PHY 9C Homework 4 (due May 8)

1. Consider the circuits at right. Note that r always denotes the internal resistance
of the battery, and that voltmeters and ammeters are idealized. For each question
below, write which circuit(s) match the prompt, and write a very brief explanation
why.
(a) In which circuit(s) is the ammeter connected correctly to measure the current
through the battery?
(b) In which circuit(s) is the current through the battery nearly zero?
(c) In which circuit(s) does the ammeter correctly measure the current through the
resistor with resistance R?
(d) In which circuit(s) does the voltmeter correctly measure the terminal voltage of
the battery?
(e) In which circuit(s) does the voltmeter read zero?
(f ) In which circuit(s) does the ammeter read zero?

2. A 30 light bulb is connected across the terminals of a 12V battery having 4 of internal resistance. What percentage
of the power of the battery is dissipated across the internal resistance and hence is not available to the bulb?

3. PG& needs to send 100 MW to Davis over transmission lines that are many miles longso long that the resistance is not
completely negligible (lets say 0.001 ). Given that the product V I needs to be 100 MW, PG&E could send this power
2
at low voltage and high current, or at high voltage and low current. If you use VR as the power dissipated in the lines, it
seems like high voltage is badits leads to a lot of power wasted in the transmission linesyet you probably know that
transmission lines are indeed high-voltage. Explain how high-voltage lines actually lead to smaller losses in the lines.

4. Compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs are much more efficient at producing light than old-fashioned incandescent
bulbs. They initially cost more, but last far longer and use much less electricity. According to one study of these bulbs,
a compact bulb that produces as much light as a 100 incandescent bulb uses only 23 W of power. A compact fluorescent
bulb lasts 10,000 hours, on average, and costs about $10, whereas the incandescent bulb costs only about $1 and lasts just
750 hours. Assume that electricity costs $0.20 per kWh and that the bulbs are on for 4.0 per day. [Note: had we included
LED bulbs in this comparison, they would perform about as well as compact fluorescentsand they do not flicker.]
(a) What is the total cost (including the price of the bulbs) to run an incandescent bulb for 3 years?
(b) What is the total cost (including the price of the bulbs) to run a compact fluorescent bulb for 3 years?
(c) What is the resistance of a 100 W equivalent fluorescent bulb? (Remember, it actually uses only 23 W of power
and operates across 120 V.)

5. A garage door has a mass of 40 kg, and the opener must raise the doors center of mass by 1.5 m in 5 seconds.
(a) Assume the opener must pull the door up against gravity. Roughly how much power does the opener require?
(b) Assuming a standard household circuit with 120 V, roughly how much current will the opener need?
(c) Most real garage doors have springs connected to the ceiling so that the door falls slowly. What effect does this have
on the power needed by the opener?

(see other side)

6. In the circuit below, the capacitors are all initially uncharged, the battery has no internal resistance, and the ammeter
has no resistance. Find the current through the ammeter (a) just after the switch S is closed; and (b) a long time after the
switch is closed.

7. In the circuit below, (a) find the potential of point a with respect to point b.
(b) If a and b are connected by a wire with negligible resistance, find the current that flows from a to b. Note: this is the
only HW problem where you practice Kirchhoffs rules, but I strongly recommend practicing them until they are second
nature. This will help you greatly on Exam 2.