In this topic, you study the definition of an electric circuit and different types of simple electric circuit.
The path taken by an electric current is known as the electric circuit.
A simple circuit consists of the following: the electric current starts from its source of supply i.e. battery or generator, it completes its path through a safety device i.e. a fuse, controlling device i.e. a switch, and a consuming device like lamp, heater, fan etc. The current goes to the consuming device through live wire and returns after flowing through resistance to the source of supply via return wire. The simple arrangement is shown in Fig. 1
Followings are the types of circuit:
- Simple or closed circuit.
- Open circuit.
- Short circuit.
Closed circuit or complete circuit: The circuit in which the current complete its path through consuming device. In this circuit Current Starts from source to safety, controlling and consuming devices return to source as shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. Closed circuit.
Open circuit: Whenever the line or neutral wire or the resistance wire is broken then the circuit is said to be an open circuit. In this circuit the wire or accessories or the device connected, can be electrically broken as shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. Open circuit.
Short circuit: When the line and neutral wire meet without any resistance or the consuming device, it is called short circuit. In this case heavy current flows through the fuse wire and fuse blow out as shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3. Short circuit.