Lecture (L1-6) Circuit Elements II

Text ## Lecture (L1-6) Circuit Elements II

Now let's start to put it all together. Most electrical devices use a set voltage (like your home, 110 V). For a particular device (such as a fan or light), the amount of current it draws depends on the device and how fast it is running. From our last lecture, we know that the power it uses is the voltage x current, so for a set voltage, the more current, the more power is used.

Saving energy matters, and that can be done by reducing the current a device uses. A relatively new energy-saving technology has revolutionized lighting in your lifetime. The Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights up with far less current (and therefore power) than an incandescent bulb, and is now the norm in homes, cars, and a wide array of electrical products. And guess what! The LED got its start right here in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Utah in the research lab of Professor Gerald Stringfellow. (More on that at the bottom of the page ...)