Chapter-1

BASICS OF ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING
Ch.1.2
ELECTRIC PRESSURE & ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE

by
GAGAN GOEL
Assistant Manager (Electrical)

ELECTRIC FIELD
The space surrounding an electric charge
has a property called an electric field. This
electric field exerts a force on other
electrically charged objects.
The strength of the field at a given point is
defined as the force that would be exerted
on a positive test charge of +1 coulomb
placed at that point; the direction of the
field is given by the direction of that force.

The electric field can be visualized by field

lines, which point in the direction which a
positive test charge would accelerate if
placed upon the line. The lines are
therefore directed away from positivelycharged source charges and towards
negative charges.

ELECTRIC FIELD STRENGTH OR INTENSITY

The magnitude of the electric field is simply defined

as the force per charge on the test charge.

If the electric field strength is denoted by the

symbol E, then the equation can be rewritten in
symbolic form as

Field Intensity at any point in an electric field is

equal to potential gradient at that point. If in an
electric field potential falls by V over a distance d
then Field strength
E = V /d volt/meter

Electromotive Force
To maintain a steady current in an external circuit we
require the use of a source that supplies electrical energy
Whereas in the external circuit the current flows
from higher potential to lower potential, in this
source the current must flow from lower potential to
higher potential, even though the electrostatic force
within the source is in fact trying to do the opposite
In order to do this we must have an electromotive
force, emf, within such a source
The unit for emf is also Volt

Electromotive Force
Ideally, such a source would have a constant potential
difference, , between its terminals regardless of
current

Real sources of emf have an internal resistance which has

to be taken into account
The potential difference across the terminals of the source
is then given by

Vab I rinternal

ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE (EMF)

Electromotive force, or EMF, is used to indicate
electrical pressure or voltage that causes
current to flow.
The volt is unit of electrical pressure, similar to
pressure used to make gases and liquids flow
through pipes. The unit of measurement volt
was chosen to honor Alessandro Volta
One volt is the force required to push one amp
through one ohm of resistance.
A potential difference of 1 volt (V) exists
between two points if 1 joule (J) of energy is
exchanged in moving 1 coulomb (C) of charge
between the two points

DEMISTIFY TERMD RELATED TO EMF

Potential difference: The algebraic difference in
potential (or voltage) between two points of a network.
Voltage: When isolated, like potential, the voltage at a
point with respect to some reference such as ground.
Voltage difference: The algebraic difference in voltage
(or potential) between two points of a system. A voltage
drop or rise is as the terminology would suggest.
Electromotive force (emf): The force that establishes the
flow of charge (or current) in a system due to the
application of a difference in potential.

Voltage Drop (IR)

Ohms Law:

E=I*R
Where:
E = Voltage (Volts)
I = Current (Amps)
R = Resistance (Ohms)

Voltage Drop (IR)

The sum of the voltage drop in an
electrical circuit always equals the
applied voltage.
The voltage drop across any part of a
circuit is equal to I x R.

Sources of Electromotive
(a) Chemical sources e.g. Voltaic cells, Fuel Cell
Emf
Cell chemistry Forces
1.2
1.2
1.5
2.1
3.7

V
V
V
V
V

Nickel-cadmium
Nickel-metal hydride
Zinc-carbon
Lead-acid
Lithium-ion

(b) Mechanical Source (by Electromagnetic induction)

e.g. Synchronous generator, DC Generator
(c) Light Source e.g. Solar Cell, Photodiode
(d) Heat Source e.g. Thermocouple
(e) Pressure Source e.g. Piezo Electric Crystal

MEASUREMENT OF EMF BY
VOLTMETER
Notations for sources
of voltage and loss of potential
E - Voltage sources (volts)
V - Voltage drops (volts)

Voltmeters measure the electromotive force of a

power source.
There are DC voltmeters that measure DC voltage
and AC voltmeters that measure AC voltage.
One kilovolt (kV) is 1,000 volts
One millivolt (mv) is 1/1000 (.001) of a volt
One microvolt (V is 1/1,000,000 (.000001) of a volt.

Types of Voltmeter
Moving plate (electrostatic)
type.

Digital type (uses electronic

circuitry instead of
electromagnetic effects).

A brief look into a Digital Voltmeter

Digital meters use solid-state semiconductors and
can withstand shock and vibration.
Digital meters have a numeric (number) display
instead of a pointer. Some designs offer autoranging, which automatically selects the voltage
range and the proper scale.
VOLTMETERS ARE ALWAYS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH
THE CIRCUIT.

Advantages of digital meters include:

No moving mechanical parts.
Easy readability.
Smaller size.
Does not affect the circuit you are measuring

THANK YOU
&
TOMORROW WE SHALL EXPLORE