Voltage,

Current,
Resistance, and
Ohm's Law
• When beginning to explore the world of
electricity and electronics, it is vital to
start by understanding the basics of
voltage, current, and resistance. These
are the three basic building blocks
required to manipulate and utilize
electricity. 
• The first, and perhaps most important, the
relationship between current, voltage, and
resistance is called Ohm’s Law, discovered by
Georg Simon Ohm and published in his 1827
paper, The Galvanic Circuit Investigated
Mathematically.
• The relationship between current, voltage and
resistance is expressed by Ohm’s Law.
• This states that the current flowing in a circuit
is directly proportional to the applied voltage
and inversely proportional to the resistance of
the circuit, provided the temperature remains
constant.
• Georg Ohm was a
Bavarian scientist
who studied
electricity. Ohm starts
by describing a unit
of resistance that is
defined by current
and voltage.
 How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.

• When describing voltage, current,

and resistance, a common analogy
is a water tank. In this analogy,
charge is represented by the water
amount, voltage is represented by
the water pressure, and current is
represented by the water flow.
 How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.

• An electric circuit is formed when a conductive path

is created to allow electric charge to continuously
move.
• This continuous movement of electric charge
through the conductors of a circuit is called
a current, and it is often referred to in terms of
“flow,” just like the flow of a liquid through a hollow
pipe.
How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.
How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.
 How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.

• The unit for current flow, the amp, is equal to

1 coulomb of charge passing by a given point
in a circuit in 1 second of time.
• Cast in these terms, current is the rate of
electric charge motion through a conductor.
 How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.

• Electrical current is generally expressed in Amps

with prefixes used to denote micro amps ( μA = 10^-
6A ) or milliamps ( mA = 10^-3A ).
• Note that electrical current can be either positive in
value or negative in value depending upon its
direction of flow around the circuit.
 How electrical charge relates to voltage,
current, and resistance.

• The amount of current in a circuit

depends on the amount of voltage
and the amount of resistance in the
circuit to oppose current flow.
 How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.

• The force motivating charge carriers to

“flow” in a circuit is called voltage.
Voltage is a specific measure of potential
energy that is always relative between
two points.
How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.
 How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.

• Current tends to move through the

conductors with some degree of
friction, or opposition to motion.
This opposition to motion is more
properly called resistance.
How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.
How electrical charge relates to
voltage, current, and resistance.
 How electrical charge relates to voltage,
current, and resistance.

• Just like voltage, resistance is a quantity

relative between two points. For this reason,
the quantities of voltage and resistance are
often stated as being “between” or “across” two
points in a circuit.
 How electrical charge relates to voltage,
current, and resistance.

• Resistance is a circuit element measured in

Ohms, Greek symbol ( Ω, Omega ) with
prefixes used to denote Kilo-ohms ( kΩ =
10^3Ω ) and Mega-ohms ( MΩ = 10^6Ω ).
• Note that resistance cannot be negative in
value only positive.
Units of Measurement: Volt, Amp,
and Ohm
• Each unit of measurement is named after a
famous experimenter in electricity: The amp
after the Frenchman Andre M. Ampere, the
volt after the Italian Alessandro Volta, and the
ohm after the German Georg Simon Ohm.
SERIES CIRCUIT PARALLEL
CIRCUIT
Vtotal = V1 + V2 Vtotal = V1 = V2

I = I1 = I2 I = I1 + I2
Rtotal = R1 + R2 1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2
 The Ohm’s Law
Equation
• Ohm’s principal discovery was that the
amount of electric current through a
metal conductor in a circuit is directly
proportional to the voltage impressed
across it, for any given temperature.
 The Ohm’s Law
Equation
• Ohm expressed his discovery in the form
of a simple equation, describing how
voltage, current, and resistance
interrelate:
The Ohm’s Law
Equation
 Analyzing Simple
Circuits with Ohm’s Law
 Analyzing Simple
Circuits with Ohm’s Law
• In the above circuit, there is only one source of
voltage (the battery, on the left) and only one source
of resistance to current (the lamp, on the right). This
makes it very easy to apply Ohm’s Law. If we know
the values of any two of the three quantities (voltage,
current, and resistance) in this circuit, we can use
Ohm’s Law to determine the third.
 Analyzing Simple
Circuits with Ohm’s Law

What is the amount of

current (I) in this circuit?
 Analyzing Simple
Circuits with Ohm’s Law
What is the amount of
resistance (R) offered by
the lamp?
 Analyzing Simple
Circuits with Ohm’s Law
What is the amount of
voltage provided by the
battery?
 Answer the following:

1. Find the current I through a resistor of

resistance R = 2 Ω if the voltage across the
resistor is 8 V.

ANSWER: 4 A
 Answer the following:
2. In the circuit below resistors R1 and R2 are in
series and have resistances of 10 Ω and 20 Ω,
respectively. The voltage across resistor R1 is
equal to 8 V. Find the current passing through
resistor R2 and the voltage across the same
resistor.
ANSWER: I2 = 0.8 A
V2 = 16V
Answer the following:
 Answer the following:

3. A power saw at the local hardware store

boasts of having a 15-Amp motor. Determine its
resistance when plugged into a 110-Volt outlet.

ANSWER: 7.3 Ω
 Answer the following:
4. In the circuit below resistors R1 and R2 are in
parallel and have resistances of 16 Ω and 8 Ω,
respectively. The current passing through R1 is 0.4 A.
Find the voltage across resistor R2 and the current
passing through the same resistor.

ANSWER: V = 6.4 V
I2 = 0.8 A
Answer the following:
 Electrical Power in Circuits

• Electrical Power, ( P ) in a circuit is the

rate at which energy is absorbed or
produced within a circuit. A source of
energy such as a voltage will produce or
deliver power while the connected load
absorbs it.
 Electrical Power in Circuits

• Light bulbs and heaters for example,

absorb electrical power and convert it
into either heat, or light, or both. The
higher their value or rating in watts the
more electrical power they are likely to
consume.
 Electrical Power in Circuits

• The quantity symbol for power is P and is the

product of voltage multiplied by the current
with the unit of measurement being the Watt
( W ). Prefixes are used to denote the various
multiples or sub-multiples of a watt, such as:
milliwatts (mW = 10-3W) or kilowatts (kW =
103W).
Electrical Power in Circuits
Electrical Power in Circuits
Electrical Power in Circuits
 Electrical Power in Circuits

• If the calculated power is positive, (+P) in value for

any formula the component absorbs the power, that is
it is consuming or using power. But if the calculated
power is negative, (–P) in value the component
produces or generates power, in other words it is a
source of electrical power such as batteries and
generators.
 Electrical Power Rating

• Electrical components are given a “power

rating” in watts that indicates the
maximum rate at which the component
converts the electrical power into other
forms of energy such as heat, light or
motion.
 Electrical Power Rating
• Electrical devices convert one form of power
into another. So for example, an electrical
motor will covert electrical energy into a
mechanical force, while an electrical generator
converts mechanical force into electrical
energy. A light bulb converts electrical energy
into both light and heat.
 Electrical Power Rating
• Also, we now know that the unit of power is
the WATT, but some electrical devices such as
electric motors have a power rating in the old
measurement of “Horsepower” or hp. The
relationship between horsepower and watts is
given as: 1hp = 746W
Electrical Power Rating
 Electrical Power Rating
• As electrical power is the product of V*I, the power
dissipated in a circuit is the same whether the circuit
contains high voltage and low current or low voltage
and high current flow. Generally, electrical power is
dissipated in the form of Heat (heaters), Mechanical
Work such as motors, Energy in the form of radiated
(Lamps) or as stored energy (Batteries).
 Electrical Energy in
Circuits
• Electrical Energy is the capacity to do
work, and the unit of work or energy is
the joule ( J ).
• Electrical energy is the product of power
multiplied by the length of time it was
consumed.
 Electrical Energy in
Circuits
• In other words, Energy = power x time
and Power = voltage x current. Therefore
electrical power is related to energy and
the unit given for electrical energy is the
watt-seconds or joules.
 Electrical Energy in
Circuits
• Electrical power can also be defined as the rate
of by which energy is transferred. If one joule
of work is either absorbed or delivered at a
constant rate of one second, then the
corresponding power will be equivalent to one
watt so power can be defined as “1Joule/sec =
1Watt”.
Electrical Energy in
Circuits
Electrical Energy in
Circuits
 Electrical Energy in
Circuits
• 1 kWhr is the amount of electricity used by a
device rated at 1000 watts in one hour and is
commonly called a “Unit of Electricity”. This is
what is measured by the utility meter and is
what we as consumers purchase from our
electricity suppliers when we receive our bills.
 Sample Problems

• The energy used by the iron for 1 minute is 33

kJ, at a voltage of 220 volts. How large the
current is in the iron.
• Given:
• (t) = 1 minute = 60 seconds
• (W) = 33 kiloJoule = 33,000 Joule
• (V) = 220 Volt
• (I) = ?
 Sample Problems
• Solution:
Electrical power is the electrical energy used during a certain
time interval.
P = W / t = 33,000 Joule / 60 seconds
P = 550 Watt
Electric current :
• I = P / V = 550 / 220 = 2.5 Ampere
 Sample Problems

• A 220 V – 5 A electric lamp is used for 30

minutes. How much energy does it require?
• Solution :
Voltage (V) = 220 Volt
Electric current (I) = 5 Ampere
Time (t) = 30 minutes = 30 x 60 seconds = 1800 seconds
 Sample Problems
• Solution :
Electric power (P) = ?
P = V I = (220 Volt)(5 Ampere)
1100 Volt Ampere = 1100 Watt = 1100 Joule/second

Electric energy = Electric power x time

= (1100 Joule/second)(1800 second)
Electric energy = 1,980,000 Joule = 1,980 kiloJoule
 Answer the following:
• A blender has a power of 400 watts and a total
of 48,000 joules of energy is transferred when
the blender is in use. Calculate the time that
the blender is used for.
• A fan has a power rating of 20 watts and is
used for 1 hour. Calculate the total energy
transferred.
 Answer the following:
• An iron is used for five minutes and a total of
600,000 joules of energy is transferred.
Calculate the power of the iron.
• A kettle has a power rating of 2200 watts and
is used for 80 seconds. Calculate the total
energy transferred.
 Answer the following:
1. Find the total capacitance for three capacitors
connected in series, given their individual
capacitance are 1, 5 , and 8 . Express your
answer in
 Answer the following:
2. Find the total capacitance of the combination
of capacitors shown in the figure. Express
your answer in .