Basic Electrical Concepts and Circuits
Think of current as the flow of electrical charge - it's like water flowing through pipes, measured in amps (A). For current to flow, you need a complete circuit and a driving force called potential difference or voltage, measured in volts (V). This voltage pushes the charge around the circuit.
Resistance acts like a narrow pipe that slows down the flow, measured in ohms (Ω). The relationship between these three is dead simple: V = I × R (voltage equals current times resistance). You'll use this formula constantly in your calculations.
Different components behave differently in circuits. Filament lamps get hot and their resistance increases with temperature. Ohmic conductors have constant resistance, whilst diodes only let current flow in one direction. LDRs (light dependent resistors) have low resistance in bright light, and thermistors have low resistance when hot.
Quick Tip: Remember that charge (Q) = current (I) × time (t), where charge is measured in coulombs. This helps you calculate how much electrical charge flows in a given time.
In series circuits, components share the voltage but have the same current throughout. In contrast, the resistance of all components adds up, making the total resistance higher.