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Circuits
Overachieving and under-appreciated, circuits are the foundation that our technological society is built on. Now's your chance to find out not only how they work, but why. Questions regarding the physics behind voltage, resistance, capacitance, inductance, transistors, LEDs, switches, and power supplies; and how they're used to create analog and digital circuits, should be directed here.
1,646 Questions
What will happen if you change polarity in parallel circuit?
If you reverse the polarity in a parallel circuit, the components will still function but the direction of current flow through each component will be reversed. This could lead to a change in the behavior of any polarized components in the circuit, such as diodes or electrolytic capacitors. It is important to ensure that the components can handle the reversed polarity to prevent damage.
Which bulb will glow brighter with 220V - 40W or 400W?
-- The voltage makes no difference.
-- The 400W device dissipates ten times as much power as the 40W device does.
We don't know how much of each one's power consumption is radiated in the form of
heat, UV light, etc. But if the spectral distribution of their output is similar, then the one
that dissipates more power produces more visible light, and appears brighter.
What is the difference between KCL and KVL?
Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL) states that the total current entering a junction in a circuit must equal the total current leaving the junction. Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) states that the sum of the voltage drops across all elements in a closed loop in a circuit is equal to the applied voltage in that loop.
How does width of the wire affect the flow of current in a wire?
it just does The thicker the wire the more space there will be for electrical current to flow. What this means is that the electrons have a lesser chance of hitting the atoms and causing resistance.
How come low frequency current needs a return path but high frequency current does not?
The higher the frequency the lower the impedance is in air, vacuum or other insulation. High frequency usually finds its return path via stray capacitance. Some part of the energy is radiated by the conductors, as they form an antenna, even if not intended to do so. In this case the antenna impedance provides the return path.
Is voltage the flow of electrons through a wire or a conductor?
The flow of electrons through a conductor is called electric current.
The voltage is the 'pressure' or difference in electric potential between the
ends of the wire, that encourages each electron to try to move closer to
one end and farther away from the other end.
What is the principle of direct current?
ANSWER
Direct current (DC) is the function of having a constantdifference in potential at opposite ends of an electrical circuit. An electrical circuit is any configuration that allows electrical current to flow across any point within the circuit.
There is a phenomenon known as Galvanic Action. This occurs when a pair of conductors made from different materials makes contact. At the point of contact, the junction, there is a minuscule difference in potential between the two different materials. These potential differences are measured in micro-volts. These potential differences exist because every material, at rest, has a particular energy level unique to that material. Since there is a difference in energy level between any two materials, there exists an electrical potential difference between them as well.
Only in conductors can electrical current flow freely. Electrical current flow is electron flow between atoms in a conductive material. Any material will conduct electricity given a high enough potential difference across the material. Gold, Silver, and Copper, are three examples of high conductivity materials, or good conductors. It takes a minuscule difference in potential to get electron flow within these materials. Plastic, glass, and porcelain are three examples of no conductivity materials, or good insulators. It takes an excessive difference in potential to break these materials down in order to get electron flow within these materials.
Plastic is a relatively good insulator because it takes a considerable amount of potential difference (voltage) across the material to get electron flow within the material. This makes plastic a good insulator and this is why it is found in many electrical circuits. Porcelain is an insulator used in high voltage circuits. These are the long suspension devices used to hang high tension power cables you see on towers that deliver power between cities.
I hope this makes some sense. This explanation could go on for a very long time.
How is energy transferred from the cell to the bulb in parallel circuits and series circuits?
it is transferred by chemical energy stored in the circuit to electrical energy which lights the bulb creating light energy then heat energy
chemical energy -> electrical energy -> light energy -> heat energy
p.s. I'm twelve and learned this during may i guess I'm going to pass my physics and chemistry test
How are parallel circuit lights better than series circuit lights using science facts?
In a parallel circuit, there are multiple paths for electricity to flow. So, if one switch is turned off there is still other paths for electricity to flow so the other lights can remain on. However, in a series circuit there is only one path for the electricity to travel. So, if the switch in a series circuit was turned off the electricity would stop flowing causing all the lights to go out.
In a series circuit the lights share the voltage between them equally and the current stays the same throughout and if one bulb fuses the the other will not work. For the parallel, the voltage is the full voltage from the battery in all bulbs and the current is split between the different routes, and if one goes out the other one will stay lighten.
Why an ammeter is likely to burn out if connected in parallel combination?
ameter has a low resistance so if it is placed in parallel with the load then it will experiance voltage as much as the load and according to equation
power=v2/r
the power will be very high as high v or low r both favors for a high power dissipation .
but on a series combination most of the voltage drop will be on load the ameter will not have a high power dissipation
How does electricity come from candle?
I can think of three ways whereby a candle could produce electricity:
1). Heat water with the flame. When the water boils, use the steam to spin
a turbine mounted to an electrical generator.
2). Place the flame close by a photovoltaic cell, which can convert a part of
the candle's heat and light to electrical energy.
3). Place a pinwheel behind the candle flame, attached to an electrical generator,
and wait for someone to come along and blow out the flame.
What is carrying charge in conducting solids?
Carrying charge in conducting solids refers to the movement of electric charge carriers, such as electrons or ions, within the material. This movement of charge enables the conduction of electricity in the material. The presence and mobility of these charge carriers are essential for the material to exhibit its conducting properties.
What happens to the resistance when the frequency is doubled?
When the frequency is doubled, the resistance of a circuit remains unchanged. Resistance in a circuit is independent of frequency and is determined by the material and physical dimensions of the resistor.
Why is resistance of a wire directly proportional to its length?
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There are various reasons why a circuit may not work, such as a loose connection, a blown fuse, a malfunctioning component, or an incorrect wiring setup. It is important to systematically troubleshoot the circuit by checking each component and connection to identify and fix the issue.
How do resistors produce heat in an electric circuit?
The complete explanation probably involves quantum mechanics, but for an intuitive explanation, simply imagine that electrons move through a metal (for example), and that now and then, some of them collide with atoms, wasting energy from the electric current - and heating up the metal (by making the atoms move faster).
What change in resistivity if length is doubled?
Resistivity is a property of a substance, and doesn't depend on the dimensions
of a sample. If the length of a conductor is doubled, then its resistance doubles
but its resistivity doesn't change.
What are the energy transformations occurring in a filament lamp?
In a filament lamp, electrical energy is transformed into both light and heat energy. The electrical energy is converted to light energy as the filament heats up and emits light. However, a significant portion of the electrical energy is also converted to heat energy due to the resistance of the filament.
A voltmeter is designed to operate like a very large resistor (order of megaOhms), in parallel to the circuit that it is measuring. As long as the voltmeter resistance is much larger than the circuit that it is measuring, it will draw very little current away from the circuit and will only minimally disturb the operating circuit. See related link. If the voltmeter is connected in series with the rest of the circuit, then that is the same as connecting a very large resistor in series.
So for example if you have 10 volt battery and a 10 ohm resistor, that would be 1 amp (without the voltmeter). Now if the voltmeter is 10 megaohm, the total resistance is 10000010 ohms, so the current is 0.999999 microamperes, and the voltage across the 10 ohm resistor is 9.99999 microvolts, while the voltage across the voltmeter is 9.999990 Volts (these numbers are rounded, but you get the idea).
Suppose you put in series with a 1 kiloOhm (not sure about that spelling) resistor. The total resistance is 10001000 ohms, and current is 0.99990 microamperes, the voltage across resistor is now 0.9999 millivolts (it was microvolts) and the voltage across the voltmeter is 9.9990001 volts
How can you find the steady state current in RLC series circuit?
-- If the excitation source is AC, then the steady state of the circuit depends on
the voltage, frequency, and waveform (harmonic content) of the source.
-- If the excitation source is DC, then the steady state current in a series circuit
is zero. DC doesn't pass through a capacitor.
What is the purpose voltmeter?
The purpose of a voltmeter is to measure the number of volts contained in a wire.
If the number of volts is too high then the wire can't hold in all of the volts and
you get shocked.
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Beautiful.
A voltmeter is used to measure the potential difference between two points,
usually but not always in an electronic circuit comprised of many components.
What happen to the secondary circuit if the primary circuit is close?
If the primary circuit is closed, the current will flow through the primary coil, inducing a magnetic field. This magnetic field will in turn induce a current in the secondary coil, allowing for the transfer of energy from the primary to the secondary circuit.
How many paths are in a series circuit if there are three lamps?
It doesn't matter how many things there are in the circuit, or what they are.
If it's really a series circuit, as you say, then there's only one single path through it.
There's no point anywhere in the circuit where current has a choice of which way
to go.
Is electric current a derived or fundamental quantity?
Electric current is considered a fundamental quantity in physics. It is measured in units of amperes (A) and is one of the seven base SI units.
