Knowledge bank

Electric current

(1) If 3 x 1019 electrons move through a conductor that has a

potential difference of 16 V across it within 3 seconds, calculate the
resistance of this conductor. Let the electron charge e = 1.6 x 10-19 C.
(A) 230𝛀 (B) 10𝛀 (C) 26𝛀 (D) 1𝛀

(2) An electric heater that has a resistance of 17.7𝛀 is connected to a

230 V power supply. Given that the electron charge e = 1.6 x 10-19C
how many electrons will pass through the heater every minute?
Give your answer in scientific notation to two decimal places.
(A) 4.87 x 1021 electrons
(B) 1.53 x 1024 electrons
(C) 2.89 x 1019 electrons
(D) 1.35 x 1018 electrons

(3) Consider the circuit below. When changing the value of (RV),
which of the following graphs represents the relation between (RV)
and the reading of the ammeter?

Ammeter reading Ammeter reading Ammeter reading Ammeter reading

RV RV RV RV
(A) (B) (C) (D)

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(4) Consider the circuit shown below. When changing the value of
(RV), which of the following graphs represents the relation between
(RV) and the reading on the voltmeter?

Voltmeter reading Voltmeter reading Voltmeter reading

Voltmeter reading

RV RV RV RV
(A) (B) (C) (D)

(5) A current of 1.4 A in a copper wire is carried by free electrons.

The cross-sectional area of the wire is 2.5 x 10-6 m2. Find the average
speed at which free electrons pass through the wire. Use a value of
1.6 x 10-19 C for electron charge and a value of 8.46 x 1028 m-3 for the
density of free electrons in copper. Give your answer in scientific
notation to one decimal place.
(A) 4.7 x 104 m/s
(B) 5.3 x 10-5 m/s
(C) 2.1 x 10-5 m/s
(D) 2.4 x 104 m/s
(E) 4.1 x 10-5 m/s

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(6) A current of 77 mA in a conducting wire of an unknown material
is carried by free electrons. The cross-sectional area of the
conductor is 1.5 x 10-6 m2. Find the density of free electrons in the
material if the average speed of the free electrons along the wire is
0.18 mm/s. use a value of 1.6 x 10-19 C for the electron charge. Give
your answer in scientific notation to one decimal place.
(A) 1.8 x 1024 m-3
(B) 3.0 x 1026 m3
(C) 1.8 x 1027 m-3
(D) 1.8 x 1030 m-3
(E) 3.0 x 1029 m-3
(7) A 10 V battery supplies a circuit with a 3.2 A current for 30s. the
conductor in the circuit is made of a substance with a free electron
density of 1 x 1028 m-3 and has a cross-sectional area of 2 x 10-6 m2.
When analyzing the motion of free electrons in the conductor, use a
value of 1.6 x 10-19 C for electron charge and a value of 9.1 x 10-31 kg
for electron mass.

(i) Find the average speed of free electrons along the conductor. Give
tour answer in scientific notation to one decimal place.

(A) 1.0 x 10-2 m/s

(B) 1.0 x 10-3 m/s
(C) 1.0 x 102 m/s
(D) 1.0 x 103 m/s
(E) 1.0 x 10-4 m/s

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(ii) Find the instantaneous speed of a free electron in the conductor,

assuming that each free electron has an equal share of the total
energy of the current. Give tour answer in scientific notation to one
decimal place.
(A) 3.3 x 102 m/s
(B) 8.4 x 101 m/s
(C) 1.9 x 10-8 m/s
(D) 1.9 x 106 m/s
(E) 4.6 x 102 m/s
(8) The graph shows the change in the current in a circuit with the
terminal voltage of the battery that produces the current.

(i) What is the electromotive force of the battery?

(ii) What is the internal resistance of the battery?
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(9) The circuit shown in the diagram consists of two resistors
connected in parallel to a cell. The value of (Itotal) is equal to 30 A.
What is the value of (I2)?

(10) A student sets up the circuit shown in the diagram. The three
resistors are identical. The value of (Itotal) is 15 A. what is the value
of (I3)?

(11) The circuit shown in the diagram consists of two resistors

connected in parallel to a cell. The value of the current given by the
second ammeter, (I2), is 3A. what is the value of (Itotal)?

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(12) A student sets up the circuit shown in the diagram. The value of
(Itotal) is 8A and the value of (I1) is 6A.

(i) What is the value of I2?

(ii) What is the potential difference supplied
by the cell to the circuit?
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(13) Mariam sets up the circuit shown in the diagram. The current
through the first ammeter (I1), is 5A. What is the value of (Itotal)?
Give your answer to one decimal place.

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(14) Which of the following is true about the resultant resistance (Rt)
of two resistors that are connected in parallel, knowing that the
value of one of them is R?
(A) Rt < R
(B) We cannot determine from the information provided.
(C) Rt = R
(D) Rt > R

(15) In the circuit below, if the current through (R2) is 3A and the
ammeter reading is 4.5 A, calculate the value of (R1).

(A) 4 𝛀
(B) 12 𝛀
(C) 24 𝛀
(D) 6 𝛀
(16) What is the maximum number of 5𝛀 resistances that can be
connected in parallel to a 7.5 V battery for the total current not to
exceed 10 A?
(A) 4
(B) 7
(C) 3
(D) 6

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(17) Farida sets up the circuit shown in the diagram. Each resistor
has a resistance of 10𝛀.

(i) The value of (I2) is initially 3A. what is the value of (Itotal)?
(ii) If (S1) is then closed, what happens to the value of (I2)?
(A) it increases.
(B) it decreases.
(C) it stays the same.
(iii) With (S1) still closed, is the resistance of the circuit lower than,
higher than or the same as it was when (S1) was open?
(A) the same.
(B) higher.
(C) lower.
(iv) (S1) and (S3) are kept closed, but (S2) is opened. Does the
resistance in the circuit increase, decrease, or stay the same?
(A) it decreases.
(B) it increases.
(C) it stays the same.

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(18) A student sets up the circuit shown in the diagram. Initially, the
switch is open. When the student closes the switch, will the current
flowing through the circuit increase or decrease?

(A) Decreases R
(B) Increases

R
K

(19) A student sets up the circuit shown in the diagram. Initially, (S1)
is closed and (S2) is open. If she opens (S1) and closes (S2), will the
current in the circuit increase or decrease?

(A) Decreases
(B) Increases
R R

(20) The potential drop across the resistor in the circuit shown is
15V. the terminal voltage of one of the batteries powering the
circuit is 5.5 V. find the terminal voltage (V) of the other battery
powering the circuit.

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(21) The potential drop across the resistor in the circuit shown is
12V. the terminal voltage of one of the two batteries powering the
circuit is 5.5 V. Find the terminal

(22) The potential drop across two resistors of the circuit shown is
known, as the terminal voltage of the battery powering the circuit.
The potential drops (V1) and (V2) are unknown.

(23) The potential drop across one resistor of the circuit shown is
known, as the terminal voltage of the battery powering the circuit.
The potential drops (V1) and (V2) are unknown. Find (V1) and (V2)

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(24) Consider the circuit shown below. What is the equivalent
resistance between points (A and B)?
(A) 7 𝛀
(B) 56 𝛀
(C) 14 𝛀
(D) 28 𝛀
(25) What is the equivalent resistance between points (X and Y)?
(A) 4 𝛀
(B) 3 𝛀
(C) 6 𝛀
(D) 30 𝛀
(26) Find the total current in the circuit shown.

(27) What is the total current through the circuit shown?

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(28) Consider the circuit shown below. What is the reading of the
ammeter?
𝑰
(A)
𝟐
𝑰
(B)
𝟑

(C) I
𝟐𝑰
(D)
𝟑

(29) Consider the circuit shown below. What is the reading of the
voltmeter?

(A) 6 V
(B) 9 V
(C) 18 V
(D) 12 V
(30) Consider the circuit shown below. What is the ratio between the
ammeter reading when the switch is at position (A) and its reading
when the switch is at position (B)?

(A) 3:2
(B) 2:3
(C) 3:4
(D) 4:3

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(31) The circuit shown contains three resistors. Find the difference
between the current through the 4.3𝛀 resistor and the 3.9 𝛀 resistor.

(32) What is the ratio of the total current produced by the circuit
shown in diagram (a) to the total current produced by the circuit
shown in diagram(B)?

(33) What is the ratio of the total current produced by the circuit
shown in diagram (a) to the total current produced by the circuit
shown in diagram (b)? give your answer to two decimal places.

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(34) The circuit shown contains both series and parallel

combinations of resistors.

(i) What is the total current in the circuit

shown? Give your answer to one decimal
place.
(ii) What is the total power dissipated by the circuit? Give your
answer to one decimal place
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(35) In the circuit shown, the current takes multiple paths from the
positive battery terminal to the negative batter terminal.

(i) Find the total resistance of the circuit.

(ii) What is the ratio of the potential
drop across the 14𝛀 resistor and the
18𝛀 resistor ?
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(36) Current is measured by an ammeter in the circuit shown in the
diagram. The ammeter has a resistance of 2.5𝛍𝛀.

(i) What reading should be on the ammeter?

Give your answer to one decimal place.
(ii) What would the reading on the ammeter
be if it were connected in parallel to the 3.5𝛀 resistor? Give your
answer to one decimal place.
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(37) Calculate the values of (I1) and (I2) in the circuit shown below.

(A) 1.5 A, 4.5 A

(B) 6 A , 9 A
(C) 12 A , 18 A
(D) 3 A, 9 A

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(38) The circuit shown has one resistor with an unknown potential
drop and some other resistors with known potential drops.

(i) What is the potential drop across the

unknown resistor?
(ii) What is the potential difference
between the points ( A and B )?

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(39) In the circuit shown, (R2 = 2R1) and (R3 = 3R2). The total current
through the circuit is 0.36 A. what is the resistance (R1)?

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(40) Consider the circuit shown below. What is the value of (R)?

(A) 12 𝛀
(B) 27 𝛀
(C) 16 𝛀
(D) 22 𝛀
(41) In the circuit shown, the current takes multiple paths from the
positive battery terminal to the negative battery terminal.

(i) Find the potential drop across the 12𝛀

resistor. Give your answer to the nearest volt.
(ii) Find the potential drop across the 14𝛀
resistor. Give your answer to the nearest
volt.

(iii) Find the potential drop across the 11𝛀 resistor. Give your
answer to one decimal place.
(iv) Find the potential drop across the 17𝛀 resistor. Give your
answer to one decimal place.
(v) Find the total current in the circuit. Give your answer to one
decimal place.
(vi) Find the difference in the current through the 11𝛀 resistor and
the 17𝛀 resistor. Give your answer to one decimal place.
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(42) The circuits (a) and (b) appear very similar but are slightly
different from each other. What is the difference in the total current
between the circuit shown in diagram (a) and the circuit shown in
diagram (b)?

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(43) What is the current (I) in the circuit shown?

(44) What is the current (I) in the circuit shown? Give your answer to
one decimal place.

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