit
In electronics, a circuit is a complete circular path that electricity flows through. A simple circuit
consists of a current source, conductors and a load.The term circuit can be used in a general
sense to refer to any fixed path that electricity, data or a signal can travel through.

Series Circuit
A series circuit is a closed circuit where the current follows one path. In a series circuit, the
devices along the circuit loop are connected in a continuous row, so that if one device fails or is
disconnected, the entire circuit is interrupted. Thus, all devices along the circuit stop working at
the same time. Series circuits are somewhat rare in house wiring, but they are sometimes used in
strings of Christmas lights or landscape luminaries, where one light bulb failing will cause the
entire string to go dark.When the bulb goes out in a string of holiday lights, it creates an open
circuit in the wiring. However, many modern holiday light strings now connect via a parallel
circuit so that a string can remain functional even when one of the bulbs is defective. Most
newer LED holiday lights are wired as parallel circuits.

Parallel Circuit
Much more common than series circuits are those wired in parallel—including most household
branch circuits powering light fixtures, outlets, and appliances. A parallel circuit is also a closed
circuit where the current divides into two or more paths before coming back together to
complete the full circuit. Here, the wiring is configured so that each device is in constant contact
with the main circuit pathway. Individual devices merely "tap into" the main circuit loop, much
the way freeway ramps allows cars to exist and enter a freeway without interrupting the main
highway. A parallel circuit has many such "off-ramp/on-ramp" loops, so that a failure in any
single loop never shuts down the entire circuit.
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WHAT IS OHM'S LAW

Ohm’s law is a formula that’s used to calculate the relationship between voltage, current and
resistance in an electrical circuit. These are three of the most critical circuit quantities in
electronics and as such, Ohm’s law is an important principle that any aspiring electrical engineer
must understand.Today, Ohm's law is used within all branches of electrical engineering,
especially within electronic circuit design. It’s used to calculate the value of resistors required in
circuits, and it can also be used for determining the current flowing in a circuit where the voltage
can be measured easily across a known resistor.

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TECAU 3
Difference between electrical and
electronics