Electrician’s Math

Numbers may be expressed as an integer, decimals, fractions or percentages

Whole numbers: 2, 4, 100, -1, -4

Decimals: 0.25, 0.333, -0.667

Fractions: ½, 1/3, -1/5

Percentages: 10%, 20%, 125%

Fractions – represents part of a whole number. To change a fraction to a decimal or whole number,
divide the numerator (top) by the denominator (bottom)

1/3 = one divided by three = 0.1333

Percentages – one hundred percent (100%) means all of the value; twenty-five (25%) means one-fourth
of a value. To convert a percentage to a whole or decimal value, divide the given percentage by 100.

Given: 33%

Step 1: drop %

Step 2: divide 33 by 100 or 33/100

Step 3: 0.33—decimal equivalent

Example 1: An overcurrent protection device (circuit breaker or fuse) must be sized no less than 125% of
the continuous load. If the load is 80, the overcurrent protection device will have to be sized no smaller
than

A. 80A
B. 100A
C. 125A
D. 75A

Percent Increase – to perform increase of a number by a specific percentage to the following:

Step1: convert the percent to a decimal value

Step2: add one to the decimal value to create the multiplier

Step3: multiply the original number by the multiplier found in step2

Example 2: If the feeder demand load of a range is 8kW and it is required to be increased by 15%, the
total calculated load will be ____.

a. 8kW
b. 15kW
c. 6.8kW
d. 9.2kW

Commonly Used Prefixes

Prefixes Expression
kilo(k) x 1,000 or x 10^3
Mega(M) x 1,000,000 or x10^6
milli(m) divide by 1,000 or x10^-3
micro(µ) divide by 1,000,000 or x 10^-6
Nano(n) divide by 1,000,000,000 or x10^-9

Example 3: What is the wattage value for an 8Kw range?

a. 8W
b. 800W
c. 8,000W
d. 0.8W

Example 4: A 300W load will have a _____Kw rating.

a. 3
b. 30
c. 0.3
d. 3,000

Example 5: Which has bigger resistance; 2,000 n or 20µ?

Example 6: 600MW is equivalent to ____kW?

Example 7: An object is measured to be 500mm. What is the length of the object in meters?

BASIC ELECTRICAL FORMULAS:

Electrical circuit – consists of the power source, the conductors and the load

Conductance – property of a metal that permits current to flow. The best conductors in order of their
conductivity are: silver, copper, gold, and aluminum.

Resistance – opposition to current flow in direct current (DC) circuits. In an alternating current (AC)
circuit, there are three main factors that oppose current flow; the resistance of the material, the
inductive reactance of the circuit, and the capacitive reactance of the circuit.
Ohm’s Law (DC Circuit) – gives the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance

I=V/R

V=IR

R=V/R

Ohm’s law states that the voltage V across a resistor is directly proportional to the current flowing
through the resistor

I=current in amperes

E=voltage in volts

R=resistance in ohms

Example 9: 120Vsupplies a lamp that has a resistance of 192 ohms. What is the current flow in the
circuit?

a. 0.6A
b. 0.5A
c. 2.5A
d. 1.3A

Example 10: What is the voltage drop over two 12AWG conductors (resistance of 0.20 ohms per 100ft)
supplying a 16A load located 50ft from the power supply?

a. 16V
b. 32V
c. 1.6V
d. 3.2V

Example 11: What is the resistance of the circuit conductors when the conductor voltage drop is 3V and
the current flowing in the circuit is 100A?

a. 0.3
b. 3
c. 0.03.
d. 30

Power – is the time rate of expending or absorbing energy, measured in watts

P=I x E

I=P/E

E=P/I
Example 12: What is the power loss in watts for two conductors that carry 12A and have a voltage drop
of 3.6V?

a. 4.3W
b. 43.2W
c. 432W
d. 24W

Example 13: What is the current flow in amperes through a 7.50kW heat strip rated 230V when
connected to a 230V power supply?

a. 25A
b. 33A
c. 39A
d. 230A

Example 14: The total resistance of two 12AWG conductors, 75ft. long is 0.3 ohms, and the current
through the circuits is 16A. What is the power loss of the conductors?

a. 20.3W
b. 76.8W
c. 150W
d. 300W

Power changes with the square of the voltage

P=E2/R

P=I2R

Example 15: What power consumed by a 9.60kW heat strip rated 230V connected to a 115V circuit?

a. 7.85kW
b. 11.57kW
c. 9.6kW
d. 960W
Practice Problems

1. The total resistance of a circuit is 10.20 ohms. The load has a resistance of 10 ohms and the
wire has a resistance of 0.20 ohms. If the current of the circuit is 12A, then the power
consumed the circuit conductors (0.20 ohms) is approximately _____.
a. 8W
b. 39W
c. 29W
d. 45W

2. A 1,500W resistive heater is rated 230V and it is connected to a 208V supply. The power
consumed for this load at 208V will be approximately _____.
a. 1,625W
b. 1,850W
c. 1,750W
d. 1,225W

3. The energy consumed by a 5 ohm resistor is ____ than the energy consumed by a 10 ohm
resistor, assuming the current in both cases remains the same.
a. more
b. equal
c. less
d. can’t be determined

4. If 120V is applied to a 10 ohm resistor, the power consumed will be _____

a. 510W
b. 1,230W
c. 1,050W
d. 1,440W

5. An ohmmeter is being used to rest a relay coil. The equipment instructions indicate that the
resistance of the coil should be between 30 and 33 ohms. The ohmmeter indicates that the
actual resistance is less than 22 ohms. This reading would most likely indicate
a. The coil is okay
b. An open coil
c. A shorted coil
d. A meter problem

6. If the contact resistance of a connection increases and the current of the circuit (load) remains
the same, the voltage dropped across the connection will _____.
a. Increase
b. Remain the same
c. Decrease
d. Cannot be determined
7. To double the current of a circuit when the voltage remains constant, the R(resistance) must be
_____.
a. Doubled
b. Increased
c. Reduced by half
d. None of these

8. Which of the following is the most conductive?

a. Bakelite
b. Air
c. Oil
d. Salt water

9. One kVA is equal to _____.

a. 100VA
b. 10VA
c. 1VA
d. 1,000VA

10. An ohm meter indicates a resistance of 120volt electric heater to be 8 ohms, what is the current
drawn by the heater?
a. 15A
b. 8A
c. 10A
d. 18A

11. A 120V circuit which has a resistance of 12 ohms draws a current of 10A. if the voltage is
doubled, the current in the circuit _____.
a. Remains the same
b. Increases
c. Decreases
d. Can’t be determined

12. What is the current drawn by electric heater rated 1800 watts at 120 volts?
a. 15A
b. 18A
c. 10A
d. 8A

13. In an electrical circuit, what happen to the current flowing through the wire if voltage is reduced
to the half and resistance of the wire is double?
a. Double
b. Half
c. Quarter
 d. Four times

14. The ratio of voltage and electrical current in a closed circuit

a. Varies in terms of cube of the ratio
b. Varies exponentially
c. Remains constant
d. Varies linearly

15. A circuit supplied with 110V carries 5A current. Calculate the resistance value of the circuit.
a. 550
b. 55
c. 11
d. 5.5

16. Ohm’s Law is applicable for both bilateral and unilateral circuits.
a. True
b. False
c. Can be apply to all circuits
d. Can’t be determined

17. Which of the following curve represents Ohm’s Law

a. Sine wave
b. Parabolic
c. Linear
d. Hyperbolic

18. Calculate the power consumed in a three parallel circuit having 1 ohm resistors and is supplied
5V battery source.
a. 32.5W
b. 8.33W
c. 75W
d. 25W

19. Calculate the Resistance value in a closed circuit supplied with 110V and power consumed in the
circuit is 100 Watts.
a. 11 ohms
b. 1.1 ohms
c. 60.5 ohms
d. 121 ohms

20. Ohm’s Law is applicable to semi-conductor

a. True
b. False
c. Can be apply to all circuits
 d. Can’t be determined

21. Calculate the power in a circuit having a resistance value of 10 ohms and current flowing
through the circuit is 5 Amps.
a. 250 watts
b. 2.5 watts
c. 500 watts
d. 20 watts

22. The approximate decimal equivalent for the fraction “1/4” is _____.
a. 4.50
b. 3.50
c. 2.50
d. 0.20

23. The decimal equivalent for “75 percent is _____.

a. 0.075
b. 0.75
c. 7.50
d. 75

24. The decimal equivalent for “225 percent is _____.

a. 225
b. 2.25
c. 22.5
d. .225

25. An overcurrent protection device (circuit breaker or fuse) must be sized no less than 125
percent of the continuous load. If the load is 16A, the overcurrent protection device will have to
be sized at no less than _____.
a. 20A
b. 17A
c. 23A
d. 30A

26. The maximum continuous load on an overcurrent protection device is limited to 80 percent of
the device rating. If the overcurrent device is rated 100A, the maximum continuous load is
_____.
a. 72A
b. 90A
c. 80A
d. 125A

27. The feeder calculated load for an 8kW load, increased by 20 percent is ______.
 a. 8kW
b. 6.4kW
c. 9.6kW
d. 10 kW

28. What is the reciprocal of 1.25?

a. 0.80
b. 1.25
c. 1.10
d. 1.50

29. A continuous load requires an overcurrent protection device sized no smaller than 125 percent
of the load. What is the maximum continuous load permitted on a 100A overcurrent protection
device?
a. 100A
b. 80A
c. 125A
d. 75A

30. What is the power consumed in watts by a 12 AWG conductor that is 100 ft. long and has a
resistance (R) of 0.20 ohms when the current (I) in the circuit is 16A?
a. 75W
b. 100W
c. 51.2W
d. 200.4W

31. What is the current in amperes of an 18kW, 208V dc load?

a. 2.4A
b. 8.65A
c. 50.1A
d. 150.8A

32. What is the kW of a 75W load?

a. 75kW
b. 0.75kW
c. 7.50kW
d. 0.075kW

33. An electrical circuit consists of the _____.

a. Power source
b. Load
c. Conductors
d. All of these
34. According to the electron flow theory, electrons leave the ______ terminal of the source, flow
through the conductors and loads, and return to the _____ terminal.
a. Positive, negative
b. Negative, positive
c. Negative, negative
d. Positive, positive

35. What is the power loss in watts of a conductor that carries 24A and has a voltage drop of 7.20V?
a. 175W
b. 700W
c. 350W
d. 2,400W

36. What is the approximate power consumed by a 10 kW heat strip rated 230V, when connected to
a 208V circuit?
a. 8.20kW
b. 10.90kW
c. 9.3kW
d. 11.20kW

37. What is the power consumed by a 10kW heat strip that’s rated 230V, if it’s connected to a 115V
circuit?
a. 2.50kW
b. 7.50kW
c. 5kW
d. 15kW

38. A 120V rated toaster will produce _____ heat when supplied by 115V.
a. More
b. The same
c. Less
d. None of these

39. When a 100W, 115V lamp operates at 230v, the lamp will consume approximately _____.
a. 50W
b. 121W
c. 75W
d. 400W

40. To calculate the energy consumed in watts by a resistive appliance, you need to know ____ of
the circuit.
a. The voltage and current
b. The current and resistance
c. The voltage and resistance
 d. Any of these pairs of variables

41. Power loss in a circuit because of heat can be determined by the formula _____.
a. P = R x V
b. P = I2 x R
c. P = I x R
d. None of these

42. 0.02  is the same as _____.

a. 2,000 µ
b. 0.0002k
c. 20m
d. 200,000n

43. Which is bigger, 200k or 0.2M

a. 200k
b. 0.2M
c. They are equal
d. Can’t be determined

44. A circuit draws 15mA from a 30V source. Calculate the resistance of the circuit.
a. 200
b. 2,000
c. 20,000
d. 200M

45. A dc load dissipates 200W. if the load resistance is 2 ohms, calculate the current drawn by the
resistive load.
a. 5A
b. 10A
c. 15A
d. 20A