ENGR 1990 Engineering Mathematics

Application of Derivatives in Electrical Engineering

The diagram shows a typical element (resistor,
capacitor, inductor, etc.) in an electrical circuit. Here,
v (t ) represents the voltage across the element, and i (t )
represents the current flowing through the element. Both
are generally functions of time, t . For any such element,
the following equations apply.

dw
v (t ) =
dq
i (t ) =

dq
dt

p (t ) =

v (t )
+

circuit
element

i (t )

v(t ) is the voltage (volts)

w is the energy (joules)

q is the charge (coulombs)

i (t ) is the current (amps)

t is the time (sec)

dw dw dq
=
= v(t ) i (t )
dt dq dt

{ p(t ) is the power (joules/sec)

or (watts)

This last equation is an application of the chain rule.

Example 1:
Given: The charge and voltage for a given circuit element are given by the following
1 sin(250 t ) (coulombs) and v(t ) = 100sin(250 t ) (volts) .
equations: q(t ) = 50

Find: a) i (t ) the current passing through the element, b) p (t ) the power dissipated by the
element, and c) pmax the maximum power dissipated by the element.
Solution:
dq d 1
1 cos(250 t ) 250 = 5 cos(250 t ) (amps)
= ( 50 sin(250 t ) ) = 50
dt dt
b) p (t ) = v(t ) i (t ) = (100sin(250 t ) )( 5 cos(250 t ) )

a) i (t ) =

= 500 sin(250 t )cos(250 t ) (watts)

c) To find maximum power, we use the trigonometric identity: 2sin( )cos( ) = sin(2 )

p(t ) = 500 sin(250 t )cos(250 t ) = 12 ( 500 sin(500 t ) ) = 250 sin(500 t ) (watts)

pmax = 250 785 (watts)
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CurrentVoltage Relationships for Resistors, Capacitors and Inductors

The voltage across and the current through a resistor are related
simply by its resistance.

v (t )

v(t ) = Ri (t ) or i (t ) = v(t ) R
Given a voltage v (t ) applied to a capacitor, the corresponding
current i (t ) can be calculated as
i (t ) = C

i (t )

dv
dt

i (t )
v (t )

Given the current i (t ) passing through an inductor, the

corresponding voltage v (t ) can be calculated as
v (t ) = L

di
dt

i (t )

v (t )

Example 2:
Given: A voltage v (t ) = 110cos(120 t ) (volts) is applied to a
capacitor with C = 100 ( f ) .
Find: a) i (t ) , the current through the capacitor, and b) the
maximum power pmax .

i (t )
v (t )

Solution:
a) The current may be found by differentiating the voltage.

dv
d
= (100 106 ) (110cos(120 t ) )
dt
dt
= (100 106 ) (110 )(120 )( sin(120 t ) )

i (t ) = C

= 4.147sin(120 t ) (amps)
b) p (t ) = v(t ) i(t ) = (110cos(120 t ) )( 4.147sin(120 t ) )

= 456sin(120 t )cos(120 t )
= 456 12 sin(240 t )
= 228sin(240 t ) (watts)

pmax = 228 (watts)

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Alternate Solution for part (a): (without using derivatives)

We could have solved this problem using complex numbers.
Z C = j C = j (120 ) (100 106 ) = j (106 ) (120 )(100 )
= j 26.526 (ohms) = 26.526 ( 90o )

I=

110 ( 0o )

26.526 ( 90

= 4.147 ( 90o )

i (t ) = 4.147cos(120 t + 90o ) (amps)

= 4.147 cos(120 t )cos(90o ) sin(120 t )sin(90o )


 

0
1

= 4.147sin(120 t ) (amps)
Example 3:
Given: A voltage v (t ) = 110 e10 t cos(120 t ) (volts) is applied to a
capacitor with C = 100 (f ) .

i (t )
v (t )

Find: i (t ) , the current through the capacitor

Solution:
To find the current we differentiate the voltage using the product and chain rules.
dv
d
i (t ) = C = (100 106 ) (110 e 10t cos(120 t ) )
dt
dt
d
d

= (100 106 ) (110 ) ( e 10t ) ( cos(120 t ) ) + ( e 10t ) ( cos(120 t ) )

dt

dt

= 0.011 ( 10e 10t cos(120 t ) ) + ( 120 e 10t sin(120 t ) )

= 0.011e 10t [10cos(120 t ) + 120 sin(120 t ) ] (amps)

The term in square brackets can be reduced to a single, phase-shifted sine or cosine
function. For example, 120 sin(120 t ) + 10cos(120 t ) = M cos(120 t + ) where

M = (120 )2 + 102 377.1 and = tan 1 (120 / 10) = 88.48o = 1.544 (rad) .
So,

i (t ) = 4.15 e10 t cos(120 t 1.544) (amps)

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Example 4:
Given: A current i (t ) = 5 t e10 t (amps) is applied to an inductor
with L = 250 (mh) .

i (t )

v (t )

Find: v (t ) , the voltage across the inductor.

Solution:
To find the voltage we differentiate the current using the product and chain rules.

v (t ) = L

di
d
d
d

= 0.25 ( 5 t e10 t ) = 14 ( 5t ) ( e10 t ) + 14 ( 5t ) ( e10 t )

dt
dt
dt
dt

= 14 ( 5e10 t ) + 14 5t ( 10e10 t ) = 14 ( 5e10 t 50 t e10 t )

=

5 e10 t
4

(1 10 t ) (volts)

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