![]() For example, the gauge of wire used in an extension lead is important, if the wire is too thin, the resistance will be high and the cable can overheat. This has implications for conductors used in appliances and power transmission. Similarly the greater the diameter of the wire, the lower its resistance. In effect this means that the longer a piece of wire, the higher its resistance. In the case of a solid conductor such as copper wire, the electrical resistance is proportional to the length of the conductor and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area. This could be a power cable, prongs on a plug, a liquid such as water, battery acid or ionized gas in a discharge lamp (e.g. Matt Rider CC BY SA 3.0 Unported via Wiimedia Commons (changed "E" to "V") What are Electrical Conductors?Ī conductor is a physical medium which carries an electric current. P is power, E is the voltage, I is the current and R is the resistance Summary of equations for an electrical circuit. Even connecting wires in a circuit have resistance, so when high currents need to be carried by a cable, the copper or aluminum cores need to have a sufficiently large cross sectional area (CSA) to avoid overheating. If the resistance is lowered, more current will flow even if the voltage of the source doesn't change. In an electrical circuit, if the voltage of the source is increased, more current is forced through the resistance. Alternatively if you take your foot off the hose, you increase the diameter and lower the resistance and more water can be forced through. the pump needs to have a higher pressure. The only way to restore the flow is by getting the pump to pump harder, and force water through the restriction, i.e. Going back to the water analogy, when you stand on a hose, you increase the resistance and restrict the flow. For a fixed voltage applied to a load, the higher the resistance, the lower the current. ![]() Resistance is like a restriction to the flow of electrons and electricity is dissipated as heat energy in a resistance. Similarly a 500 watt device uses a kilowatt hour of electricity in 2 hours.Įvery electrical device or load has resistance. A 1 kilowatt (1000 watt) appliance uses a kilowatt hour of electricity in one hour. KWh are sometimes called units and are what you pay for on your electricity bill. Low powers are measured in milliwatts (mW) or thousandths of an amp. A kilowatt is 1000 watts, also abbreviated to kW. Power is the rate at which energy is consumed by a load and is measured in watts. It could be a motor, bulb, heater, LED, or an electronic resistor. This is the device connected to a voltage source. The water analogy is water flow rate in gallons per minute. High current means lots of electrons flowing through the circuit. The higher the voltage applied to a circuit, the greater the current which will be forced through it.Īn electric current is due to the movement of electrons through a conductor and load and is measured in amps. Similarly a voltage source is like a pump and pushes electrons around the circuit. The greater the pressure and the force which the pump exerts, the greater will be the flow of water through the pipe. Voltage is the pressure in a circuit and measured in volts. ![]() Like any discipline, electrical engineering has jargon or specialized terminology. What's the Difference Between Watts, Amps and Volts?
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