Electric charge
- Electric charge is quantized, that is, exists in discrete quantities which are integer multiples of the elementary charge
- The charge of an electron is and the charge of a proton is
- The SI unit of charge is the coulomb (C)
- Conservation of charge: the total charge in an isolated system remains constant
- An object can become charged by:
- rubbing (friction)
- conduction (transfer of charge from one charged object to another by touching)
- induction
Coulomb’s Law
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is the electrostatic force (or Coulomb force) between two charges (in )
- and are the magnitudes of the charges (in )
- is the distance between the charges (in )
- is Coulomb’s constant
- is the permittivity of free space
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limitations and assumptions of Coulomb’s Lawtodo
- point charges
- objects are at rest (electrostatics force)
- electric force
Electric field
- The electric field of is defined as a vector field that associates to each point in space the force per unit of charge exerted on an infinitesimal test charge at rest at that point
- SI unit of electric field is
- is Coulomb’s constant
- (vector form: )
- is the electric field that a charge experiences (in )
- is the force on a charge (in )
- is the test charge (in )
- is the electric field (uniform )
- is the potential difference between points and (in )
- is the distance between the points (in )
Electric field of a single point charge
- (vector form: )
- is the point in space where the electric field is being calculated
- is the point charge creating the electric field (in )
- is the electric field created by a point charge (in )
- is the distance between the charge and the point in space (in )
- is the unit vector pointing from the charge to the point in space
There is no electric charge at point . But there is an electric field there. The only real charge is .
Superposition principle
- the total force on a charge is the vector sum of the forces exerted by the other charges
todo
- electric field lines
- electric dipole
- static electric field
- equipotential surfaces, equipotential lines
Electric potential energy
- Electric potential energy is the energy stored in a system of charges due to their positions relative to each other
- is an uniform electric field,
- is a tiny positive charge first placed at point near the positive plate and then released from rest and accelerates toward the negative plate.
- is the work done by the electric field to move a charge a distance
- is the change in electric potential energy when a charge moves from point to point
- is the work done by an external force to move a charge from infinity to a distance from a charge
- is the work done by an external force (in )
- is the charge creating the electric field (in )
- is the charge being moved (in )
- is the distance between the charges (in )
Electric energy
- Electric energy is the capacity to do work
-
- is electrical energy (in joules) absorbed or supplied by an element from time to time
- is power (in watts)
- is voltage (in volts)
- is current (in amperes)
- Units of electrical energy
- (joule)
- (kilowatt-hour) which is the energy consumed by a 1-kilowatt appliance in 1 hour
- (electronvolt) which is the energy acquired by a particle carrying a charge whose magnitude equals that on the electron as a result of moving through a potential difference of
Electric Potential
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Electric potential (or simply potential) is the electric potential energy per unit charge.
-
- is the electric potential (in , volts)
- is the electric potential energy at point (in , joules)
- is the charge (in , coulombs)
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(Coulomb potential)todo
- is the electric potential due to a point charge (in )
- is the point charge creating the electric potential (in )
- is the distance between the charge and the point in space (in )
- is Coulomb’s constant
Voltage
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Voltage (or (electrical) potential difference) is the difference in electric potential between two points in a circuit.
- is the voltage between points and .
- is the work done in moving unit charge from to (in )
- and are the electric potentials at points and (in )
- The SI unit of voltage is the volt (V), defined as .
- We often use ground (0 V) or infinity as a reference point.
- Given a point with a higher potential and a point with a lower potential :
- A negative charge placed at has higher potential energy than at , so it will move from to (when released) and decrease its potential energy.
- A positive charge placed at has higher potential energy than at , so it will move from to (when released) and decrease its potential energy.
- In both cases, .
- A negative charge placed at has higher potential energy than at , so it will move from to (when released) and decrease its potential energy.
- is the voltage between points and .
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is the electric field (uniform )
- is the potential difference between points and (in )
- is the distance between the points (in )
- is the electric field (in )
Electric power
- Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a circuit
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- is electrical energy (in joules)
- is time (in seconds)
- is power (in watts)
- is voltage (in volts)
- is current (in amperes)
- is charge (in coulombs)
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- is the power dissipated by the resistor (in )
- is the resistance of the resistor (in )
- is the current through the resistor (in )
Electric current
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Electric current is the flow of electric charge
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- is the electric current of the circuit (in )
- is the electric charge has passed through some surface in the circuit up to time (in )
- is interval during which the charge flows (in )
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The SI unit of current is the ampere (abbreviated or ), defined as
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A current is positive if it flows from the positive terminal of a voltage source to the negative terminal
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- electric current (aka: conventional current) is a flow of electric charge
- The direction of conventional current is that of positive charge flow.
- electric current from to is equivalent to a negative electron flow from to
- conventional current combines the effects of electron, ion, proton, and hole flows all into one number.
- Positive conventional current always flows from a high potential to a low potential.
- conventional current is not the opposite of electron current
- Electron current is a subset of conventional current.
- A 19th-century convention, still in use, treats any electric current as a flow of positive charge from a region of positive potential to one of negative potential.
- The real motion, however, in the case of electrons flowing through a metal conductor, is in the opposite direction, from negative to positive.
- electric current (aka: conventional current) is a flow of electric charge
Alternating Current
- is the voltage of an alternating current (see sine wave)
- is the peak voltage (in ) (the amplitude)
- is the angular frequency (in ) where is the frequency (in )
- is time (in )
- is the current of an alternating current
- is the current (in )
- is the resistance (in )
- is the peak current (in )
- is the power transformed in a resistance at time
- Because the current is squared, the power is always positive
- The average power is
- The rms values of sinusoidally alternating currents and voltages are:
Resistance & Conductance
- the electric current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points
- Ohm’s Law holds for ohmic materials (like most metals) but not for non-ohmic materials (like diodes, transistors, and other semiconductors)
- The unit of resistance is the () defined as
- The reciprocal of resistance is called the electrical conductance (in , siemens, which is )
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- is the voltage (in )
- is the current (in )
- is the resistance (in )
- Electrical resistivity (or specific resistance) denoted by , is a measure of how strongly a material opposes the flow of electric current
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- is the resistance of the conductor (in )
- is the resistivity of the material (in )
- is the length of the conductor (in )
- is the cross-sectional area of the conductor (in )
- The reciprocal of the resistivity, called the electrical conductivity (or specific conductance) is (in , siemens per meter, or )
-
Resistor
- The resistors could be simple resistors, or they could be lightbulbs, heating elements, or other resistive devices
Series Resistors
- When resistors are connected end to end along a single path they are said to be connected in series
- Any charge that passes through will pass through and so on, hence the same current flows through each resistor in series
- When we add resistors in series:
- the current through the circuit decreases (more resistors to pass through)
- the net resistance increases (the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances)
- If are the voltages across (resp.) then is the total voltage across the series
Parallel Resistors
- We say that resistors are connected in parallel when the current from the source splits into paths
- are the currents through each resistor
- is the total current in the circuit
- When we add resistors in parallel:
- the current in the circuit increases (more paths for the current to flow)
- the net (or equivalent) resistance decreases
- (example: a parallel circuit with two resistors of has a total resistance of , so )
the eq is short for equivalent, which means that the total resistance of the circuit is the same as the resistance of a single resistor that would replace the parallel resistors or series resistors
Kirchhoff’s Circuit Laws
- Kirchhoff’s (circuit) laws (or Kirchhoff’s rules) are two equalities that deal with the current and potential difference.
Kirchhoff’s Current Law
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aka: first law, junction rule
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For any node in an electrical circuit, the algebraic sum of the currents flowing into and out of the node is zero. Mathematically
- is the current flowing through the -th branch
- is the total number of branches with currents flowing towards or away from the node
- Currents flowing into the node are considered positive, and currents flowing out of the node are considered negative (or vice versa, depending on the convention chosen)
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This law is based on the conservation of electric charge
Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law
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aka: second law, loop rule
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The voltage drop is the decrease in electric potential along the path of a current flowing in a circuit
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In one traversal of any closed loop, the sum of the voltage rises equals the sum of the voltage drops.
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given a circuit with a voltage source and resistors :
- is the current through the circuit
- is the voltage drop across the -th resistor
- is equal to minus the voltage drop across
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This law is based on the conservation of energy
Electromotive force
- A source (or electromotive force or emf) is a device that transforms some other form of energy into electrical energy
- The potential difference (voltage) between the terminals of a source when no current is flowing is called the emf of the source
- The emf of a source is determined by the chemical reactions that occur within the source
- The terminal voltage (difference) is the potential difference between the terminals of a source
- The internal resistance of a source is the resistance that the source itself has to the flow of current
- Unless stated otherwise, we assume the battery’s internal resistance is negligible, and the battery voltage given is its terminal voltage
- is the terminal voltage of a source
- is the emf of the source (in )
- is the current that flows through the source (in )
- is the internal resistance of the source (in )
- When (no current is flowing), (the terminal voltage equals the emf)
Electrical Circuits
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elements of an electric circuit:
- A branch represents a single two-terminal element (such as a voltage source or a resistor)
- A node (or junction) is the point of connection between two or more branches
- Nodes that are connected by perfectly conducting wires are considered to be the same node
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classification of elements:
- terminals number:
- One-port elements (two terminals) - dioes, resistors, capacitors, inductors
- Two-port elements (four terminals)
- Multiport elements
- energy source:
- passive elements do not have a source of energy - dioes, resistors, capacitors, inductors
- active elements (or sources) have a source of energy - voltage sources, current sources - dependent sources
- linearity:
- linear elements have a linear relationship between voltage and current
- resistors, capacitors, inductors
- nonlinear elements are elements in which the relation between voltage and current is a nonlinear function
- dioes
- linear elements have a linear relationship between voltage and current
- terminals number:
-
sources
- An ideal independent source is an active element that provides a specified voltage or current that is completely independent of other circuit elements
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A short circuit is a circuit element with resistance approaching zero, so
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An open circuit is a circuit element with resistance approaching infinity, so
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- Components of an electrical circuit
- Voltage source
- Terminals:
- Positive voltage terminal (higher voltage)
- Negative voltage terminal (lower voltage)
- Terminals:
- Voltage source
- Passive sign convention (PSC)
- electric power is positive if it flows out of the circuit into an electrical component
- electric power negative if it flows into the circuit out of a component
- Passive components (loads) will have positive power dissipation () and positive resistance ()
- Active components (sources) will have negative power dissipation () and negative resistance ()
- The conventional current variable :
- If is defined such that positive current enters the device through the positive voltage terminal:
- and
- If is defined such that positive current enters the device through the negative voltage terminal:
- and
- If is defined such that positive current enters the device through the positive voltage terminal:
- Components of an electrical circuit
Light-emitting diode
- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it
Capacitance
- A capacitor is a device that can store electric charge, and normally consists of two condaucting objects (usually plates or sheets) placed near each other but not touching
- The capacitor was originally known as the condenser
- is the relationship between charge, capacitance, and voltage
- is the charge stored on the capacitor (in )
- is the capacitance of the capacitor (in , farads)
- is the voltage across the capacitor (in )
- is the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor
- is the capacitance (in )
- is the permittivity of free space (or vacuum permittivity) that is
- is the area of the plates (in )
- is the separation between the plates (in )
Voltage Source
Notation
Symbols for independent voltage sources
or shoter version
Ground
Electric Battery
- A Galvanic cell (or voltaic cell) is an electrochemical cell that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, consisting of:
- two electrodes: conductors through which electric current enters or leaves the cell
- anode (): the electrode where oxidation occurs (loses electrons)
- cathode (): the electrode where reduction occurs (gains electrons)
- the part of each electrode outside the solution is called the terminal which is used to connect the cell to a circuit
- An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity by allowing ions to move and can exist either as a liquid (wet cell) or a paste (dry cell)
- two electrodes: conductors through which electric current enters or leaves the cell
- A battery is a collection of electric cells connected together
- The total voltage of a series (connected end-to-end positive to negative) connection is the sum of the voltages of the individual cells
- The total voltage of an opposite series connection
Example: Bunsen cell (zinc-carbon & dilute sulfuric acid)
- Electrodes:
- Zinc anode: Zinc metal dissolves into the electrolyte as zinc ions (), leaving behind electrons on the zinc electrode, which becomes negatively charged.
- Carbon cathode: The sulfuric acid electrolyte pulls electrons from the carbon electrode, making it positively charged.
- Electrolyte: The dilute sulfuric acid () serves as the electrolyte, allowing ions (e.g., ) to move between the electrodes while completing the internal charge balance.
- Chemical Reaction:
- At the zinc anode: Zinc undergoes oxidation (), releasing electrons into the electrode and producing zinc ions.
- At the carbon cathode: Electrons flow from the zinc anode to the carbon cathode through an external circuit, where reduction reactions can take place.
- Voltage: The zinc electrode becomes negatively charged, and the carbon electrode becomes positively charged, creating a potential difference (voltage) between the two terminals.
- Current:
- (closed circuit) Electrons flow through the external circuit from the zinc anode to the carbon cathode, creating an electric current.
- (open circuit) When the terminals are not connected, only a small amount of the zinc is dissolved,
- todo
- terms
- dry cell
- half-cell
- salt bridge
- standard electrode potential
- volatge regulator
- State of charge (SoC)
- State of health (SoH)
- battery management system (BMS)
- why does electric cars typically have only one gear?
- terms
Digital electronics
- transistor
- A transistor is a semiconductor device that can amplify or switch current
- BJT (bipolar junction transistor)
- The base is the control terminal
- The collector is the high-voltage terminal
- The emitter is the low-voltage terminal
- Type of BJT:
- NPN (negative-positive-negative)
- PNP (positive-negative-positive)
- FET (field-effect transistor)
- BJT (bipolar junction transistor)
- A transistor is a semiconductor device that can amplify or switch current
- a Logic Gates is a device that implements a logic function
Figure: An NPN transistor as a switch
Digital signal processing
- The difference between the original continuous analog signal and its digital approximation is called the quantization error
- The resolution (or bit depth) is the number of bits or values for the voltage of each sample (=measurement)
- The sampling rate is the number times per second the original analog voltage is measured (“sampled”)
- ADC (analog-to-digital converter) is a device that converts a continuous analog signal to a discrete digital signal
- DAC (digital-to-analog converter) is a device that converts a digital signal to an analog signal
- bandwidth, Spectral band, frequency bandtodo