Key Ideas:

Voltage(V)
“Push”
Potential difference that moves charge.
Current(I)
“Flow”
Charge per second through a point.
Resistance(R)
“Bottleneck”
Opposes flow of electrical current.

Write-up:

The first concepts taught in electrical engineering are almost always - voltage, current and resistance. These three ideas are building blocks of electronics and how circuits work. While the universe of electrical engineering is vast and it is often considered a difficult field, anyone should be able to pick up these core concepts with some explanation, examples and unfortunately some math. Back in college I still remember my professor saying she would give extra credit to anyone that got V = IR tattooed on themselves before the final. Of course two people in my class did so. The professor kept their word and gave them an extra few points (It didn't mean that they passed). Let's go over each element individually and then we will start putting them together. To be continued...

Useful equations

  • V = I·R -- I = V/R -- R = V/I
  • P = V·I
  • P = I²R -- P = V²/R

Examples:

ExampleLED
Resistor for an LED
Given supply and LED forward voltage, choose a resistor to set current.
R = (Vs - Vf) / I
PitfallHeat
Power rating check
Make sure the resistor isn’t dissipating more power than it can handle.
P = V·I