This is a REVIEW session.

See Handout:
2) Removing R2 from circuit 1: Increases the total resistance of the circuit, decreases the current drawn
from the battery, and does NOT CHANGE the voltage drop at R1 or the current through R1.
3) Adding a third resistor in series to circuit 2: increases the total resistance of the circuit, decreases the
current drawn from the battery, and decreases the voltage drop and current at R1.
4) Removing R2 from Circuit 2: Decreases the total resistance of the circuit, increases the current drawn
from the battery, and increases the voltage drop and current through R1.

Circuits with transformers

Power plants need to send lots of power over long distances. In order to reduce the amount of power
lost due to friction, transformers are used.
Ploss wires = I2*Rwire
Reducing I through the wire will reduce the power loss at the wire.
So as the Power station sends power to power lines, a STEP-UP transformer is used.
Example: Io = 1*107 Vo = 1*102
After the transformer: Iafter the transformer = 1*103 Vafter the transformer = 1*106
Note: Power stays CONSTANT.
When the power reaches a sub-station, a STEP-DOWN transformer is used to increase the current. At
this end, multiple step-down transformers are used so that the increase in current occurs in small
increments for safety.
FAQ: But if P=IV, why isnt the power loss the same?
A: Power loss in the wire is NOT the same as the power at the station. P is the terminal power, not the
power in the wire.
Remember: Step-up transformers INCREASE Vterminal.

Important equations to know:

V = IR

P = I^2*R

Important conventions to know:

Current represents the flow of POSITIVE charge. Electrons flow the opposite direction.
A battery is designated with two parallel lines of different lengths. The longer line represents the
POSITIVE side of the battery. Thus, the direction of the current points away from the longer line and
towards the shorter line.

Resistors wired in series:

The current (I) through each resistor is THE SAME. I1 = I2
Voltage is lost at each resistor (R). The voltage drop (V) at each is a fraction of the terminal (total)
voltage. The voltage drop at each resistor is PROPORTIONAL to the magnitude of the resistance (i.e. the
greater the resistance, the more voltage that is lost).
V1 = I1*R1 and V2 = I2*R2

The Power (P) dissipated by each resistor is proportional to the magnitude of the resistance (i.e. the
greater the resistance, the more power that is needed).
P1 = I12*R1 and P2 = I22*R2
If you use P=I*V here, use the voltage dropped at each resistor, NOT the terminal voltage.
Analogy: The voltage at the beginning of a circuit is like the potential energy of a skier at the top of a hill.
Once a skier reaches the bottom of the hill, all the potential energy is lost. Similarly, once the circuit has
been completed, all the voltage has been lost. Each resistor is analogous to a section of hill. Small hills
(resistors with low resistance) cause small drops, while large sections of hill (resistors with high
resistance) cause large drops.
Simple example on page:
25 V circuit
2 Resistors in series: 5 ohm and 20 ohm.

Total resistance = 5+20 = 25 ohm

At the beginning of the circuit there are 25V in the system. Just after Resistor 1 we have dropped 5V.
After Resistor 2 we have dropped 20V.
Resistors wired in parallel:
The Voltage drop across parallel paths is the same. V1 +V2 =V3 =Vtotal
Current through each parallel path is a fraction of the total current. I1*R1 + I2*R2 = I3*R3
Current through each parallel path is inversely proportional to resistance. In other words, the greater
the resistance of one path, the less current will follow that path. I1*(R1+R2) = I3*R3
I1 /I3 =R3 /(R1+R2)
The Power dissipated by each parallel path is proportional to current. Thus, the greater the resistance in
a path, the less current will follow that path, and the less power will be dissipated along that path.
P1+2 = I1*V1+2 and P3= I3*V3
Analogy: A skier has a choice to go down one of two hills: either the hill from before with two drops (one
smaller and one larger), or she can go down one very steep hill. This second steep hill is analogous to a
single resistor with a very large resistance (100 ohm). Either path the skier chooses, she will arrive at the
bottom of the hill and lose all her PE. Similarly, either path the current flows through, it will still drop all
the voltage (25V) in the system before completing the circuit.

Ohms Law and Resistance

Vterminal = Itotal*Rtotal
The terminal voltage depends on the battery, not on the circuit.
Vdrop at a resistor = Ithrough resistor *R of resistor
The Voltage lost at a resistor depends on the battery and whether or not there are other Resistors or
Capacitors in series (these will change the current through the resistor, and thus the Voltage drop)
The Resistance of a resistor depends on the resistors geometry and resistivity: R = pL/A
p = resistivity
L = length
A = cross-sectional area
Thinking Question: If the batterys terminal voltage is doubled, how does the voltage drop on each
resistor change?

Answer:
Old terminal voltage = 25V
Old voltage drops: R1=5V
R2=20V
R3=25V
New terminal voltage = 50V New Voltage drops:
R1= 10V
R2= 40V
R3= 50V

Trends for circuits with resistors:

1) Adding a third parallel resistor to circuit 1: decreases the total resistance of the circuit, increases the
current drawn from the battery, and does NOT CHANGE the voltage drop at R1 or the current through
R1.

Capacitors
Capacitors store charge.
Qtotal = Ctotal*Vterminal
Qstored on capacitor = Cof capacitor*Vdiff across capacitor
The capacitance (C) depends on the geometry of the capacitor and dielectric constant.
C = k*Eo*A / d
K = dielectric constant
A = Area of plate
d = distance between plates
Area is important! The greater the area, the more the charges spread out. This reduces the repulsion,
and consequently increases the amount of charge a capacitor can store.

Dielectric Constant (k)

Dielectrics oppose the electric field of the capacitor.
Vacuum = k/1 Glass = 5 Water = 80
A higher k means something is easier to polarize.
A higher k increases the capacitance of the capacitor.
The BATTERY sets the voltage.
The amount of charge stored changes.
Remember, this is only while the circuit is connected to the battery!

Capacitors and time

Question 1: Blue.
The relationship is not linear because as more charge that is added, repulsion between charges that
occurs. This makes it harder to add more charges.
As the capacitor discharges, the current is a negative value because it is traveling in the opposite
direction.

Question 2: Charge (Q)

These kinds of questions can be solved by multiplying the values on the x and y axes together.
Here, I * t = (C / s) * s = C

Capacitors wired in series

Charge stored in each Capacitor (C) is equal. Q1 = Q2
The Voltage drop on each C is a fraction of the terminal voltage. V1 =Q1/C1 andV2=Q2 /C2
The voltage drop on each C is INVERSLEY proportional to capacitance.
Capacitors wired in parallel
The voltage drop on each Capacitor (C) is equal. V1 = V2

The charge stored on each C is a fraction of the total charge. Q1= C1*V1 and Q2 = C2*V2
Charge stored on each C is PROPORTIONAL to capacitance.

Trends for circuits with capacitors

1) Adding a third parallel capacitor to circuit 1: increases the total capacitance of the circuit, increases
the charge drawn from the battery, and has NO CHANGE on the voltage drop across or charge stored on
C1.
2) Removing C2 from circuit 1: decreases the total capacitance of the circuit, decreases the charge
drawn from the battery, and has NO CHANGE on the voltage drop across or charge stored on C1.
3) Adding a third capacitor in series to circuit 2: decreases the total capacitance of the circuit, the charge
drawn from the battery, the voltage drop at C1, and the charge on C1.
4) Removing C2 from the circuit: increases the total capacitance of the circuit, the charge drawn from
the battery, the voltage drop at C1, and the charge on C1.