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Chapter 11 Electrical Engineering 221
no matter the cost or consequences. Electrical
engineers need to be honest in their dealings with
people, provide information that is accurate to
the best of their knowledge, give credit to others
for their work and contributions, treat everyone
equally, make people aware of factors that could
cause harm, and much more.
Electrical engineers often work with people
from a wide variety of backgrounds and must
have strong teamwork skills. An electrical engi-
neer might serve on a design team with other engi-
neers, technicians, electricians, fi nancial experts,
and others. The same skills that make you an effec-
tive team member may also help you get hired as
an engineer. Employers are looking for engineers
with strong teamwork skills.
Electrical Engineering
Principles
There are a number of basic electrical concepts
that are fundamental to the job of electrical engi-
neer. Electrical engineers must know what elec-
tricity is, how it is created, how it is transmitted
and controlled, how it is changed into a form of
energy that meets human needs and wants, and,
most importantly, how to deal with electricity in
a safe manner.
Electricity on the Atomic Level
To understand electricity, or the movement
of electrons, it is important to fi rst understand
the atom. All matter is made up of microscopic
building blocks called atoms, which are like
microscopic models of our solar system. The
planets in our solar system orbit around the
sun. In much the same way, atoms are made up
of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Negatively
charged subatomic particles called electrons orbit
around a nucleus, which is made up of positively
charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons.
Figure 11-3 shows a diagram of an atom.
Figure 11-2. 
These electrical engineers
are a part of the Institute
of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers.
Stephen Coburn/Shutterstock.com
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Nucleus
This single valence
electron can easily
be shared
Copper (Cu 29)
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Figure 11-3. 
This atom shows the electron shells around a nucleus.