Basic Electrical Engineering Quiz

Fundamentals of Electricity

• Module title: Basic Electrical Engineering (ELEN 016)
• Professor: Engr. Jomar J. Daciles, REE, RME, SO2
• Year: 2008
• Institution: Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Objectives

• Explain electricity and other electrical terminologies
• Enumerate and describe the sources of electricity
• Differentiate insulator and conductor

What is Electricity?

• A form of energy, resulting from charged particles (electrons or protons)
• Can be static (accumulation of charge) or dynamic (current)
• Also refers to a thrilling excitement or feeling

Background: Thales of Miletus

• Contributed to philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy
• Noted that amber (fossilized tree resin) rubbed with fur attracts lightweight objects
• One of the earliest observations of static electricity

Background: William Gilbert

• Pioneer in the study of electricity and magnetism
• Showed static electricity occurs in many materials
• Coined the word "Electricity" (from the Greek word for amber—"electron")
• Is considered the father of electricity

Static Electricity

• Electricity at rest, not moving
• Electric Charge: the quantity of electricity in an object.
• Two types of electric charge: positive, negative
• Neutral charge occurs when the positive and negative charges are equal

Electrical Charge

• Positive charge: associated with protons in an atom's nucleus
• Negative charge: associated with electrons orbiting the nucleus
• Neutral charge: an equal number of protons and electrons

Electrical Charge (continued)

• Protons have a positive charge (+).
• Electrons have a negative charge (-).
• Like charges repel each other; unlike charges attract.

Overview of Electricity

• Electricity is a fundamental entity composed of negatively and positively charged particles (electrons and protons).
• Electric current is the directed movement of free electrons.

Electrical Terminologies

• Circuit: a closed path of current, including a source, conductor, and load
• Current: directed flow of free electrons, measured in amperes (A)
• Voltage: electromotive force, a potential difference, measured in volts (V)
• Resistance: difficulty of an electric current passing through a substance, measured in ohms (Ω)

Conductors and Insulators

• Conductors: materials allowing electric current to flow easily (e.g., metals like copper, aluminum)
• Insulators: materials resisting electric current flow (e.g., rubber, porcelain, plastic)

Current (Electric Current)

• Directed flow of free electrons

Methods to Have Free Electrons

• Valence electrons: outermost shell electrons
• Insulator: more valence electrons
• Semiconductor: equal to 4 valence electrons
• Conductor: less than 4 valence electrons

Third-party disturbances

• Heat, magnetism, chemical reaction, photon energy, and friction

Current (Ampere)

• Unit symbol: I
• Unit: Amperes (A)
• Formula: I = Q/t, where Q is charge in Coulombs and t is time in seconds.
• 1 Coulomb = 6.25 x 10¹⁸ electrons
• 1 electron = 1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs

Charge (Q)

• Ampere-second
• Milli-ampere-hour (mAh)

Powerbank Charge

• Units such as Watt-hour (Wh), Amp-hour (Ah), and milli-amp-hour (mAh)

Resistance

• Measure of difficulty to pass an electric current through a substance
• Resist the flow of free electrons

Voltage (V)

• Force that moves charges
• Quantitative expression of potential difference
• Measured in Volts (V)
• Formula: V = W/Q, where W is work done and Q is charge

Voltage (V) Example

• Shows calculation of voltage given work done and charge

Sources of Electricity

• No specific details provided in the slides

Types of Voltage

• Direct Current (DC): one-directional current
• Alternating Current (AC): periodically reverses direction

Direct Current (DC)

• One-directional flow
• Examples: batteries, solar panels

Direct Current (DC) Example

• Illustrates solar panels, batteries, and inverters

Alternating Current (AC)

• Reverses direction periodically
• Examples: power lines for homes

Alternating Current (AC) Example

• Shows AC power lines in homes

AC Advantage over DC

• Easily produced
• Cheaper to maintain
• Distributes to lower distances
• Can be transformed to higher voltage
• More efficient

Example: Rectifier

• Device to convert AC to DC voltage

Power Generation

• No specific details provided in the slides

Power Generation (continued)

• Diagram illustrates power generation process, including generation, transmission, and distribution

Insulator and Conductor

• Insulator: high resistance to electricity (e.g., rubber, porcelain, plastic)
• Conductor: easy passage of current (e.g., metal like copper, aluminum)

Test your understanding of the fundamentals of electricity with this quiz based on the Basic Electrical Engineering module (ELEN 016). Explore key terminologies, sources of electricity, and the differences between conductors and insulators. This assessment will also touch on historical figures who contributed to the study of electricity.