Gr 10

Introduction
 Electric current needs a complete circuit & something
to push it around circuit in order to flow

 Copper conducting wires form the path for current

flow

 ‘Push’ is provided by battery or power supply

Potential difference & EMF
 Battery supplies energy to circuit

 Battery transforms chemical energy into electrical

energy

 Battery is known as ‘electron pump’

 Total amount of electrical energy battery can supply -

EMF (electromotive force)
Potential difference & EMF (cont)
 Physical properties of battery determine emf

 Emf is measured by a voltmeter

 Battery supplies electrical energy to components in

closed circuit

 Components transforms electrical energy to other

forms of energy
Reaction inside battery
 Chemical rxn inside battery requires energy

 Most of energy of battery is transferred to resistors,

light bulbs & other components

 Total emf divided between voltage used inside battery

& voltage used by external circuit
 Potential difference across the battery when current is
flowing is less than emf of battery

 Emf & potential difference measured in volts (V)

 Battery has specific amount of chemical

potential energy
Electric current
 Electric current is the measure of the rate at which
charge flows past a point

 If 1 C of charge flow past in 1 second – current is 1 ampere

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝐶)

 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 (𝑠𝑒𝑐)

𝑄
𝐼=
∆𝑡
Electric current (cont)
 Amount of charge that flows past a point per second

 Magnitude of current depends on the number & type

of resistors and other components in a circuit
Measuring voltage & current
 Voltage (potential difference) measured with voltmeter

 Voltmeter connected in parallel – has high resistance

 Use ammeter to measure electric current

 Connect ammeter in series – has low resistance

Resistance
 Resistor converts electrical energy into other forms

 Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electric

current

 Resistance use 𝑅 as abbreviation

 Unit of 𝑅 is ohm (Ω)

Factors affecting resistance
 Type of material conductor is made of

 Length of conductor – long conductor, greater resistance

 Thickness of conductor – thick conductor, smaller the

resistance

 Temperature of conductor – hotter conductor, greater

the resistance
Resistance
 Conductor has a resistance of 1Ω if a current of 1A
passes through it when a potential difference of 1V is
maintained

𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒(𝑉)
𝑅 Ω =
𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡(𝐴)

𝑉
 𝑅=
𝐼
Resistors in series
 In a series circuit – resistance increases with more
resistors

 Current through battery is inversely proportional to

total resistance

 Total resistance – add resistances together

 𝑅𝑠 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + 𝑅3
Resistors in series (cont)
 Current in series circuit – the same throughout circuit

 i.e reading on 𝐴1 = to reading on 𝐴2

 Thus 𝐼1 = 𝐼2

 Resistances share total voltage provided by the battery

 Higher resistance will transform more electrical energy

 Potential differences around the circuit add up to the
voltage across the battery

 Resistors connected in series are voltage dividers

 𝑉𝑇 = 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 + 𝑉3
Resistors connected in parallel
 Parallel circuit – each resistor provides alternative
route for current

 Reduce overall resistance

 Total resistance is less than individual resistor

1 1 1 1
 = + +
𝑅𝑝 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3
Resistors in parallel (cont)
 For 2 resistors, use equation
𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑅1 𝑅2
𝑅𝑝 = =
𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑅1 + 𝑅2

 Resistors split current proportionally

 Resistor with smallest resistance have largest current

 𝐼𝑇 = 𝐼1 + 𝐼2 + 𝐼3
 Potential difference across each resistor is the same as
potential difference of battery

 Readings on voltmeter:
𝑉 = 𝑉1 = 𝑉2 = 𝑉3 = 𝑉4