Chapter 1: Electricity - Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the unit of electric current?

– a) Volt

– b) Ampere

– c) Ohm

– d) Coulomb

Answer: b) Ampere

2. What is the unit of resistance?

– a) Ampere

– b) Ohm

– c) Volt

– d) Watt

Answer: b) Ohm

3. Which component is used to measure electric current?

– a) Voltmeter

– b) Ammeter

– c) Resistor

– d) Switch

Answer: b) Ammeter

4. What is Ohm’s law?

– a) V = I/R

– b) V = I R

– c) V = I/R^2

– d) V = I + R
Answer: b) V = I R

5. What is the resistance of a conductor?

– a) Directly proportional to length and inversely proportional to area

– b) Directly proportional to area

– c) Inversely proportional to length and area

– d) Inversely proportional to temperature

Answer: a) Directly proportional to length and inversely proportional to area

6. In a series circuit, the current:

– a) Is different in each component

– b) Is the same in all components

– c) Is zero

– d) Increases with each resistor

Answer: b) Is the same in all components

7. In a parallel circuit, the potential difference across each component:

– a) Is different

– b) Is the same

– c) Depends on the resistance

– d) Is zero

Answer: b) Is the same

8. Which formula calculates electric power?

– a) P = V I

– b) P = I^2 R

– c) P = V^2 / R

– d) All of the above

Answer: d) All of the above

9. Which is the SI unit of electric power?

– a) Watt
– b) Ampere

– c) Volt

– d) Ohm

Answer: a) Watt

10. The resistivity of a material depends on:

– a) Temperature

– b) Material type

– c) Length

– d) Both a and b

Answer: d) Both a and b

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Define electric current. How is it measured? Answer: Electric current is the flow of
electric charge through a conductor. It is measured in amperes using an ammeter.

2. State Ohm’s law and its mathematical expression. Answer: Ohm’s law states that the
current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference
across it, provided temperature remains constant. The mathematical expression is:
V =I × R
where V is the voltage, I is the current, and R is the resistance.

3. What is the relationship between resistance and resistivity? Answer: Resistance (R)
is related to resistivity ( ρ ) by the formula:
L
R=ρ×
A
where L is the length and A is the cross-sectional area of the conductor.

4. Explain the difference between series and parallel circuits. Answer: In a series
circuit, components are connected end-to-end, and the same current flows through
all components. In a parallel circuit, components are connected across the same two
points, and the potential difference across all components is the same.

5. What is meant by the electric power consumed in a circuit? Answer: Electric power
is the rate at which electrical energy is consumed or converted into another form of
energy (such as heat or light). It is given by the formula:
P=V × I
6. What are the factors that affect resistance in a conductor? Answer: The resistance
in a conductor is affected by its length, cross-sectional area, temperature, and the
material’s resistivity.

7. Define electric energy. How is it calculated? Answer: Electric energy is the energy
consumed by an electrical device. It is calculated using the formula:
E=P× t
where P is the power and t is the time.

8. What is the unit of resistivity? Answer: The SI unit of resistivity is Ω ⋅m .

9. What happens to the total resistance in a parallel circuit when more resistors are
added? Answer: In a parallel circuit, the total resistance decreases as more resistors
are added.

10. How is the total resistance in a series circuit calculated? Answer: The total
resistance in a series circuit is the sum of individual resistances:
R total=R1 + R 2+ …+ Rn

Descriptive Type Questions

1. Derive the formula for electric power in terms of voltage, current, and resistance.
Answer: The formula for electric power can be derived using Ohm’s law. From
Ohm’s law, we know:
V =I × R
Rearranging for voltage:
P
V= ⇒ P=V × I
I
2. Explain the working of an electric meter and its significance in measuring electricity
consumption. Answer: An electric meter measures the amount of electric energy
consumed by a household or an industrial unit. It works by counting the number of
rotations of a metal disc that is moved by the magnetic field induced by the electric
current flowing through the meter.

3. Describe the factors affecting resistivity of a material. Answer: The resistivity of a

material depends on factors like temperature and the type of material. Metals
generally have low resistivity, while insulators have high resistivity. As temperature
increases, resistivity of conductors increases, while it decreases for insulators.

4. Explain how resistors are connected in series and parallel and how it affects the
total resistance. Answer: In a series connection, resistors are connected end-to-end,
and the total resistance increases with each resistor added. In a parallel connection,
the resistors are connected across the same two points, and the total resistance
decreases as more resistors are added.

5. Discuss the significance of Ohm’s law in electrical circuits. Answer: Ohm’s law is
fundamental in understanding the behavior of electrical circuits. It allows the
calculation of the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance, which helps
in designing and analyzing circuits efficiently.

6. Explain the energy conversion in electric heaters. Answer: Electric heaters convert
electrical energy into heat energy. When electric current flows through a resistive
heating element, electrical energy is dissipated as heat due to the resistance offered
by the element.

7. State and explain the Joule’s law of heating. Answer: Joule’s law states that the heat
produced by a current-carrying conductor is directly proportional to the square of
the current, the resistance, and the time for which the current flows. It is expressed
as:
2
H=I × R ×t
where H is the heat produced, I is the current, R is the resistance, and t is the time.

8. Describe how the electric potential difference is related to work done in an electric
circuit. Answer: The electric potential difference (voltage) between two points in a
circuit is defined as the work done to move a unit charge from one point to another.
It is mathematically expressed as:
W
V=
Q
where W is the work done, and Q is the charge.

9. What are the different sources of electrical energy and how are they classified?
Answer: The main sources of electrical energy are power stations (using coal,
hydro, nuclear, etc.), batteries, and renewable sources (like solar and wind). They
can be classified into non-renewable (fossil fuels, nuclear) and renewable sources
(solar, wind, hydro).

10. How do power losses occur in an electrical circuit, and how can they be minimized?
Answer: Power losses occur due to the resistance in wires, which causes energy to
be dissipated as heat. Power loss can be minimized by using conductors with low
resistance, increasing the voltage, and reducing the length of the conducting wires.

Numerical Type Questions

1. A 10 Ω resistor carries a current of 2 A. What is the potential difference across the
resistor? Answer: Using Ohm’s law V =I × R :
V =2× 10=20 V
2. A resistor of 50 Ω is connected in series with a 5 V battery. Calculate the current in
V
the circuit. Answer: Using Ohm’s law I = :
R
5
I= =0.1 A
50
3. What is the total resistance in a parallel circuit with resistors of 10 Ω , 20 Ω , and 30
Ω ? Answer: The formula for total resistance in parallel is:
1 1 1 1
= + +
R total R1 R2 R 3

Substituting values:
1 1 1 1
= + + =0.3667
R total 10 20 30

1
R total= =2.73 Ω
0.3667
4. A 100 W bulb is connected to a 220 V supply. Calculate the current flowing through
the bulb. Answer: Using P=V × I :
P 100
I= = =0.4545 A
V 220
5. A wire of resistance 10 Ω is stretched to double its length. What will be its new
resistance? Answer: The resistance of a wire is given by:
L
R=ρ×
A
If the length is doubled, the resistance also doubles. Therefore, the new resistance
will be:
Rnew =2 ×10=20 Ω