Lesson 1.

Basic Concepts in Electric Circuit Analysis

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Identify and illustrate the different circuit elements involved in DC circuit analysis

2. Solve problems in dc circuits using the basic laws in circuit analysis and the law of conservation of
energy

Circuit Elements

An element is the basic building block of a circuit. An electric circuit is simply an interconnection of the
elements. Circuit analysis is the process of determining voltages across (or the currents through) the
elements of the circuit.

Figure 1. Passive Elements with their corresponding symbols

Figure 2. Active Elements with their corresponding symbols

There are two types of elements found in electric circuits: passive elements and active elements. An
active element is capable of generating energy while a passive element is not. Examples of passive
elements are resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Typical active elements include generators, batteries,
and operational amplifiers.

The most important active elements are voltage or current sources that generally deliver power to the
circuit connected to them. There are two kinds of sources: independent and dependent sources.

An ideal independent source is an active element that provides a specified voltage or current that is
completely independent of other circuit elements.

An ideal dependent (or controlled) source is an active element in which the source quantity is controlled
by another voltage or current.

Since the control of the dependent source is achieved by a voltage or current of some other element in
the circuit, and the source can be voltage or current, it follows that there are four possible types of
dependent sources, namely:

1. A voltage-controlled voltage source (VCVS).

2. A current-controlled voltage source (CCVS).
3. A voltage-controlled current source (VCCS).
4. A current-controlled current source (CCCS).

Basic Laws in Circuit Analysis

Materials in general have a characteristic behavior of resisting the flow of electric charge. This physical
property, or ability to resist current, is known as resistance and is represented by the symbol R. The
resistance of any material with a uniform cross-sectional area A depends on A and its length
 Figure 3. Cross sectional view of a wire or conductor

Figure 4. Wires can be classified as solid or stranded

In mathematical form,
𝑙
.𝑅 = 𝜌
𝐴

where 𝑅 is known as the resistivity of the material in ohm-meters. Good conductors, such as copper and
aluminum, have low resistivity, while insulators, such as mica and paper, have high resistivity.

Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s law states that the voltage v across a resistor is directly proportional to the current i flowing
through the resistor.

v= 𝑖𝑅

The resistance R of an element denotes its ability to resist the flow of electric current; it is measured in
ohms (Ω)
𝑣
𝑅=
𝑖
A short circuit is a circuit element with resistance approaching zero.

An open circuit is a circuit element with resistance approaching infinity.

Conductance is the ability of an element to conduct electric current; it is measured in mhos (ʊ) or
Siemens (S).
1 𝑖
𝐺= =
𝑅 𝑣

Illustrative Example: In the circuit shown, calculate the current i, the conductance G, and the power p.

Solution: by Ohm’s Law

𝑣 = 𝑖𝑅
𝑣 30 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑠
𝑖= =
𝑅 5000 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠
𝑖 = 6 𝑥 10−3 𝐴 𝑜𝑟 6𝑚𝐴

Conductance is the reciprocal of resistance,

1 1
𝐺= =
𝑅 5000
𝐺 = 2 𝑥 10−4 𝑆𝑖𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑠

Power can be calculated in three (3) ways:

1. 𝑝 = 𝑣𝑖 = (30)(6 𝑥10−3 ) = 0.18 𝑊

2. 𝑝 = 𝑖 2 𝑅 = (6 𝑥 10−3 )2 (5000) = 0.18 𝑊

𝑣2 (30)2
3. 𝑝 = = = 0.18 𝑊
𝑅 5000
Nodes, Branches, and Loops

A branch (b) represents a single element such as a voltage source or a resistor.

A node (n) is the point of connection between two or more branches.

A loop (l) is any closed path in a circuit.

A network with b branches, n nodes, and l independent loops will satisfy the fundamental theorem of
network topology:

𝑏 = 𝑙+𝑛−1

Example: Determine the no. of branches, loops and nodes in the circuit and use them to prove the
fundamental theorem of network topology

Solution.

Five elements (1 voltage source, 3 resistors and 1 current source) means five (5) branches, Three (3)
nodes (a, b and c), and Three (3) loops

To prove the fundamental theorem of network topology, substitute the number of braches, loop and
nodes to the equation

𝑏 = 𝑙+𝑛−1
(5) = (3) + (3) − 1

5=5

Series and Parallel Elements

Two or more elements are in series if they exclusively share a single node and consequently carry the
same current.

Two or more elements are in parallel if they are connected to the same two nodes and consequently
have the same voltage across them.

Illustrative Example: Determine the number of branches and nodes in the circuit shown below. Identify
which elements are in series and which are in parallel.
Solution:

No. of branches is equal to the number of elements, 𝑏 = 4

No. of nodes, 𝑛 = 3

No. of loops, 𝑙 = 2

To check,

𝑏 = 𝑙+𝑛−1
4 =2+3−1
4 = 4 since the equation was satisfied, the number of branches, nodes and loops are correct

Series elements: 10-V source and 5-ohm resistor

Parallel element: 6-ohm resistor and 2-A source

Illustrative Problems:

1. Given a circuit with five elements: If P1 = -205 W, P2 = 60 W, P4 = 45 W and P5 = 30 W, calculate the

power P3 received or delivered by element 3.

Solution:

Each element is given its corresponding power absorbed/delivered. By virtue of conservation of energy,
adding all the powers (whether consumed or delivered) will yield zero.

𝑃1 + 𝑃2 + 𝑃3 + 𝑃4 + 𝑃5 = 0
(−205) + (60) + 𝑃3 + (45) + (30) = 0

𝑃3 = 205 − 60 − 45 − 30

𝑃3 = 70 𝑊
2. Calculate the power absorbed or supplied by each element

Solution:

We can calculate the power by:

a. Multiplying the voltage across the element and the current passing through the element

b. By considering the sign on which the current entered the element, (+) if it enters the positive and (-) if
it enters the negative

Power at the 9-V source

𝑃9𝑉 = 𝑣𝑖

𝑃9𝑉 = −(9)(4)

𝑃9𝑉 = −36 𝑊 (𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔)

Power at element 1

𝑃1 = 𝑣𝑖

𝑃1 = +(6)(4)

𝑃1 = +24 𝑊 (𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑔)

Power at element 2

𝑃2 = 𝑣𝑖

𝑃2 = +(3)(4)

𝑃2 = +12 𝑊(𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑔)

To check, apply the law of conservation of energy:

𝑃1 + 𝑃2 + 𝑃9𝑉 = 0
(24) + (12) + (−36) = 0

0 =0
3. Calculate the power supplied or absorbed by each element

Solution: We follow the same approach as the previous problem:

Power at element 1

𝑃1 = 𝑣𝑖 = −(20)(5)

𝑃1 = −100 𝑊 (𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔)

Power at element 2

𝑃2 = 𝑣𝑖 = +(12)(5)
𝑃2 = 60 𝑊 (𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑔)

Power at element 3

𝑃3 = 𝑣𝑖 = +(8)(6)
𝑃3 = 48 𝑊 (𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑔)

Power at element 4

𝑃4 = 𝑣𝑖 ; 𝑣 = 8 𝑉 since element 4 is in parallel with element 3

𝑖 = 0.2𝐼 but 𝐼 = 5, hence 𝑖 = 0.2(5)𝑜𝑟 1 𝐴

𝑃4 = −(8)(1)

𝑃4 = −8𝑊 (𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔)

To check, apply the law of conservation of energy:

𝑃1 + P2 + P3 + P4 = 0
(−100) + (60) + (48) + (−8) = 0

0=0