7.4 Electromotive Force and Internal Resistance 1.

The electromotive force of a cell or any other electrical source is defined as the work done by the cell or the source in driving a unit charge around a complete circuit. Electromotive force = work done Charge E / e. m. f. = W Q Unit: J C or Volt (V)
-1

because the current flow through the bulb is larger due to the small effective resistance of the cells connected in parallel. 11. Cells connected in parallel can last longer as more energy can be stored in the cells. 12. The resistance of the electrolyte between the electrodes of a cell iscelled internal resistance (r). 13. The internal resistance of a cell depends on the type of electrolyte and the size of the cell.

2.

The electromotive force of a cell can be measured by connecting a high resistance voltmeter directly across the terminals of the cell when the cell is not connected to anything else.

3. 4. 5.

The reading of the voltmeter will drop a little if a bulb is connected in series to the cell. In this case, the voltmeter reading shows the terminal p.d., which is the p.d. across the bulb. The reading of the voltmeter will be the same if it is connected across the bulb terminals instead of the cell terminals. Electromotive Force (e. m. f.) 1. Indicates the electrical energy given to each coulomb of charge within the cell or source. Potential Difference (p. d.) 1. Indicates the electrical energy that is transformed to other forms of energy when 1 C of charge passes through a

6.

component in a closed circuit. 2. Represented by the voltmeter 2. Represented by the voltmeter reading in a reading in an open circuit. closed circuit. -1 3. Measured in J C or volts (V). 3. Measured in J C-1 OR volts (V). 4. Denoted by the symbol E. 4. Denoted by the symbol V. Voltmeters normally have very high resistances. Hence, the current flowing through them are very small and can be neglected. The value of the potential difference is smaller than the value of the e.m.f. due to the internal resistance of the cell. When there are two cells connected in parallel, the value of the e.m.f. in two cells remains the same as the e.m.f. of a single cell. This is because the two cells connected in parallel are sharing the same terminals.

7. 8.

9.

When there are two cells connected in parallel, the value of the p.d. of the two cells remains the same as the p.d. of a single cell.

14. The current, I flowing in the circuit = e. m. f. total resistance I= E R+r E = I (R + r) E = IR + Ir E = V + Ir 15. Exp: a) The voltmeter reading in a circuit is 1.5 V when the switch is left open. When the switch is closed, the voltmeter reading drops to 1.35 V. Find The e.m.f. of the cell. i. The current through the 4.5 resistor. ii. The terminal resistance of the cell. iii. b) The ammeter in a circuit has reading of 0.3 A. The ammeter reading drops to 0.2 A when the 3 resistor is replaced with a 5 resistor. Calculate The internal resistance of the cell, i. The e.m.f. of the cell. ii. c) A 10 resistor is connected in series to a cell. The voltmeter gives a reading of 2.5 V across the 10 resistor. Find the e.m.f. of the cell if the internal resistance is 2. d) A cell with e.m.f. of 3V and internal resistance of 2 is connected in series with an 8 resistor. What is the p.d. across the resistor? e) A 4 wire is connected in series with a battery of e.m.f. of 6V and an internal resistance, r. If the current that passes through the circuit is 1A, what is the value of r? f) A 10 resistor is connected to a cell of internal resistance 5. If the potential difference across the resistor is 2V, find the current that passes through the circuit and the e.m.f. of the cell.

10. The brightness of the bulb increases when there are two cells connected in parallel

g)

A battery e.m.f. of 2 V is connected in a circuit as shown in Figure 2.60.

i)

Figure 7.48 shows a cell with an internal resistance of 1 in series with a 3 resistor.

i. If the reading in the voltmeter is 1.8 V and the reading in the ammeter is 0.4 A, determine the internal resistance and the value of the resistor R. j) ii.

What is the current flowing through the resistor? What is the p.d. across the resistor? Figure 7.49 shows a cell with an e.m.f. of 1.5 V in series with a resistor R. If the voltmeter and the ammeter readings are 1.35 V and 0.3 A respectively, find

h)

Figure 2.61 shows a cell in series with a 2 resistor and a switch. A high resistance voltmeter connected across the cell gives a reading of 1.5 V when the switch is open and 1.2 V when the switch is closed.

i. ii.
i. What is the e.m.f. of the cell? Explain your answer. What is the current that flows through the 2 resistor when the switch is closed? What is the internal resistance of the cell? Another 2 resistor is added in parallel with the 2 resistor. What is the reading of the voltmeter would be when the switch is closed?

The internal resistance of the cell. The resistance of the resistor R.

ii. iii. iv.