Professional Documents
Culture Documents
C U R R E N T AND R E S I S T A N C E
In the previous chapter we have been studying static electricity that is electric charges at rest.
In this chapter we begin our study of charges in motion as an electric current.
The electric current in a wire is defined as the net amount of charge that passes through it per
unit time at any point. Thus, the average current I is defined as
∆Q
I=
∆t
Where ΔQ is the amount of charge that passes through the conductor at any location during
the time interval Δt.
Example 4.1
Solution
(i) ∆Q = I∆t
= (3.5)(20X60)
= 4200 C
Exercise 4.1
(a) How many electrons per second pass through a section of wire carrying a current of
0.70 A?
(b) What is the current through an 8.0-Ω toaster when it is operating on 120 V?
The direction of conventional current flow is that of positive charge. In a wire, it is actually
negatively charged electrons that move, so they flow in direction opposite to the conventional
current. Positive conventional current always flows from a high potential to a low potential as
shown in Figure 4.1.
Ohm’s law states that the current in a good conductor is proportional to the potential
difference applied to its ends. The proportionality constant is called resistance R of material,
so V = IR. The unit of resistance is the ohm ( Ω ), where 1 Ω = 1 V/A.
The resistance R of a wire is inversely proportional to its cross–sectional area A, and directly
proportional to its length L. The general property of the material actually is depending on the
resistance and we call as resistivity (ρ ). That is resistance is a property of a particular piece
of material with a particular size and shape.
L
R=ρ (ρ is the Greek letter rho)
A
Example 4.2
Solution
RA
ρ =
L
V (πr 2 )
=
IL
2[(3.14 ) × (0.6 ×10 −3 ) 2 ]
=
4(1)
= 5.65 X 10 Ω m
-7
Exercise 4.2
Two conductors are made of the same material and have the same length. Conductor A
is a solid wire of diameter 1.00mm. Conductor B is a hallow tube of outside diameter
2.00mm and inside diameter 1.00mm. What is the resistance ratio RA/RB, measured
between their ends?
The rate at which energy is transformed (absorbed by) in a resistance R from electric to other
forms of energy (such as heat and light) is equal to the product of current and voltage or
energy transformed per unit time.
E QV ItV
P= = = = IV
t t t
and for resistors can be written with the help of Ohm’s law as
V2
P = I2R =
R
Example 4.3
A current of 0.5A flow through a 200 Ω resistor. The power lost will appear as heat in
resistor. How much powers is lost in resistor.
Solution
Exercise 4.3
A current of 3.0A is passed through a lamp for 2 minutes using a 6V power supply. Find
the energy dissipated by this lamp during the 2 minutes.
Resistors in Series
A R1 R2 R3 B
Figure 4.2
V1 V2 V3
I V
As in a Figure 4.2 the potential difference across each resistor is found from Ohm’s law:
We want to replace the series of resistors with a single equivalent resistor R eq connected
between the same two terminals A and B.
Since the potential difference between A and B across Req also must be V, we have
V = IReq . Using the Ohm’s law, we obtain IReq = IR1 + IR2 + IR3
Req = R1 + R2 + R3
Resistors in Parallel
I1
R1
I2
R2
Figure 4.3
R3
I3
+ -
V
In a parallel circuit, Figure 4.3, the total current I that leave the battery break into three
branches. We let I1, I2 and I3 be the currents through each of resistor, R1 , R2 , and R3
respectively. The current flowing into a junction must equal the current flowing out of the
junction. Thus
I = I1 + I2 + I3
V V V
I1 = , I2 = and I3 =
R1 R2 R3
V
I=
R eq
I = I1 + I2 + I3
V V V V
= + +
R eq 1 R1 R2 R3
1 1 1 1
= + + … (resistors in parallel )
Req 1 R1 R2 R3
R6
76 CURRENT & RESISTANCE
Example 4.4
Five resistors are connected as shown in Figure 4.4. Each has a resistance of 4Ω . What is the
equivalent resistance between points A and B?
R2
R1 R3 R5
A B
R4
Figure 4.4
Solution
R2 , R3 and R4 (Parallel)
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
= + + = + + =
R 234 R 2 R3 R4 4 4 4 4
4
R234 = =1.33 Ω
3
Exercise 4.4
Six resistors are connected as shown in Figure 4.5. Each has a resistance of 4 Ω . What is the
equivalent resistance between points A and B?
R2 R3
R1
R1
R4 R5 B
Figure 4.5
Example 4.5
Two resistances are connected (a) in series and (b) in parallel, to 12.0V battery as Figure
4.6. What is the equivalent resistance of each circuit and the current through each
resistor?
(a)
V = 12V
R1=4Ω R2 = 8Ω
I
(b)
V = 12V I
R1=4Ω I1
R2=8Ω I2
Figure 4.6
Solution
V 12
Current I = = = 1A
Req 12
1 1 1 1 1 1 3
= = + = + =
R12 Req R1 R 2 4 8 8
Req = 2.67Ω
V 12 V 12
Current I = = = 4.5 A , Current I 1 = = = 3A
R eq 2.67 R1 4
V 12
Current I 2 = = = 1.5 A
R2 8
Exercise 4.5
current I1 and I3
difference potential at point CD,CF and BG
current I4 and I
total equivalent resistance.
voltage supplied V if internal resistance are negligible.
Figure 4.7
Thus, a battery itself has some resistance, which we called its internal resistance ( r )
r ε
Vab
The two point a and b in a diagram represent the two terminals of the battery. What we
measure is a terminal voltage Vab.
Example 4.6
A 9.0V battery whose internal resistance r is 0.5Ω is connected in the circuit shown in
Figure 4.8.
(a) Find the equivalent resistance for external loaded
(b) How much current is drawn from the battery?
(c) What is the terminal voltage of a battery?
(d) What is the current in the 10 Ω and 5Ω resistor?
A B
ε =9V
r=0.5Ω R5 = 6Ω
R4 =
10Ω
R2 =
C D
R1=5 8Ω
Ω R3 =
4Ω
Figure 4.8
Solution
(b) ε = I ( Req + r )
ε 9
I = = = 0.83 A
Req + r 10 .34 + 0.5
(d) VT = VAB
V
I 4 = CD
R4
3. 6
I4 = = 0.36 A
10
VCD 3.6
I1 = = = 0.47 A
R123 7.67
Exercise 4.6
Figure 4.9
Tutorial 4.1
1. A service station charges a battery using a current of 5.7 A for 7.0 hour.
How much charge passes through the battery?
(Answer : 1.4 x 105C )
6. Two resistors 30Ω and 20Ω are connected in parallel and the combination
is connected to a source 120V with an internal resistance 1Ω .
(a) Calculate the equivalent external resistance in the circuit.
(b) Calculate the current through each resistor.
(Answer : 12Ω , I1 = 3.7A , I2 = 5.54 A )
7. Refer to Figure 4.10. When the switch S closed, the voltmeter V shows a
reading of 7.5 V and the current, I flowing in the circuit is 0.5 A. If the e.m.f ε
of the battery is 9V, find the internal resistance in the battery, r and the load
resistance R. (Assume that the voltmeter is an ideal with high resistance).
Figure 4.10
I : r= 3Ω , R = 15Ω )
(Answer S
10. From4.11,
In Figure the Figure
R1, R2 4.13,
and Rthe e.m.f value is 8.0 V and internal resistance r= 0.5Ω
3 are external load and r is internal resistance. Find
ε = 9V
r= 4Ω
R1 = 4Ω R3 = 10Ω
R2= 4Ω
Figure 4.11
9. Refer to the Figure 4.12, the battery has an e.m.f of ε = 12V and internal
resistance of r = 3.0Ω . Find
(a) equivalent resistance for external load
(b) current I
(c ) potential difference between point a to c
(d) the current through R3
(e) potential difference between point b to c
(f) the current through R4
(g) the total power dissipated in the R1
R2=8Ω R3=6Ω
ε
b
r
R4=2Ω R5=4Ω
Figure 4.12 c
Figure 4.13
Figure 4.14
r = 2Ω
R4 = 3Ω R8 = 2Ω
12. (a) A copper wire has a length of 150 m and a diameter of 1.00 mm. If the wire is
connected to a 1.5 V battery, how much current flows through the wire?
(ρCopper = 1.72 x 10-8 Ω.m)
(b) Find the number of electrons that pass a point in a wire carrying 8 A during 10s
1 electron = 1.602 x 10-19 C
APR 2009
(Answer : 0.4563 A, 5 x 1020 electrons)
24 V R1
Figure 4.15
R2 30 Ω
14. A 115 m long copper wire (resistivity 1.7 x 10-8 Ωm) has a resistance of 8.0 Ω. Calculate
the diameter of the wire.
APR 2008
(Answer : 5.57 x 10-4 m)