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Electrical current is the flow rate of electric charge in electric field, usually in electrical circuit.
Using water pipe analogy, we can visualize the electrical current as water current that flows in a pipe.
The electrical current is measured in ampere (amp) unit.
i(t) = dQ(t) / dt
The momentary current is given by the derivative of the electric charge by time.
i(t) is the momentary current I at time t in amps (A).
Q(t) is the momentary electric charge in coulombs (C).
t is the time in seconds (s).
I = Q / t
I is the current in amps (A).
Q is the electric charge in coulombs (C), that flows at time duration of t.
t is the time duration in seconds (s).
Example
When 5 coulombs flow through a resistor for duration of 10 seconds,
the current will be calculated by:
I = Q / t = 5C / 10s = 0.5A
I R = VR / R
Current direction
current type
from
to
Positive charges
Negative charges
Conventional direction
ITotal = I1 = I2 = I3 =...
ITotal - the equivalent current in amps (A).
I1 - current of load #1 in amps (A).
I2 - current of load #2 in amps (A).
I3 - current of load #3 in amps (A).
ITotal = I1 + I2 + I3 +...
ITotal - the equivalent current in amps (A).
I1 - current of load #1 in amps (A).
I2 - current of load #2 in amps (A).
I3 - current of load #3 in amps (A).
Current divider
The current division of resistors in parallel is
RT = 1 / (1/R2 + 1/R3)
or
I1 = IT RT / (R1+RT)
Kirchhoff's current law (KCL)
The junction of several electrical components is called a node.
The algebraic sum of currents entering a node is zero.
Ik = 0
Alternating Current (AC)
Alternating current is generated by a sinusoidal voltage source.
Ohm's law
I Z = VZ / Z
IZ - current flow through the load measured in amperes (A)
VZ - voltage drop on the load measured in volts (V)
Z - impedance of the load measured in ohms ()
Angular frequency
= 2 f
- angular velocity measured in radians per second (rad/s)
f - frequency measured in hertz (Hz).
Momentary current
Ip-p = 2Ipeak
Current measurement
Current measurement is done by connecting the ammeter in series to the measured object, so all the measured current will flow
through the ammeter.
The ammeter has very low resistance, so it almost does not affect the measured circuit.