UNIT-2 CURRENT ELECTRICITY

VERY SHOlRT ANSWER QUESTIONS (I Mark)

1. How does the relaxation Ume of electron in the conductor change when
temperature of the conductor decreases.

2. Sketch a ,graph showing variation of resistivity with temperature of (i} Copper

{ii) Carbon.

3. The emf of the driver oell {Auxiliary battery} in the potentiometer experiment
should be greater than emf ot the cell to be dete,rmined. Why?

4. You are required to select a canbon resistor of resistance 47k.Q ± 10%

firom a large oolllection. What should be the sequence of color bands used
to code it?

5. The fig. here shows a part of a circuft. What are the magnitude and
diir,ection of the current r in the lower r ight�hand wire? (8 Amp)

6. TIAO wire one o,f copper and other of manganin have same resistanc,e and
equal l,emgth. Which wire is thicker?

7. You are given three constantan wires P, Q and R ot l,ength and area of

cross-section (L, A), ( 2L,;) and ( � 2A) respectively Which has

highest resistance?

8. V - I ·g1raplh for a metallic wire at two different temperatures T 1 and T2 is

as shown in the figure. Which of the two temperatures is higher and why?
9. Out of V - I graph for parallel and ser1ies combination of two metallic
resistors, which one represents. paralllel combination of resistors? Justify
your answer.

l B
A

v_.,.
10. Why is the potentiometer preferred to a voltmeter for measuring1 emf ·of a
cell?

11. How can a given 4 wires potentiometer be made more sensitive?

12. Why is copper not used for makiing potentiometer wirn·s?

13. In the figure, what is the potential! difference between A and B'?

A�•--V>NVv-�-----1111---•D
10!1 2A 12 v
14. A copper wire of resistance A is uniformally stretched till i1s length is
increased to n times its origiinal length. What will be its new resistance?

15. Too resistances sn and 70 are joined as shown to two batte1nles .of ,emf
2V and 3V. llf the 3V battery is short circuited. What will be the current
through 50.?

16. Calculate the ·equivalent resistance between points A and B in the figure
given below.
17. What is the largest voltage that can be safely put across a r,esistor marked
196Q, 1W?

18. When does the terminal voltage of a celll become (i) greater than its emf
(ii} less than its ,emf?

19. A car battery is of 12V. Eight dry cells of 1.5 V connected in series also
giive 12.V, but such a combination is not used to start a car. Why?

20. Two electriic lamps A and B marked ( 22.0\( 1I00W) and (220V, 60W)
respectively. Which of the two lamps has higlher resistance?

21. Constantan is used for making the standard resistance. Why?

22. A 1160 thick wire is stretched so that its length becomes two times.,.Assuming
there lis no change In density on stretching. Calculate the resistanoe of
new wire.

23. State the Condition under which the terminal potential difference acro,ss a
battery and its emf are equal.

24. State the Condition for maximum cunent to be drawn from the Cell.

25. Name the physical quantity measured by potential gr adient.

SH01RT ANSWER QUESTIONS (2 Ma1�ks),

1. Define mobility of ,electron in a conductor.. How does ,electron mobility

change when (I) temperature of conductor is decreased (ii) Applied potential
difference is doubled at constant temperature?

2. On what factor does potential gradient o,f a potentiometer wire depend?

3. What are supemonductors? Give one of their applications.

4. TVI.O manganin wires whose lengths are in the r atiio 1 : 2 and whose
resistances are in the ratio 1 : 2 are connected in series wiith a battery.
What will be the ratio of d1nift velocities of firee electrons in th1e two wires?

5. The current through a wire depends on time as i = i0 + at where i0 = 4A

and .a= 2As-1. Find the charge crossing a section of wire in 10 seconds.

6. Three identical resistors R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are oonnected to a baUery as

shown in the figure. What will be the ratio of v,oltag1es acmss A 1 and A 2 •
Support your answer with calculations. (2:1)
7. In the arrangement of resis1ors shown, what fraction of current I wm pass
through 5.0. resistor?
( 231)

8. A 100W and a 200 W domestic bulbs joined in series are connected to the
mains. Which bulb will gilow more lbright!y? Justify. (10OW)

9. A 10OW and a 200 W domestic bulbs joined in parallel ar,e connected to

the maiins. Which bulb will glow more bnighUy? Justify. {200W)

10. A battery has an emf of 12V and an internal resistance of 211. Calculate
the potentiial differ,ence between tlhe terminal of cell if (.a) cunrent is drawn
from the battery (b} battery is charged by an external source.

11. A uniform wire of resistance Rohm is bent into a circular loop as shown
in the figure. Compute effective resistance between diamemlcally opposite
points A and B. [Ans. R/4]

AOB

12. In a potentiometer arrangiement, a celll of emf 1..25V gives a balance point

at 35 cm length of the wire. If the cell is replaced by another ·cell, then the
balance point shifts to 63 cm. What is the emf of the second cell?
[Ans. 2 ..25V]

13. In a meter bridge, the balanoe point is found to be 39.S cm from end A..
The known resistance Y is 12.5Q. Determine unknown resistance· X.
[Ans. 8.1 SQ]
14. A meterbridge is in b·alance oondition. Now if galvanometer and cell are
interchanged, the galvanometer shows no defll,ection. Give reason.

[Ans. Galvanometer will show no detlecUon. Proportionality of the arms

are retained as the galvanometer and cell are interchanged .. ]

15.. If the emf of the driving cell be decreased. Wlhat will be effect on the,
position of zero de'flection in a potentiometer.

16. Why should the area of cross section of the me1er bndg1e wire be uniform?
Explain.

17., Given any two rmilations of Ohm's law.

18. Which one. of the two. an ammeter or a milliammaer has a higher resistance
and why?

19.. Name two factors on which the resistivity of a given material depends? A
carbon resistor has a vallue of 62kQ with a tolerance of 5%. Give the
colour code for the resistor.

20.. If the electron drift speed is so sma 11 {-1 Q -3 mis) and the electron ·s ·Charge
is very small, how can we still obtain a large amount of current in a
conductor

21.. n
A battery of emf .2.0 v,olts and internal IReslstance 0.1 is being charged
with a current of 5.0A. Whatis the potential diHeren::e between the terminals
o,f the battery-?

22.. Why should the jockey be not rubbed against potentiometer wire?

23. What is meant by the sensitivity o·f a potentiometer of any given length?
SHORT ANSWER ,QUESTIONS· (3 Marks)
1. Define specific resistance. W1r ite its SI unit Derive an e, xpressiion for
resistirvity of a wire in terms of its material''s parameters, number density
of free electrons and relaxation time.
2.. A potential difference V is applied across a conductor of l,ength L and
diameter D .. How are the eh,dric field E and the resistance R of the
conducto.r affected when (i) Vis halved (ii) L is halved (iii) D is doublled.
Justiify your answer;
*3.. Define drift vellocity,. A conductor of length L is connected to a de source
of .emf E. If the length of conductor is tripled by stretching it, keeping E
constant, expllain how do the following factors would vary in the conductor?
(i) Drift speed of electrons {ii) Resistance and (iii) Resistivity.
4.. Define potential gradient. How can po,t.ential gradient of a potent1iometer be
determined experimentally. In the graph shown here, a piot l of potent11al
drop versus length of the potent11ometer is made for two potentiometers.
Whiich is more sensitive -A or B?

f
V
A
B
Vol 1

l(rn)�

"'5.. Define conductivity of a substance. Give its SI unirt:s. How does iit vary with
temperature for (i), Copper {ii) Silicon?
"''6.. State the principle of potentiometer. Drawa circuit diagram used to compare,
the .emf o.f two prirnal"Y cells. Write the formula used.

7. The graph shows how the current I varles with applied potential difference
V across a 12 V filament lamp {A) and aor,oss one metre long nichrome
wire (B). Using the graph, find the ratio of the values of the resistance of
filament lamp to the nichrome wire

(i) when potential difference across them is 12 V.

(ii) when potential difference across them is 4V Give reason for the
change in ratio of resistances in (i) and (iii).

8. Electron drift speed is estimated to be only a few mm/s for cunrents in the
range of few amperes? How then is current established almost the instant
a circuit is closed.

9. Give, three points of d iUer,ence between e.m.f and terminal p o,tential

difference of a ce IL

1 o. Define the tem,s resistivity and conductivity and state their S.I. units. Draw
a g1raph showing the variation of resistivity with temperature for a typical
s,emioonductor.

11. The current flowing through a conductor is 2mA at 50V and 3mA at 60V
lls it an ohmic or non-olhmic conductor? Give reason.

12. Nichrome and copper wires of same length and area of cross section are
connected in series, current is passed through tihem why does the nichrome
wire get heated first?

13.
1 Under what conditions is the heat produced in an electric circuit:

(i} diredly proportional

(ii) inversely proportional to the resistance of the circuit

llON,G ANSWER QUESTIONS (5 Marks)

1. State Kirchhoff's rules for electrical networks. Use them to explain the
principle of Wheatstone bridge for determining an unknown resistance.
How is it reali.zed in actual practice in the laboratory? State the formula
used.

2. Define emf and terminal po-tentilal difference of a cell. Wl,en is the terminal
charging potertial dfference ·greaterthan emf? Explain how eni and terminal
potential difference can be compared using a potentiometer and hence
determiine internal resistance of the cellL
3. Fo-r three cells of emf E1, E2 and E3 with internal resistances r , r2 , r3
respectively connected in parallel, obtain an expression for net internal
resistance and effective current. What would be the maximum current
possiblJ.e if the emf of each cell is E and internal resistance is reach?
4. Derive an expression for drift velocity of the electron in conductor. Hence
deduce ohm's law.
5. State tlhe principle of potentiometer. How can it be used to :
(i) Compare e.m.f of two cells

(ii) Measure intem a.I resistance of a eel I?

6. Explain how does the conductiiviity of a :
(i) Metallic conductor

{ii) Semi conductor and

(iii) Insulator varies with the r ise of temperature.

7. Derive expression for equivalent e .m.f and equivalent resistance of a :

(a.) Series combination

(b) Parallel oomlbination

of three ce I rs with e. m.t E1 , E , E 3 & internal resistances r1 , r2, rs respectivety.
8. De duce the con dltlon for balance in a Whea:stone bridge. Using the principle
of Wheatstone bridge, desc1riibe the method to determine the specific
resistance of a wire in the laboratory. Draw 1he circuit diagram and write
the formula used. Write any two important precautions you would observe
while performing the experfment