PHY 121: Tutorial 4
1. During lightning strikes from a cloud to the ground, currents as high as 25,000 A can occur
and last for about 40 𝜇𝑠. How much charge is transferred from the cloud to the earth during
such a strike?
2. A silver wire 2.6 mm in diameter transfers a charge of 420 C in 80 min. Silver contains
5.8 × 10 free electrons per cubic meter. (a) What is the current in the wire? (b) What is
the magnitude of the drift velocity of the electrons in the wire?
3. A 5.00-A current runs through a 12-gauge copper wire (diameter 2.05 mm) and through a
light bulb. Copper has 8.5 × 10 free electrons per cubic meter. (a) How many electrons
pass through the light bulb each second? (b) What is the current density in the wire? (c) At
what speed does a typical electron pass by any given point in the wire? (d) If you were to
use wire of twice the diameter, which of the above answers would change? Would they
increase or decrease?
4. Copper has 8.5 × 10 free electrons per cubic meter. A 71.0-cm length of 12-gauge
copper wire that is 2.05 mm in diameter carries 4.85 A of current. (a) How much time does
it take for an electron to travel the length of the wire? (b) Repeat part (a) for 6-gauge copper
wire (diameter 4.12 mm) of the same length that carries the same current. (c) Generally
speaking, how does changing the diameter of a wire that carries a given amount of current
affect the drift velocity of the electrons in the wire?
5. The current in a wire varies with time according to the relationship 𝐼 = 55𝐴 −
(0.65 𝐴⁄𝑠 )𝑡 . (a) How many coulombs of charge pass a cross section of the wire in the
time interval between 𝑡 = 0 and 𝑡 = 8 𝑠? (b) What constant current would transport the
same charge in the same time interval?
6. A 1.50-m cylindrical rod of diameter 0.500 cm is connected to a power supply that
maintains a constant potential difference of 15.0 V across its ends, while an ammeter
measures the current through it. You observe that at room temperature (20.0°C) the
ammeter reads 18.5 A, while at 92.0°C it reads 17.2 A. You can ignore any thermal
expansion of the rod. Find (a) the resistivity at 20.0°C and (b) the temperature coefficient
of resistivity at 20.0°C for the material of the rod.
7. Consider the circuit shown in the figure below. The terminal voltage of the 24.0-V battery
is 21.2 V. What are (a) the internal resistance r of the battery and (b) the resistance R of
the circuit resistor?
8. A copper transmission cable 100 km long and 10.0 cm in diameter carries a current of 125
A. (a) What is the potential drop across the cable? (b) How much electrical energy is
dissipated as thermal energy every hour?
9. The circuit shown in the figure below contains two batteries, each with an emf and an
internal resistance, and two resistors. Find (a) the current in the circuit (magnitude and
direction); (b) the terminal voltage of the 16.0-V battery; (c) the potential difference of
point a with respect to point c.
10. The power rating of a light bulb (such as a 100-W bulb) is the power it dissipates when
connected across a 120-V potential difference. What is the resistance of (a) a 100-W bulb
and (b) a 60-W bulb? (c) How much current does each bulb draw in normal use?
