Otis Singleton
Electric circuits are closed-loop pathways that allow electrons to flow in a straight path. They are made up of four basic components: a source (such as a battery or cell), a connecting wire, a switch, and an electric load. The source provides electric current to the circuit, with the direction of electron flow from the negative terminal towards the positive terminal of the battery. The connecting wire, made of a conducting material, allows the electric current to flow through it. The switch controls the supply of current by opening or closing the circuit, and the electric load converts electrical energy into other forms, such as a light bulb converting electrical energy into light and heat energy. Understanding these components is crucial for comprehending the workings of electric circuits and their applications, including in vehicles and household appliances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A complete pathway that allows electrons to flow |
| Number of Basic Components | 4 |
| Types | Series, Parallel |
| Components | Cell/Battery, Wire, Switch, Electric Load (e.g. Light Bulb) |
| Function of Components | Cell/Battery: Provides electric current; Wire: Conducts current; Switch: Controls current; Electric Load: Converts electrical energy |
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What You'll Learn
Cells and batteries as sources of power
A cell is a device that powers electrical circuits. It has two terminals: positive and negative. The terminal marked negative is the source of electrons, and when connected to a circuit, it delivers energy. For example, a torch battery is a type of cell. When you insert a battery into a device, matching the positive and negative signs, you complete a circuit, and that is how the circuit gets its power. A battery is a combination of multiple cells.
The basic electrical circuit consists of a cell/battery, wire, switch, and light bulb. The wire is used to establish electrical conductivity between two devices of an electrical circuit. It possesses negligible resistance to the passage of current. The wires are covered by an insulated coating of different colours. The colour codes are used to distinguish between neutral and ground, and live wire, which differs from one country to another.
The switch is a device that can break an electrical circuit by diverting the current from one conductor to another conductor or an insulator. The contacts are termed as open and closed. When the contacts are separated, the circuit is broken, so no current is flowing. When the contacts are touching, the circuit is complete, and the current is flowing.
The light bulb is a device that produces light from electricity. It turns electricity into light by sending a current through a thin wire called a filament, usually made of tungsten.
Cells and batteries are similar devices that accept, store, and release electricity on demand. They use chemistry, in the form of chemical potential, to store energy. To accept and release energy, a battery is coupled to an external circuit. Electrons move through the circuit, while simultaneously, ions (atoms or molecules with an electric charge) move through the electrolyte.
Within the cell, you can think of current as the number of ions moving through the electrolyte multiplied by the charge of those ions. The higher the current, the more work it can do at the same voltage. Power is calculated by multiplying voltage by current. The higher the power, the quicker a battery can do work. Capacity is the power of the battery as a function of time, which is used to describe the length of time a battery will be able to power a device. A high-capacity battery will be able to keep going for longer before going flat.
Rechargeable batteries are designed so that electrons and ions can move in either direction through the circuit and electrolyte. When the electrons move from the cathode to the anode, they increase the chemical potential energy, thus charging the battery. When they move in the other direction, they convert this chemical potential energy to electricity in the circuit and discharge the battery.
Different types of cells include nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells. Li-ion has the highest share of the dry cell rechargeable market. NiMH has replaced NiCd in most applications due to its higher capacity, but NiCd is still used in power tools, two-way radios, and medical equipment.
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Wires as conductors
Electric circuits are closed loops or paths that form a network of electrical components, allowing electrons to flow. Wires are essential in establishing electrical conductivity between two devices in an electrical circuit. They are typically made of solid metal, with copper being the most common type of wire used for electrical applications due to its high conductivity and ease of connection through soldering or clamping. Copper wires are used as conductors with no insulation, carrying current from the cells to the resistor and the bulb.
The geometry of the wire does not affect its resistivity and conductivity, which are instead determined solely by the material the wire is made of. Resistivity is a measure of the material's ability to oppose electric current, and it is the reciprocal of conductivity. While the formula for resistivity assumes a uniform current density in the conductor, it still provides a good approximation for long, thin conductors like wires. However, the formula does not account for alternating current (AC) accurately because the skin effect inhibits current flow near the centre of the conductor, resulting in higher resistance than expected.
Temperature significantly impacts the efficacy of conductors, affecting them in two main ways. Firstly, materials may expand when heated, altering the geometry of the conductor and its resistance characteristics. Secondly, rising temperatures have an adverse effect on conduction due to the inverse relationship between temperature and conductivity.
Aluminum wire is another common type of metal wire used in electric power transmission and distribution. While it has lower conductivity than copper, its lower density makes it twice as conductive by mass, and it is significantly more cost-effective for large conductors. However, aluminum wiring has some disadvantages, such as its tendency to form an insulating oxide and its larger coefficient of thermal expansion, which can cause connections to loosen over time.
In conclusion, wires made of conductive materials like copper and aluminium play a crucial role in electric circuits by facilitating the flow of electrons between devices. The choice of wire material depends on factors such as conductivity, cost, and mechanical and chemical properties.
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Switches to open and close circuits
A switch is a device that can break an electrical circuit by diverting the current from a conductor to an insulator or another conductor. When the contacts of a switch are separated, the circuit is broken, and no current can flow—this is called an "open circuit". When the contacts are touching, the circuit is complete, and the current is flowing—this is called a "closed circuit".
Switches are used to control the supply of current in a circuit by opening or closing it. They are used in various devices, from controlling fans, bulbs, and call bells in the home, to emergency stop buttons in industrial settings.
There are several types of switches that can open and close circuits. A simple example is a light switch, which opens and closes the circuit that connects a light to a power source. A push-button switch has a pushing design to make a connection and is used in start buttons. Toggle switches, commonly found in household devices, have a flippable lever to move up or down to open or close the circuit. Rocker switches have a flat, rocking mechanism that can be tilted back and forth to open or close the circuit and are useful in appliances and control panels. Slide switches are compact and used in electronic devices, with a small lever that can be moved horizontally to open or close the circuit. Tactile switches provide clicky feedback and are used in keyboards and remote controls.
NO (Normally Open) switches are used when it is important to detect a state change or control the electricity flow. They are often used in safety applications, such as emergency stop buttons, where the circuit must remain inactive until deliberately activated. NC (Normally Closed) switches, on the other hand, are used for circuits that need to be open when the switch is activated, such as safety switches.
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Bulbs as indicators of closed circuits
An electric circuit is a closed-loop or path that forms a network of electrical components, where electrons are able to flow. The basic electrical circuit consists of a cell/battery, wire, switch, and light bulb. The cell or battery acts as a source to provide electric current to the circuit. The wire, usually made of copper, acts as a conductor for the circuit. The switch controls the supply of current in the circuit by opening or closing it.
The light bulb is an essential component of an electric circuit. It is used to indicate that the circuit is closed and the current is flowing through it without any disturbance in the wires. When the electric circuit is turned on, the bulb glows. This is because the bulb turns the electricity into light by sending current through a thin wire called a filament, which is usually made of tungsten. The tungsten filament emits light when electricity is passed through it. This is the same phenomenon that makes stars glow and metal being forged by a blacksmith glow red hot.
Bulbs are also used in electronic items as indicators, such as in traffic signals and indicator lights in cars. In a series circuit, where the components of the circuit are connected across different branches, if one bulb stops working, the other bulbs will still be functional. This is because, in a series circuit, the flow of electrons occurs in more than one part of the circuit. Therefore, if a circuit breakdown occurs in one branch, the electric current will still be flowing in the other branches.
In a parallel circuit, where numerous resistances are linked across one another, if one bulb stops working, it may affect the other bulbs in the circuit. This is because, in a parallel circuit, the resistances are linked in such a manner that one terminal of every resistance is connected to form a junction point. Therefore, if one bulb burns out, it could impact the flow of electrons to the other bulbs in the circuit.
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Series and parallel circuits
Electric circuits are closed loops that allow electrons to flow through a network of electrical components. The basic components of an electric circuit include a cell or battery, wires, a switch, and a light bulb.
A series circuit is one in which all the components are connected end-to-end, forming a single path for the current to flow. Voltage drops at each component in a series circuit, but the current remains the same for all components since the path is continuous. This means that if one bulb burns out in a series circuit, the entire circuit is broken. Series circuits are sometimes referred to as voltage dividers or current-coupled.
In contrast, a parallel circuit involves numerous resistances or components connected across each other, with each component having its own circuit or branch. There are multiple paths for the current to flow, but only one voltage across all the components. In a parallel circuit, if one bulb stops working, the others will still function. Parallel circuits are also called current dividers.
The series and parallel circuits can be combined to create more complex series-parallel circuits. Series circuits were formerly used for lighting in trains, but they are now mainly used in switches to turn appliances on and off. Parallel circuits, on the other hand, are commonly found in domestic electric circuits and wiring of household appliances as they do not cause short circuits.
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Frequently asked questions
The components of an electric circuit are a source (such as a battery), connecting wires, a switch, and an electric load.
A source provides electric current to the circuit. Examples include cells and batteries.
Wires are used to establish electrical conductivity between two devices of an electric circuit. They are made of conducting materials that allow the electric current to flow through them.
A switch controls the supply of current in the circuit by opening or closing it. It can break an electrical circuit by diverting the current from one conductor to another conductor or an insulator.
An electric load is an electrical component that converts electrical energy into other forms of energy. Examples include a buzzer, heater, motor, computer, fan, light bulb, AC, and TV.
