Electrical circuit Definition and 86 Threads

An electrical network is an interconnection of electrical components (e.g., batteries, resistors, inductors, capacitors, switches, transistors) or a model of such an interconnection, consisting of electrical elements (e.g., voltage sources, current sources, resistances, inductances, capacitances). An electrical circuit is a network consisting of a closed loop, giving a return path for the current. Linear electrical networks, a special type consisting only of sources (voltage or current), linear lumped elements (resistors, capacitors, inductors), and linear distributed elements (transmission lines), have the property that signals are linearly superimposable. They are thus more easily analyzed, using powerful frequency domain methods such as Laplace transforms, to determine DC response, AC response, and transient response.
A resistive circuit is a circuit containing only resistors and ideal current and voltage sources. Analysis of resistive circuits is less complicated than analysis of circuits containing capacitors and inductors. If the sources are constant (DC) sources, the result is a DC circuit. The effective resistance and current distribution properties of arbitrary resistor networks can be modeled in terms of their graph measures and geometrical properties.A network that contains active electronic components is known as an electronic circuit. Such networks are generally nonlinear and require more complex design and analysis tools.

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  1. R

    Coupled Oscillators (Electrical Circuit)

    Homework Statement http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6315/63685525.jpg The Attempt at a Solution (a) I think since i=dq/dt we will have: L_1 \frac{d^2q_1}{dt^2} + R_1 \frac{dq_1}{dt}+ \frac{q_1}{c_1}+ \left( \frac{q_1-q_2}{C} \right) = 0 L_2 \frac{d^2q_2}{dt^2}+ R_2 \frac{dq_2}{dt} +...
  2. H

    Engineering Transfer function for electrical circuit

    Hello! I have a problem to get a transfer function from my circuit(this circuit is marked with question sign "?"). For upper circuit this function is calculated...this can be seen in image. I tought that it would be easier to get transfer function by using matrix, so then W(s) = 1/a11 By doing...
  3. E

    Engineering Understanding Voltage Distribution in an Electrical Circuit Logic

    Trying to study in preparation for an exam, I've been told that I need to consider the circuits a little more. So in this circuit: Would the voltage across the resistor be the voltage across V0? Or would it be the voltage across the inductor because the capacitor is keeping the resistor...
  4. A

    Engineering Complex Notation - Electrical Circuit

    Homework Statement 1 (a) using complex notation, find an expression for the output voltage, v0 1 (b) using complex notation, find an expression for the input current, ig, and hence determine the phase angle of ig relative to vg Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution...
  5. C

    Engineering Electrical circuit general question

    Homework Statement see thumbnail second part Homework Equations V=IR The Attempt at a Solution I remember the professor saying that current throughout a circuit is constant no matter where it is. So adding all of the resistance together it should be 12/10 or 6/5 Ampere's. Is this...
  6. F

    Potential Differences on an Electrical Circuit

    Homework Statement Just trying to understand some concepts regarding this particular circuit configuration. When the switch is open, I understand the bulbs B and C form a loop, and therefore the potential difference across each is the same. I don't understand why -- when the switch is...
  7. H

    Help with graphing currents in electrical circuit

    I wrote a program to graph the change of 2 currents in an electrical curcuit over time. Circuit and the graph is on the link below. I have the results but I am not sure about it. Do you think the graph roughly makes sense? I have the equations for di_1/dt and di_2/dt and can write them if the...
  8. T

    Building an Electrical Circuit to Monitor Pressure

    I need to build a circuit to do the following: I am making some wine at home and need to monitor the process. During the fermentation process CO2 is produced so I need to monitor the pressure in the system and provide for a pressure release (back to 1.1 atm.) if the pressure gets too high (>...
  9. R

    Electrical Circuit - Power dissipation

    During a Lab we had a simple purely resistive circuit hooked up to a 10 VDC power supply with an adjustable voltage output. In order to determine the power dissipated by the circuit we were asked to determine the source voltage while the circuit was DISCONNECTED... we were not told why... In the...
  10. A

    Why Do Wires Melt When Wiring Two Motors to a Single Controller?

    1. I am building an electric bike from scratch and I am using 2 motors. I have a 48 volt battery, a controller and a throttle. I tried to wire the two motors together but then when I put any type of load on the motor it heated up the wire leads to the point where it melted the insulation. Is...
  11. Z

    Electrical circuit with resistors problem

    1. what is the Electric current that goes through the ampermeter (see the picture) http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/66683625.png" [PLAIN]http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/4379/66683625.png 2. the current that goes through the 2R resistor is \frac{4\epsilon}{13R}. (I dident...
  12. E

    Second-order differential equations (electrical circuit)

    Homework Statement The current I(t) in an electrical circuit satisfies the second-order differential equation 2Ϊ + 3İ + I = 0. Find the solution I(t) of this equation which also satisfies the initial conditions I(0) = 1, İ(0) = 0. Homework Equations a((d^2y)/(dx^2)) + b(dy/dx) + cy = 0...
  13. T

    Solving Oscillations in an Electrical Circuit

    Homework Statement a. What is the frequency of the current oscillation of the circuit as it is shown? b. What is the frequency of the oscillations in electrical potential difference, V, between the two ends of the resistor in the circuit as it is shown? c. What is the charge on the...
  14. K

    Solving Electrical Circuit Homework Questions

    Homework Statement i've been trying to do these but i keep getting different answers from back of book. 1)When there is a potential difference of 1.0 V between two points in an electrical ciruit, what is the mean amount of energy lost by an electron when moving between these two points...
  15. Z

    Solve Electrical Circuit: Find Vo & Draw Thevenin Equiv.

    1-determine the open circuit voltage,Vo. 2-draw the thevenin equivalent circuit and give values.
  16. A

    Decent electrical circuit simulations

    Hi, I am trying to analyze circuits with a capacitor, diodes (normal and zener) and load resistance. Was wondering if anyone knows of good simulations on the web. Had a search but didn't find anything decent except this www.alternate-energy.net but it doesn't have zener diodes... In the lab we...
  17. J

    Electrical Circuit Analysis: Understanding Current Flow and Direction

    I am currently working on a physics homework problem that is giving me some trouble. The problem involves circuit analysis. Here it is: How much current flows through the bottom wire shown below, and in which direction...
  18. R

    Analyzing a Complex Electrical Circuit with Multiple Batteries and Resistors

    Homework Statement For this circuit, I'm fairly confused with the extra battery. I need to find the Voltages at A (Between 5V Battery and 270 resistor), B (Between 5V Battery and 1k resistor), C (Intersection between 270, 220 and 680 resistors), E (in between 220 and 330 resistor) and...
  19. H

    Solving an Electrical Circuit: Find Vo and Vb

    Homework Statement everything is attached in the image below Homework Equations Ip=In=0 Vp=Vn The Attempt at a Solution i used the two rules that vp=vn & ip=in=0 so i tink no current flows in Vc & Vd and the 60kohm resistor.. as for Va & Vb we apply kcl on the input voltage node...
  20. G

    Engineering Power Absorbed In A Electrical Circuit

    Homework Statement Find the power absorbed by element X, if it is 4000 Ohms. (See attached picture for circuit) Homework Equations KCL: Sum of Currents into Node Must = 0The Attempt at a Solution I've already worked through a bunch of these type of problems, but I always mess up on which...
  21. H

    Voltage Analysis of Parallel RC Circuit with Series Components

    Homework Statement I have 3 pairs of resistors and capacitors, with each pair in parallel. These pairs are in series with another resistor and a voltage source. I have been asked to find the voltage across the resistor in the middle pair as a function of time, assuming that at time t=0 the...
  22. N

    LaTeX Drawing electrical circuit diagrams with LaTeX

    Hi all. I've searched the WWW, and it doesn't seem that there is an easy way of doing this. Do you have any experience with this? Thanks in advance. Niles.
  23. J

    Resonance in Electrical Circuit

    (a)Find the frequency at which a 33 uF capacitor has the same reactance as a 33 mH inductor. (b) What is the resonance frequency of an LC circuit made with this inductor and capacitor. Well I believe the equation I use is 1 / (2 Pie \sqrt{}LC) but when I use it I come out with a answer very...
  24. L

    Concept related Electrical circuit question

    Homework Statement im supposed to draw the circuit for a simple house In a household electrical circuit, there's 3 wires, the live one, the nueteral one, and the grounding one. I'v drawn it out as if it were a DC circuit, then replaced the wires with appropriate live, and nueteral wires, but...
  25. E

    Solve Electrical Circuit Problem: Find Forced Response Vx

    Homework Statement I don't have access to a scanner so I will just say it, it's simple. An independent current source pointing up, in parallel with a dependent current source pointing up, in parallel with a capacitor. The independent current is providing the signal: i_s(t)= \sqrt{2}...
  26. P

    Potentials of the points in the electrical circuit

    Homework Statement So, first of all, here is a drawing of a circuit: http://img253.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hexabj4.jpg The resistance of each hexagon wire is r. I need to find the resistance of this circuit when it is connected to the source with points A and B. I know that in...
  27. B

    How Do You Calculate the Internal Resistance of a Thevenin Voltage Source?

    Homework Statement A real voltage source is of the Thevenin Type. The open circuit voltage of the source is 12 volts. If a 100 ohm load is added to the circuit, the voltage at the same terminals is 11.2 volts. What is the internal resistance of the source. The Attempt at a Solution...
  28. C

    What Is the Total Capacitance of a Square Circuit with Identical Capacitors?

    Hi, I need help with the following exercise: Homework Statement We have a square circuit, with 4 capacitors, 1 on each side of the square, all with the same capacitance C. Calculate the total capacitance of the system of capacitors between the two diagonally opposite corners of the square, A...
  29. S

    Are the Resistors in a Parallel Circuit and is 3.50 A the Total Current?

    Homework Statement In the circuit shown in the figure, the rate at which R1 is dissipating electrical energy is 20.0 W. I just have questions about the circuit's setup. The resistors are arranged in a parallel circuit? As for the purple arrows, is 2.00 A I_1 and 3.50 A the total...
  30. D

    How Do You Calculate Current in a Car's Rear Window Heater Circuit?

    I have been given a question about heating elements in a car rear window heater. I have been given the voltage of the battery in the circuit and the resistance of each element in the circuit. I can't find any info because i don't really know what sort of circuit this is! How do i calculate...
  31. Gamma

    Finding Resultant Resistance of Electrical Circuit - Gamma

    I had a complicated electrical circuit which I was able to reduce to the following (attached). How do I go about finding the resultant resistance of this circuit? Is there a short way of doing this? Thanks, Gamma
  32. K

    Electrical Circuit: Finding Max/Min Voltage in 5 min

    The problem is: "In an electrical circuit, the voltage, V volts, as a function of time, t minutes, is given by V = 12 - 9t + 2t^2. Determine the greatest and least values of voltage during the first 5 min. When do these values occur?" The answers given are exact. Least: 1.875 V @ 2.25 min...
  33. B

    Designing a Circuit to Prevent Damage from Higher Voltage Battery: Help Needed

    Hello I am currently designing a circuit but have run into a couple dead ends. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to take the time to help me with this problem. I am a little rusty at finding unknowns in a circuit, but basically I am trying to find the rating of a resistor I would need...
  34. S

    More Voltage Woes: Solving Electrical Circuit Problems

    More Voltage ... :( Hi again, Once again I am hopelessly stuck on some voltage questions. #1) Three identical lamps are connected in parallel and then connected to a 6V battery. What is the voltage drop across each lamp? Voltage stays constant throughout the entire parallel circuit so...
  35. N

    Solving Electrical Circuit Problems

    https://hw.utexas.edu/tmp/Muddam1/1080079116Xuj.pdf for #5: I know you have to use this equation: Ve^\frac{-t}{RC} R=3e6+2e6=5e6 So I did 11e^\frac{-1.5}{5e6*1e-6}= 8.149000428 but it's wrong and I don't know why. for #8: q= 3.376e-6 I= 1.79839e-6 (both values are right)...
  36. B

    Electrical Circuit Analysis with C++ Issues

    I was working on a project work on Electrical Circuit Analysis with c++(bgi mode) and now I'm having problems with the mouse drivers and the connecting cables . Would anyone help me with this?
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