Principle of Conservation of Charge

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Superposition Theorem

Q: What is the total current ( IT ) and voltage ( V3 ) across resistor R3? A: In order to begin evaluating the circuit from the vantage point of Vs1, we place a short across Vs2 : Within this circuit, negatively charged electrons move upward and across the R3 resistor towards the positively chargedContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Superposition Theorem“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: A Conceptual Analysis of Thevenin’s Theorem

A physical system would be meaningless without an observer. Conclusions about electrical systems are oftentimes made from the vantage point of the source ( Vs ), but this need not be the case. If a portion of a circuit is “ opened “, an observer can view the source and other components from the newlyContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: A Conceptual Analysis of Thevenin’s Theorem“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Voltage Divider Principle in Series-Parallel Circuits

The voltage-divider formula is expressed as follows: Vx = ( Rx / RT )( Vs ) This formula is used to determine how series resistors ( R ) split voltage drops apart as current passes through them. The net voltage drop across a series circuit’s resistors is always ( ignoring small losses ) equal toContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Voltage Divider Principle in Series-Parallel Circuits“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Parallel Circuits

In the study of parallel resistor ( Rx ) circuits, where “ x “ is the number of a particular resistor ( x = 1, 2, 3, … n ), a common point of confusion regards how the total resistance ( Rt ) of the circuit is always less than the lowest calculated resistor value.Continue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Parallel Circuits“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Current-Divider Formula

As we have seen, the voltage ( V ) drops that occur across resistors ( R ) in parallel circuits are equal in magnitude to the voltage of the source. In addition to this, the currents ( I ) within parallel circuits split apart ( and later recombine ) at nodes. The magnitude of theContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Current-Divider Formula“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Kirchhoff’s Laws ( Part 5 )

We are now ready to complete the Part 3 exercise using Kirchhoff’s Node and Loop Rules: Due to the presence of nodes at points C and E, differing current ( I ) values will be used to evaluate the voltage ( V ) drops that occur around each loop. There are three unique circuit pathwaysContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Kirchhoff’s Laws ( Part 5 )“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Kirchhoff’s Laws ( Part 4 )

Prior to completion of the previous lecture’s circuit problem, some additional practice identifying nodes and branches within a multi-loop circuit will be helpful: We begin our journey at the 3 V source located at the far-left side of the diagram. As the current ( I ) moves upward and to the right, we encounter ourContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Kirchhoff’s Laws ( Part 4 )“

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Kirchhoff’s Laws ( Part 3 )

Thus far, we have used a single-loop series circuit to demonstrate the principles of Kirchhoff’s Loop Rule. What if, however, a circuit has multiple loops through which current ( I ) travels? To further complicate things, what if each loop contains a voltage ( V ) source? How will it be possible to determine theContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Kirchhoff’s Laws ( Part 3 )”