ELECTRICITY

Definition

• Electricity, one of the basic forms of energy.

Electricity is associated with electric charge, a
property of certain elementary particles such as
electrons and protons

• Electric charges can be stationary, as in static

electricity, or moving, as in an electric current.
 History and Etymology
• The ancient Greeks observed that amber, when
rubbed, attracted small, light objects. About 600 BC
Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus held that
amber had a soul, since it could make other objects
move.

• In a treatise written about three centuries later,

another Greek philosopher, Theophrastus, stated
that other substances also have this power. For
almost 2,000 years after Theophrastus, little
progress was made in the study of electricity
• In 1600 English physician William Gilbert
published a book in which he noted that many
substances besides amber could be charged by
rubbing. He gave these substances the Latin
name electrica, which is derived from the Greek
word elektron (which means “amber”).

• The word electricity was first

used by English writer and
physician Sir Thomas Browne
in 1646.
 The concept of electricity is
both familiar and mysterious.
We all know what electricity
based on our practical
experiences
http://kids.saveonenergy.ca/en/what-is-electricity/how-electricity-gets-to-your-home.html
•We know that electricity can be stored in batteries.
When the batteries die, all their electricity is gone.

• Rechargeable battery

•We know that electricity can be measured

in volts. Household electricity is 120 volts
(abbreviated 120 V). Car batteries are
12.4-12.7 volts.
•We also know that electricity can be measured
in watts. Incandescent light bulbs are typically 60,
75, or 100 watts. Microwave ovens and hair dryers
are 1,000 or 1,200 watts.

•We also may know that there’s a third way to

measure electricity, called amps. A typical
household electrical outlet is 15 amps (abbreviated
15 A).

•And finally, we know that electricity can be very

dangerous.

http://www.dummies.com/education/science/science-electronics/electronics-basics-fundamentals-of-electricity/
three very basic concepts of
electricity:

electric charge
electric current
electric circuit
Electric Charge

It has tiny particles that make up atoms —

protons and electrons — are the bearers of
electric charge. There are two types of
charge: positive and negative.

Protons have positive charge, electrons have

negative charge.
 Electric Current
• An electric current is a movement of
charge. When two objects with
different charges touch and redistribute
their charges, an electric current flows
from one object to the other until the
charge is distributed according to the
capacitances of the objects.

• If two objects are connected by a

material that lets charge flow easily,
such as a copper wire, then an electric
current flows from one object to the
other through the wire.
 Electric current is a very familiar concept: When
you turn on a light switch, electric current flows
from the switch through the wire to the light, and
the room is instantly illuminated.
Conductors are things that allow heat and
electricity to easily pass through them.

Insulators are
things that do not
allow heat and
electricity to easily
pass through them.
Symbol
The conventional symbol for current is I, which originates
from the French phrase intensité de courant, (current
intensity). Current intensity is often referred to simply
ascurrent. The I symbol was used by André-Marie
Ampère, after whom the unit of electric current is named,
in formulating Ampère's force law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_current
 Measuring Electric Current
• The SI unit for measuring an electric current is the
amperes (Amp) (A). which is the flow of electric
charge across a surface at the rate of one
coulomb per second

• If 1 coulomb of charge flows past each point of a

wire every second, the wire is carrying a current of 1
amp. If 2 coulombs flow past each point in a
second, the current is 2 amp.

• Electric current is measured

using a device called an ammeter.
Classification:
• Direct Current
Current that flows in one direction only,
said to be from negative to positive.

• Alternating Current
Current that flows back and forth,
reversing direction again and again.
Voltage
• Voltage is measured in units
called volts. Another name
for a voltage produced by a
source of electric current is
electromotive force.
• It is the electrical pressure
that cause the electrons to
move through a conductor.
Therefore the higher the
voltage, the more electricity
will be forced to flow.
Resistance or Impedance
Resistance is
an electrical quantity that
measures how the device or
material reduces the electric
current flow through it.

It is measured in units of ohms.

Represented by a Greek letter
omega (Ω).

If we make an analogy to water flow

in pipes, the resistance is bigger
when the pipe is thinner, so the
water flow is decreased.
Watts
• Is the rate or measure of power
consumed. It represents how much is the
equivalent volts and ampere consumed by
light or an appliance.
Ohms Law
• The relationship between
current, voltage, and
resistance

• This law states that the

amount of current passing
through a conductor is directly
proportional to the voltage
across the conductor and
inversely proportional to the
resistance of the conductor.
• Ohm’s law can be expressed as an
equation,
V = IR,
• Where V is the difference in volts
between two locations (called the
potential difference),
• I is the amount of current in amperes
that is flowing between these two points
• R is the resistance in ohms of the
conductor between the two locations of
interest.
• V = IR can also be written R = V/I and I
= V/R.
Find voltage

V = I R, if the current I = 0.2 A and the resistance R =

1000 ohms, then
V = 0.2 A * 1000 Ω = 200 V

Find current

I = V / R, if V = 110 V and R = 22000 ohms, then

I = 110 V / 22000 Ω = 0.005 A

Find resistance

R = V / I, if V = 220 V and I = 5 A, then

R = 220 V / 5 A = 44 Ω
Electric Circuit
It is a closed loop made of
conductors and other
electrical elements
through which electric
current can flow.
For example, a very
simple electrical circuit
consists of three elements:
a battery, a lamp, and an
electrical wire that
connects the two.
 CONVENTIONAL SOURCE
OF ENERGY
• Conventional energy, such as thermal powers (from
coal, petroleum, and natural gas), hydel power (from
high velocity of running water) are tapped and used
abundantly at present. Their uses are practiced for a
long time
• Usually costly
• Fossil fuels are the major sources of conventional
energies. At present, many countries are overly
dependent on fossil fuels to meet their requirement for
power. The known reserves of fossil fuels have
depleted to a large extent due to its continued use. If
it continues, there is risk of complete exhaustion of these
sources of energy.
 NON-CONVENTIONAL
SOURCE OF ENERGY
• Non-conventional sources of energy (solar energy,
tidal energy, geo-thermal energy, wind energy, etc.) are
not used frequently and in large scale (commercially).
Their uses are comparatively more recent
• Cheaper
• Solar Energy, tidal energy, geo-thermal energy, wind
energy, etc.
• They is considered the energy of the future. Considering
the benefits of non-conventional energy
generation, many countries have started producing this
energy in large scale. There is continuous research
for development of technology in this field to reduce the
cost of production and to make it more cost-effective.
Personalities
• Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836)
French physicist, laid the foundations for the science of
electrodynamics through his demonstration that electric
current produces magnetic field.
• Charles de Coulomb (1736-1806)
The French physicist who discovered the law of forces
between two bodies (Coulomb Law) Law of attraction
and repulsion forces forces in both electricity and
magnetism.
• Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
Developed the first commercially practical incandescent
bulb, worlds first central electric power station.
Personalities
• Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Experiments in Magnetic forces, liquification of chlorine and
other gases.
• Joseph Henry (1797-1878)
Discovery of electromagnetic induction and self-induction
(henry-unit of inductance)
• Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894)
One of the first people to demonstrate the existence of
electric waves. His discovery proved that energy could
be transmitted through space in the form of
electromagnetic waves.
Personalities
• James Maxwell (1831-1879)
Theorized that magnetic fields when acting together could
produce a new kind of energy called radiant energy. He
said that light itself is an electromagnetic disturbance in
the form of waves.
• George Simon Ohm (1789-1854)
German Physicist, for whom the electrical unit of resistance
was named, he proposed the Ohm’s Law, the law stating
the relationship between the flow of current, the voltage,
and the resistance in a circuit.