Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
Lesson Objectives Material
2.1 Introduction to circuits Modeling Circuits
2.2 Series voltage sources Flashlight batteries
2.3 Parallel voltage sources Door Lock batteries
2.4 Ohm’s Law Ohm’s Law
2.5 Linear Equations Popcorn
2.6 Power Rule and Ohm’s Wheel Power Rule
Prerequisite Assumptions
Before beginning the lesson, students should understand
• how to operate their calculator,
• dimensional analysis,
• percentages,
• ratios and fractions and
• engineering notation.
Specific Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should understand;
ü Simple electrical circuits using a source, resistance (load) and circuit path
ü Voltage sources in series and in parallel
ü Circuit analysis using Ohm’s Law
ü Circuit analysis using the Power Rule
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
ü Apply Ohm’s Law to analyze simple circuits
ü Manipulate linear equations that represent circuits
ü Solve linear equations to understand circuit behavior
ü Calculate series and parallel voltages across components in circuits
Modeling notes:
We model circuits in a schematic, which is simply a sketch of the circuit. Think of a schematic
as a “recipe” for building the circuit.
A circuit must have;
• A source, most often a voltage source that pushes the electrons along. Think of the
voltage source as the pump that forces water (current) through a pipe. The unit for
Voltage is volts (V) and the unit for current is amperes or amps (A). Throughout this
program, you will use conventional flow of current, which means that the current is
always pushed out the positive terminal of the voltage source and into the positive
terminal of devices. It is important that the direction of the current flow be indicated on
your schematic.
Þ On a schematic, voltage is represented with these symbols
AC DC
• The load consumes power and impedes or resists the flow of electrons. To function, a
load will need voltage and current. The unit for a resistance is Ohms (Ω).
Þ On a schematic, the following symbols are frequently used.
Resistor Speaker Light bulb Microphone
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
• Ground is most often used as a reference voltage and is always at zero voltage (0 V) or
zero potential. Ground (or some other reference) is required for a circuit to operate.
When the ground symbol is not explicitly shown on a schematic, assume that it is on the
negative side of the voltage source.
Þ On a schematic, the ground is represented with the following symbol
• A closed conductive path connected from the voltage source through the load to
ground. This path depicts the conductive wire that connects all the components within
the circuit.
Þ Represented with a line (or lines) on a schematic
The figure to the right is a schematic of a simple electronic circuit. This Current
circuit consists of + -
• a battery voltage source which pushes the current along Switch
+
• an arrow that indicates the direction of the current, note that Battery
conventional flow of current leaves the source from the positive Voltage Load
-
terminal and enters components at the positive terminal.
• a switch to complete the electrical path
• a load, which provides resistance to the current, consumes
energy, and produces work. So if the load is a light bulb, the
light will illuminate when the flow of electrons starts.
• a ground, which is required for a circuit to operate.
The natural physical laws are responsible for the responses within the circuit and we use simple
mathematics to predict how the circuit will behave.
Battery
Batteries are a common source of power. In a battery, a chemical reaction causes electrons to
flow.
Battery ratings include the capacity in amp-hours (amp-hour or A-hr). A battery rated at 1 amp-
hour should be able to supply a current of 1 amp to a load for exactly 1 hour, or 2 amps for 1/2
hour, or 1/3 amp for 3 hours, etc., before becoming completely discharged. In an ideal battery,
current and voltage are stable forever. Often engineers use ideal components like a battery to
do analysis and simulation.
The following chart from Duracell shows some typical characteristics of their batteries.
As shown above, AA, AAA, C, and D batteries, each produce1.5V but have different capacities.
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
Batteries strung together in series increases the voltage. Batteries strung together in parallel
increases the current.
The voltages of batteries connected in series increase. Batteries in series have the positive
terminal connected to the negative terminal of the next battery. This configuration is called
series aiding.
Four 1.5V AA batteries placed in series give a total voltage of,
1.5V + 1.5V +1.5V +1.5V = 6 volts.
https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php 1https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=35921
What would be the expected maximum current out of this circuit?
The current of batteries in connected in parallel increases. Batteries in parallel have their
negative terminals connected and their positive terminals connected. This configuration is
called parallel aiding.
Four AA batteries placed in parallel give a total current of,
2.85A + 2.85A +2.85A +2.85A = 11.4 A.
https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php 2https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=35921
What would be the expected voltage at the two terminals?
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
Problem Situation 2.1 – Modeling Circuits
1) Sketch the schematic for the flashlight shown on the right.
2) Are the batteries in series or parallel?
3) Are they aiding or opposing?
4) If they are standard C batteries, how much voltage will be delivered to make this flashlight
produce light?
5) On your sketch, indicate the direction of the current (conventional flow).
6) If one battery were reversed, would the flashlight operate? Explain.
7) Identify on the flashlight where the voltage potential is at zero volts?
Problem Situation 2.2 – Designing a big flashlight
1) You want a flashlight that produces a lot of light. The
largest practical bulb requires 9 volts (max). How many D
batteries would be required to provide the 9 Volts?
2) Should these batteries be in series or parallel? Would
these batteries be aiding or opposing?
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
3) Sketch the schematic for this flashlight. On the schematic;
a. label the positive and negative (+, -) terminals of the battery components
b. indicate with an arrow the direction of the conventional current flow
Problem Situation 2.3 – Door lock batteries
You acquired a battery-operated dead-bolt lock for your front door. It seems like a great
solution for you. To move the deadbolt, it requires a significant amount of
power. This lock requires 1.5 Volts at 2 Amps to move the deadbolt. A
correct code opens a switch completing the circuit to withdraw the dead bolt.
1) How many AA batteries would be required to provide the 1.5 Volts at 2
Amps? AA batteries are rated at 2.85 amp hours and the maximum
current each battery can produce is 0.600 A. Should these batteries be in
series or parallel?
2) Sketch the schematic for this door lock. On the schematic;
a. label the positive and negative (+, -) terminals of the battery components
b. indicate with an arrow the direction of the conventional current flow
Problem Situation 2.4 – Ohm’s Law
We know that in a circuit there is a minimum of voltage, current and resistance. The
following table defines the units.
Quantity Unit Name Unit Symbol
Electric current (I) Ampere (amp) A
Voltage (V) or
Volt V, E
Electromotive force (E)
Resistance (R) Ohm Ω
Electric power (P) Watt W
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
The German physicist Georg Ohm discovered and quantified the relationship between
voltage, current and resistance in an electrical circuit.
Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly
proportional to the voltage across the two points.
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 = 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 ∗ 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 (Quantities)
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑠 = 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 ∗ 𝑂ℎ𝑚𝑠 (Unit Names)
𝑉 = 𝐼𝑅 (Unit Symbols)
By knowing any two values of the Voltage, Current or Resistance quantities we can use
Ohms Law to find the third missing value. Ohms Law is foundational to most circuit analysis.
Ohm’s triangle, shown below is a good memory tool.
Ohm’s Law is a linear equation. A linear equation is an equation for a straight line when
plotted on a graph. Each term is a first degree constant or variable.
1) Suppose you have a speaker that you want to install in your car. This 3Ω speaker draws
power from the 12 V car battery. How much current will this speaker draw? Sketch the
circuit.
2) Based on Ohm’s Law if you were to use a 5 V source with the same speaker, what would
change and how much would it change?
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
3) For the following circuit; hold the resistance constant at 120 Ω; calculate the current as the
voltage changes as indicated in the chart. Use no more than three significant digits.
Voltage (V) Current (mA) Resistance (Ω)
10 120
20 120
30 120
40 120
50 120
60 120
70 120
80 120
90 120
100 120
4) Graph the current and resistance on the following chart. Notice the axis units.
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
Current/Voltage Relationship
1.2
0.8
Current (A)
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Voltage (V)
5) What is the shape of the graph? Can you recognize a relationship between voltage and
current?
6) Looking at the graph, predict what the current would be if the voltage is 25 V and the
resistance was the same at 120Ω. Then calculate the current, see how close your
prediction was to the calculation, and verify that the graph is helpful.
7) Can you predict the voltage required if you changed the load to 80 Ω that required 1.2
Amps? What equation would you use? Can you calculate the voltage?
8) Can you label which each character depicts; Voltage in volts, Current in Amps and
Resistance in Ohms.
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
Problem Situation 2.5 – Popcorn
1) Watch the following short clip. Act 1 (https://youtu.be/BVh9Dt33bLQ).
2) What do you observe about this video?
3) Which configuration holds more popcorn?
4) Act 3 (https://youtu.be/BVh9Dt33bLQ).
Problem Situation 2.6 – Power Rule
Every electrical component consumes power. The letter P represents power in Watts (W).
Components such as a resistor convert electrical energy into heat. Electrical components are
physically limited to the amount of power they can consume without burning up. Overloading
electrical components destroys the components and can cause fires.
Power Rule
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 ∗ 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 (Quantities)
𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠 = 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 ∗ 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑠 (Unit Names)
𝑃 = 𝐼𝑉 (Unit Symbols)
1) What equation would you use if you wanted to calculate the current and knew the power and
the voltage?
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
2) What equation would you use if you wanted to calculate the voltage and had the power and
the current?
3) In the following circuit, the load has a resistance of 300Ω and can handle 1/4 Watt of power
without sustaining damage.
a. What current does the load draw?
+
300Ω
12V 1/4W
-
b. Will this component fail? First, take a guess and then calculate.
c. What would you recommend changing about this circuit or components?
4) A ¼ Watt 220 Ω resistor has 7.35 V measured across it. Will this resistor burn up? First,
take a guess and then calculate the answer.
5) This same resistor used in the previous question has 10.3 mA through it. Can you predict
the voltage potential across the resistor and the power consumed? Take a guess and then
calculate the answer.
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Electronics Math 1 Introduction to Circuits Worksheet
6) The following chart lists some common household appliances and devices. You need to
determine the missing information.
Voltage Resistance Current Power
Device
(V) (Ω) (A) (W)
Refrigerator 120 1200
Heater 120 9.6
TV 120 2.5
Hair Dryer 120 9
Phone Charger 120 15
Light bulb 120 1
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