INTRODUCTION
This chapter aims at presenting a brief introduction of some basic terms and components which are frequently used in electrical engineering. Covering basics will brush up the fundamentals and it will easier to go subsequent chapters.
As a core branch, electrical engineering has a wide range of core subjects, yet it is observed that this particular subject has applications in all branches of engineering.
ELECTRICITY
Electricity is the flow of electric power or charge. It is a form of energy that depends on the existence of electric charge in static or dynamic form. The energy sources we use to make electricity can be renewable or non-renewable, but electricity itself is neither renewable or non-renewable.
ELECTRIC CHARGE
It is a property of every matter that is responsible for the electrical phenomenon existing in the matter in a positive or negative form. According to the principle of conservation of electric charge, electric charge can neither be created nor destroyed, but can transfer from one form to another. The unit of charge is Coulomb (C).
FUNDAMENTAL CHARGE
There are three fundamental particles present in every matter, namely proton, electron, neutron. These particles possess electric charge and can contribute to electricity.
- Proton is positive charge (+ve)
- Electron is negative charge (-ve)
- Neutron is neutral (no net charge)
NET CHARGE
When the number of electrons in an atom doesn't equal the number of protons, the atom is said to have a net charge. Charges add just like positive and negative numbers, so a charge of +1 exactly cancels a charge of -1.
ELECTRIC CURRENT
It is defined as the rate of flow of electric charges with respect to time. It is given by I= dQ/dt or i= dq/dt ampere ( unit: C/s or A ).
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