TABLE OF CONTENTS Having familiarized ourselves with the concepts of circuit and circuit element, we are now ready to examine circuits based on the simplest and yet most widely used circuit element: the linear resistor. As implied by the name, its distinguishing feature is the ability to resist the flow of current in such a way as to maintain a relationship of linear proportionality between current and voltage. The most important consequence of this type of relationship is that the equations governing the behavior of resistive circuits are linear algebraic equations, the simplest type of equations.
After introducing the concept of resistance and examining its physical foundations, we turn our attention to series and parallel resistance combinations, voltage and current dividers, and other configurations of practical interest such as bridges and ladders.
The study of resistive circuits offers us the opportunity to introduce the important engineering concepts of equivalence and modeling, concepts that we exploit to simplify the analysis of more complex networks as well as to facilitate our understanding of practical sources and measurement instrumentation. The section on instrumentation, at the end of the chapter, is intended for students concurrently enrolled in a lab, but it can be omitted without loss of continuity.
Resistance, denoted as R, represents the ability to oppose current flow. Circuit elements specifically designed to provide this function are called resistors. As shown in Figure 2.1(a), a resistor consists of a...
