| CODE | IFS0429 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Fundamentals of Electrical Circuits and Electromagnetism | ||||||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 00 - Mod Pre-Tert, Foundation, Proficiency & DegreePlus | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Engineering and ICT | ||||||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides the fundamental theory of electrical circuits that deals with resistors, capacitors and inductors in direct and alternating current circuits. Circuits involving direct currents are dealt with in a high level of detail, whereas the alternating current circuits are only delivered in moderate detail. Furthermore, this study-unit also introduces the student to experimentation and formal lab report preparation through several lab sessions held throughout the duration of the study-unit. Topic 1 鈥� Electrical fields - Concept of electrical potential and electrical potential energy - Relationship between field strength and potential - Types of electrical fields (uniform and non-uniform) - Static electricity and Charging by induction Topic 2 鈥� Direct Current - Definition of current - Difference between AC and DC (just concept) - Ohm鈥檚 law - Difference between conductors, insulators and semi-conductors - Conductance, resistance, conductivity and resistivity - Direct current, purely resistive electrical circuits o Use of symbols o Solving simple resistive circuits o Series vs Parallel resistance arrangements o Electromotive force and internal resistance of a battery o Measurement of a battery EMF and its internal resistance o Combination of batteries o The potential divider rule o The potentiometer o Temperature coefficient of resistance o Kirchhoff鈥檚 laws o The wheatstone bridge o Energy and power in DC circuits o Maximum power transfer theorem o Characteristics of real voltmeters and ammeters Topic 3 鈥� Capacitors - General overview - Concept of capacitance - How the dielectric material changes the capacitance - Derivation of charging of a capacitor - Derivation of discharging of a capacitor - Notion of time constant - Current flow in a capacitive circuit - Capacitors in series and in parallel - Energy stored in a capacitor Topic 4 鈥� Magnetic Fields - General overview - Concept of magnetic flux density - Types of magnetic sources - Magnetic fields around current-carrying conductors (Infinitely long straight wire, flat circular coil, solenoid) - Force on a current carrying conductor placed in a magnetic field - Lorentz force - Force on a current-carrying conductor placed in the magnetic field of another current-carrying conductor (Two straight wires) Topic 5 鈥� Electromagnetic Induction - Introduction to Faraday鈥檚 and Lenz鈥檚 laws - EMF induced in a straight conductor in a uniform magnetic field - Self-Induction - L-R DC circuits - Derivation of current variation with time for an L-R circuit - Time constant of an L-R circuit - Energy stored in an inductor - Mutual Induction - The electrical motor (concept) o Back EMF as a function of rotational speed o Starting current - The DC generator (concept) Topic 6 鈥� Alternating Currents - Revision of the definition of AC - Root mean square values and their derivation - Resistive alternating current circuits - Inductive alternating current circuits - Capacitive alternating current circuits - The phasor diagram - Resistive, Capacitive and Inductive AC circuits - Power in alternating current circuits - Resonance in resistive, inductive and capacitive AC circuits - Rectification - Smoothing the fluctuating DC from rectifier - Transformers Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to provide the student with introductory-to-intermediate knowledge that relates to electrical circuit theory, as well as introduce the student to experimentation and lab report formulation. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe and work problems involving uniform and non-uniform electrical fields; - Relate the theory of electrical fields to solve practical problems involving direct and alternating currents; - Use fundamental theory such as Ohm鈥檚 law and Kirchhoff鈥檚 laws to solve problems involving resistive, capacitive and inductive circuits with direct current; - Solve problems involving the wheatstone bridge circuit; - Work out the power dissipated by resistive loads; - Characterize ideal and real voltmeters and ammeters; - Find the magnetic flux density around certain conductors; - Find the force induced on a current-carrying conductor when subjected to an external magnetic field; - Understand and work with the concept of back EMF; - Understand the phase relationship between current and voltage in a resistive, capacitive and inductive AC circuit; - Use phasor diagrams; - Explain the principle of operation of a rectifier and smoothing capacitors. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Solve advanced level quantitative problems involving resistive, capacitive and inductive loads in DC circuits; - Explain qualitatively electrical fields and magnetic fields; - Solve beginner quantitative problems involving AC circuits; - Conduct simple physics experiments; - Analyze data obtained from experiments and prepare lab reports that formally document these experiments. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Lecture Notes |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Indendent Study, Lect, Tutorial & Practicum | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Carl Caruana |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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