Introduction; Units (1.1); Basic Quantities (1.2); Circuit Elements (1.

3)
Dr. Holbert January 18, 2006

ECE201 Lect-1

Basic Electrical Quantities

Basic quantities: current, voltage and power
Current: time rate of change of electric charge I = dq/dt
1 Amp = 1 Coulomb/sec

Voltage: electromotive force or potential, V

1 Volt = 1 Joule/Coulomb = 1 Nm/coulomb

Power:

P=IV

1 Watt = 1 VoltAmp = 1 Joule/sec

ECE201 Lect-1 2

Current, I
Normally we talk about the movement of positive charges although we know that, in general, in metallic conductors current results from electron motion (conventionally positive flow) The sign of the current indicates the direction of flow Types of current:
direct current (dc): batteries and some special generators alternating current (ac): household current which varies with time
ECE201 Lect-1 3

Voltage, V
Voltage is the difference in energy level of a unit charge located at each of two points in a circuit, and therefore, represents the energy required to move the unit charge from one point to the other

ECE201 Lect-1

Sign Convention
Passive sign convention : current should enter the positive voltage terminal
I

Circuit Element

Consequence for P = I V
Positive (+) Power: element absorbs power Negative (-) Power: element supplies power
ECE201 Lect-1 5

Electrical Analogies (Physical)

Electrical Base Flow Potential Power Charge (q) Current (I) Voltage (V) P=IV
ECE201 Lect-1

Hydraulic Mass (m) Fluid flow (G) Pressure (p) P=Gp

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Class Examples
Learning Extension E1.1 Learning Extension E1.2

ECE201 Lect-1

Active vs. Passive Elements

Active elements can generate energy
Batteries Voltage and current sources

Passive elements cannot generate energy

Resistors Capacitors and Inductors (but CAN store energy)
ECE201 Lect-1 8

Independent vs. Dependent Sources

An independent source (voltage or current) may be DC (constant) or time-varying, but does not depend on other voltages or currents in the circuit.
+

The dependent source magnitude is a function of another voltage or current in the circuit.
ECE201 Lect-1 9

Dependent Voltage Sources

6Vx + + 6000Ix

Voltage Controlled Voltage Source

ECE201 Lect-1

Current Controlled Voltage Source

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Dependent Current Sources

0.006Vx 6Ix

Voltage Controlled Current Source

ECE201 Lect-1

Current Controlled Current Source

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Class Examples
Learning Extension E1.3 Learning Extension E1.4(a) Learning Extension E1.5

ECE201 Lect-1

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