12

8
General Physics 2
Quarter 3 – Module 4
Week 4
MELCs: GP12EM - IIId -32, GP12EM - IIIe -33,
GP12EM - IIIe -35, GP12EM - IIIe -36,
GP12EM - IIIe -40, GP12EM - IIIe -42

CURRENT, RESISTANCE AND

ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE
12 – STEM

1
PART 1
A. Introduction:
Have you seen the circuit board of a computer? It is
composed of different components such as semiconductors,
capacitors, and resistors where electric current flow and make
the computers work. The computer is just one of the pieces of
equipment students need these days especially with the distance
learning modalities being implemented. It is a fact that we need
various devices for a specific use or purpose to make our work
easier, for our convenience, safety, and even comfort. Most of the
equipment we have requires electricity. The flow of charges from
one point to another has become too much involved in our
practical lives.
Previously, we learned about the interaction of charges at rest
and how these interactions produce phenomena that have entirely
become essential in our daily activities.
In this module, you will distinguish between conventional
current and electron flow, apply the relationship charge = current
x time to new situations or to solve related problems, describe the
effect of temperature increase on the resistance of a metallic
conductor, describe the ability of a material to conduct current in
terms of resistivity and conductivity and apply the relationship of
the proportionality between resistance and the length and cross-
sectional area of a wire to solve problems.
B. Pre-Test:
Directions: Read the following questions carefully. Write the
chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.
1. A 200 mm length of copper wire has a resistance of 2.0 Ω. The
cross-sectional area is
a. 0.0017 m2
b. 3.4 mm2
c. 1.7 mm2
d. 5.3 mm2

2
 2. An electric heater draws a current of 20 A when connected to a
120 V power source. The resistance is
a.0.17 Ω
b.6 Ω
c.8 Ω
d.2400 Ω
3. The 8.0 Ω coil of a loudspeaker carries a current of 0.80 A. The
potential difference across the terminals is
a.5.2 V
b. 2.3V
c. 6.4 V
d. 11 V
4. When a 100 W, 240 V light bulb was operated at 200 V, the
current flowing is
a.0.35 A
b.0.75 A
c.0.90 A
d.0.10 A
5. The energy content of a fully chaged 12 V battery of capacity 50
A-h is
a.100 J
b.3600 J
c.0.78 J
d.2.2 MJ
C. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
MELC1: Distinguish between conventional current and
electron flow. (STEM_GP12EM-IIId-32)
MELC 2: Apply the relationship charge = current x time to new
situations or to solve related problems. (STEM_GP12EM-IIIe-33)
Current
Current is the motion of charges from one point to another
point in a conductor. When charges are at rest, the electric field at
any point is zero. In ensuring a steady movement of electric
charges, we need to have a constant force for these charges to move

3
around the conductors. Suppose an electric field is present within
the conductor, charge q experiences a force .

Let us consider a cross-sectional area of a conductor as shown in

figure .

Figure 1. The moving charges passing through

a crosssectional area at a given time.

We will define the current as the net charge flowing through

the chosen area. Current is expressed as:

𝐶
where I is current expressed as 𝑆
or Amperes (A), ΔQ is the net
charge expressed as Coulombs (C) and Δt is time expressed in
seconds (s). The current flowing in radios and televisions is
expressed as milliamperes, microamperes, or picoamperes.
When charges move in the conductor, it accelerates due to the
presence of an electric field. It collides with other charges and
transfers the kinetic energy to anything it collides with. This
produces back-and-forth motion which causes random motion.
Hence, it increases the temperature of the conductors.

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Figure 2. The random motion of electric charges as they
collide with other particles increases the random motion
and the temperature of the conductor.
The current in the chosen cross-sectional area can also be
expressed in terms of its drift velocity v of moving charges. Based
on figure 3, the electric field is from left to right, there are n
particles within the cross-sectional area, the charges are positive
q and moving with drift velocity v.

Figure 3. The drift velocity of the charges has a

magnitude of distance/time. The volume is given by the
product of its cross-sectional area and the distance it
traveled at some time.

In every time Δt, particles move at some distance . The

volume of the cylinder is and the number of particles in
the section is . Thus,

We can also express the current density J in terms of current

per unit area.

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 Does this hold true for negatively charged particles? As shown
in figure 4, the direction of the current is opposite to the direction
of the charges. In this case, drift velocity is from right to left which
is also opposite to the electric field. Still, the current moves in the
same direction when positive charges travel in the conductor.
Moving charges of metals are always negative, both
electrons and positively charged particles for ionized gas and
plasma and electrons with a motion of vacancies which act as
positive charges for semiconductors.

Figure 4. Direction of electric field and

current when negatively charged
particles are in motion within the
conductor.

Example 1:
Find the current density and drift velocity of free electrons
when the particles travel on a copper conductor with a square
cross-section of 1.0 mm on the side and carries a current of 20 A
to a 3 hp electric meter and its density of
8.0 x 1028 electrons/m3.

A What is/are s = 1.0 mm; I = 20 A; n = 8.0 x 1028 e-/m3

given?
B What is asked? (a) J = ? (b) v = ?
C Are the units No, side must be convrted from mm to m
consistent with Thus, 1.0 mm = 1.0 x 10-3 m.
the formula?
E What strategy We use the formula for current density and
must be solve for variable v from
employed?
F Solution

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 𝐼 20𝐴 20𝐴 20𝐴 𝑨
(a) J= 𝐴 = = = = 2 x106
𝑠2 (1 𝑥10−3𝑚)2 (1 𝑥10−9𝑚)2 𝒎𝟐
𝑨
𝐽 𝟐 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟔 𝐴 𝑚3 𝐶 𝑚
𝒎𝟐
(b) v= = (8 𝑥 10−28 𝑒/𝑚3 )= 2.5 x 1033 = 2.5 x 1033 𝑠
𝑛𝑞 𝑚2 𝑒 𝑒
𝒎
= 2.5 x 1033 𝒔
G What is the Therefore, the current density is 2 x 106 A/m2 while
conclusion? the drift velocity of the charges is 2.5 x 1033 m/s

MELC 3: Describe the effect of temperature increase on the

resistance of a metallic conductor. (STEM_GP12EM-IIIe-35)
Resistivity
Since current density relies on the electric field E and
properties of a material, sometimes J becomes directly
proportional to the electric field. Thus, the ratio of E to J
remains constant. We define this ratio as the resistivity of the
material. The greater the resistivity, the greater the electric
field needed to produce a current density. This is expressed as:

Table 1 shows the resistivities at room temperature.

Substances Ρ, Ωm Substances Ρ, Ωm
Silver 1.47 x 10-8 Carbon x 10-8
Copper 1.72 x 10-8 Germanium 0.60
Gold 2.44 x 10-8 Silicon 2300
Aluminum 2.63 x 10-8 Amber 5 x 1014
Tungsten 5.51 x 10-8 Glass 1010 - 1014
Steel 20 x 10-8 Lucite > 1015
Lead 22 x 10-8 Mica 1011 - 1015
Mercury 95 x 10-8 Quartz 75 x 1016
Manganin 44 x 10-8 Sulfur 1015
Constantan 49 x 10-8 Reflon >1015
Nichrome 100 x 10-8 Wood 108-1011
Source: Sears, F., Zemansky, M. and Young, H. College
Physics 7th Edition

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 From the table, a perfect conductor has “zero” resistivity
while a perfect insulator has an “infinitive resistivity”. Metals and
alloys have the lowest resistance and are considered as best
conductors while insulators have greater values by an enormous
factor.
Good electrical conductors are usually good conductors of
heat. On the other hand, poor electrical conductors are poor
thermal conductors. Semiconductors have resistivities that are in
the middle between metals and insulators. These components are
very important since they are affected by the temperature and by
impurities.
The proportionality of density and electric field obeys Ohm’s
law ( IR). There will be an in-depth application for this law in
the succeeding module. A material is said to be an ohmic or linear
conductor. The resistivity of the conductors increases with the
temperature. This is represented approximately by:

where is the resistivity at a reference temperature T0 (0°C or

20°C), is the resistivity at temperature T and is the temperature
coefficient of resistivity. Table 2 shows the temperature coefficients
of resistivity near room temperature.
Table 2. Temperature coefficients of resistivity (at room
temperature)
Material , C°-1 Material , C°-1
Aluminum 0.0039 Lead 0.0043
Brass 0.0020 Manganin 0.00000000
Carbon -0.0005 Mercury 0.000088
Constantan +0.000002 Nichrome 0.0004
Copper 0.00393 Silver 0.0038
Iron 0.0050 Tungsten 0.0045
Source: Sears, F., Zemansky, M., and Young, H. College
Physics 7th Edition
The negative value of carbon (nonmetal) shows that when
the temperature increases, the resistivity decreases.

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 Figure 5 shows the comparison of the resistivity of metals,
superconductors, and semiconductors. As shown in the graph,
the resistivity of metals increases as temperature increases.
Metallic conductors would always decrease their resistivity
when the temperature decreases. For semiconductors, the
resistivity decreases sharply with the increasing temperature
while superconductors have a decreasing resistivity when the
temperature decreases. However, at some transition
temperatures known as Tc, the resistivity suddenly drops to
zero.

Figure 5. The variation of resistivity with respect to

temperature for metals, superconductors, and
semiconductors.
MELC 4: Describe the ability of a material to conduct current in
terms of resistivity and conductivity. (STEM_GP12EM-IIIe-36)

Resistance
Suppose our conductor is a wire with cross-sectional area A
and length l as shown in the figure below. The total current is
and the potential difference is (recall V = Ed from the previous
module). If J and E are uniform throughout the conductor, then

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Based on Ohm’s law,

where R is the resistance expressed in Ohms (Ω) or . This

should not be confused with resistivity since its SI unit is Ω•m.
Since resistivity varies with temperature, the resistance of
the material also varies with the temperature. This is expressed
as:

Where is the resistance at a reference temperature T0

(0°C or 20°C), is the resistance at temperature T and is the
temperature coefficient of resistivity. Table 2 shows the
temperature coefficients of resistivity near room temperature.
Devices with a certain value of resistance are called a resistor.
The resistors are usually marked with standard codes using
three- or four-color bands. The first two bands are two digits
and the third digit is a power of 10 multipliers. The fourth band
is the precision value. If it has no fourth band, then it means
it has a precision value of ± 20%. If the fourth band is silver,
its precision is ± 10% and a gold band is ± 5%.

Figure 6. The four bands of a resistor representing its

standard code.

Table 3 shows the resistor codes.

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 Table 3. Resistor Color Codes
Colors Digits Multiplier
Black 0 100
Brown 1 101
Red 2 102
Orange 3 103
Yellow 4 104
Green 5 105
Blue 6 106
Violet 7 107
Gray 8 108
White 9 109
Source: Sears, F., Zemansky, M., and Young, H. College
Physics 7th Edition

You may also use this mnemonic to recall the sequence of

colors:

Big Boys Run Over Young Girls But Violeta Gave Way

The significant role of a resistor is the highest power it can

dissipate without damaging the other components or devices.
Figure 6 shows an example of a resistor.

Figure 7. Resistors

The graph of (a) resistor following Ohm’s law is shown in

the diagram below. The figure also compares the behavior of (b)
vacuum diode and (c) semiconductor diode.

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 Figure 6. Current-Voltage
Relationship in Resistor,
Vacuum Diode and
Superconductor Diodes

Example 2:
Suppose the resistance is 1.72 Ω at a temperature of 20°. Find
the resistance at 0 and 100 degrees Celsius.
A What is/are R = 1.72 Ω ; T0 = 20°C; T = 0°C and 100°C
given?
B What is asked? (a) R at 0°C and 100°C
C Are the units Yes
consistent with
the formula?
E What strategy We use the resistance formula expressed in
must be terms of temperature.
employed?
F Solution
0.00393
(a) RT= R0[ 1+ 𝛼 (T -T0)]= ( )(0℃ - 20℃) = 1.58 Ω
℃
0.00393
(b) RT= R0[ 1+ 𝛼 (T -T0)]= ( ℃ )(100℃ - 20℃) = 2.26 Ω

G What is the Therefore, the resistance is 1.58 Ω at 0 and

conclusion? 2.26 Ω at 100

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MELC 5: Differentiate emf of a source and potential difference (PD)
across a circuit. (STEM_GP12EM - IIIe -40)
MELC 6: Solve problems involving current, resistivity, resistance,
and Ohm’s law in contexts such as, but not limited to, batteries and
bulbs, household wiring, and selection of fuses. ( STEM_GP12EM -
IIIe -44)
Electromotive Force and Circuits
To have a steady current in a circuit, the path should form a
closed path or loop called a complete circuit. However, to complete
the path we need the presence of decreasing potential energy since
charges move towards this direction. Aside from decreasing
potential energy, there should also be increasing potential energy.
This is similar to water fountains. When the fountain releases
the water at the top, the water goes down the terraces and is
collected at the bottom. Using a pump, the water is lifted back to
the top for another cycle. The absence of a pump would make it
difficult for the water to complete the cycle.
In a circuit, the electromotive force (emf) influences the
“pushing” of charges from lower to a higher potential. This
influence is called electromotive force abbreviated as emf is
denoted as ε. The sources of emf are batteries, generators, solar
cells, and fuel cells. The ideal source of emf could maintain the
difference of electric potential in opposite terminals.

a b
F

The schematic diagram shows the source of emf with a

potential difference in points a and b. We call these points
terminals. Terminal a has a plus sign which implies higher
potential compared to potential in terminal b. An electric field is
produced inside the source. A force is produced in pushing
charges from points b to a and points a to b.

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 The potential difference is equal to the electromotive force:

The SI unit of emf and the potential difference is Volts (V) or

.

a b
F

When a resistor is connected to the circuit, the terminals

of the source produce an electric field causing the current to flow
from points a to b. This is expressed as:

Real sources have different behavior from ideal sources.

They encounter internal resistance within the source denoted by
r. If this behaves according to Ohm’s law, then we can express it
under complete circuit conditions:

The current is equal to the source emf divided by the total

circuit resistance (from the resistor and the real source).

Example 3:
A D cell of emf 1.5 V and internal resistance of 0.3 Ω is
connected to a flashlight which resistance is 3.0 Ω Find the
current in the circuit and the terminal voltage of the cell.

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A What is/are R = 3.00 Ω ; r = 0.3 Ω ε=1.5 V
given?
B What is asked? (a) I = ? (b) V = ?
C Are the units Yes
consistent with
the formula?
E What strategy We use the current formula in terms of
must be resistance and emf and the potential
employed? difference formula
F Solution
𝜀 1.5 𝑉
(a) I= = = 0.45 Ω
𝑅+𝑟 3.0Ω+0.3Ω
(b) V= 𝜀 – Ir = 1.5V- (0.45A) (0.03 Ω) = 1.4 V

G What is the Therefore, the current is 0.45 A and the terminal

conclusion? voltage is 1.4 V.

Circuit Diagrams
In studying circuits, we use symbols and diagrams to
represent the components.
Resistor

Source of emf
The longer vertical line means a
positive terminal while a shorter
vertical line means a negative
terminal
Ammeter
Reads the current in the circuit

Voltmeter
Reads the voltage drops in the circuit

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 Switch
Closes or opens the circuit.

Energy and Power in a Circuit

The work done on the charge passing through the conductor is
expressed as:

The time rate of energy transfer is known as power, denoted

by P.

𝐽
Power is expressed as or Watt (W). Determining power
𝑠
includes (1) pure resistance and (2) Power output of the source and
(3) power input to a source.

(1) For pure resistance,

(2) For power outputs of a source,

(3) For power input to a source,

Example 4:
What is the rate of energy conversion and dissipation in the
battery, net power output if the battery has an emf of 12 V, a
current of 2 A, resistance of 4Ω and internal resistance of 2Ω?
A What is/are R = 4 Ω; r = 2 Ω ; ε=12 V; I = 2 A
given?
B What is asked? (a) Energy conversion =?
(b) Dissipation of energy =?
(c) Electrical power output =?
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C Are the units Yes
consistent with
the formula?
E What strategy We use the formula for power
must be
employed?
F Solution

or

G What is the Therefore, the power for energy conversion is 24

conclusion? W, the power for energy dissipation is 8 W and
the net power output is 16 W.

Physiological Effects of Currents

Table 4 below shows the effects of current to our body.

Table 4: Effects of current to our body

Current Effect
(mA)
1 Threshold
5 Harmless current
10–20 Muscular contraction and difficulty
of breathing
50 Onset of pain
100–300+ Fibrillation
300 Burns
6000 (6 A) Contraction and paralysis in
respiratory system.

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PART II. ACTIVITIES
A. Qualitative Problems
Directions: Answer the following questions briefly.
(1) Good thermal conductors are said to be good electrical
conductors. If so, why is it that cords used to connect toasters,
irons, and heat-producing appliances get hot by the
conduction of heat from the heating element?
_______________________________________________________________
(2) How would you expect the resistivity of a good insulator such
as glass or polystyrene to vary with temperature?
______________________________________________________________
(3) A fuse is a device that is designed to break the circuit. It melts
when the current exceeds its value. What characteristics
should the material have?
_______________________________________________________________
B. Problem Solving
Directions: Solve the following problems. Write your complete
solution on a separate sheet of paper.
1. A silver wire 1.00 mm in diameter transfers a charge of 65.0 C
in 1 hr. 15.0 min. Silver contains 5.0 x 1028 electrons per cubic
meter. What is the current in the wire? What is the magnitude
of the drift velocity of the electrons in the wire?
2. An aluminum wire carrying a current has a diameter of 0.600
mm. The electric field in the wire is 0.640 V/m. What is the
current carried by the wire? What is the potential difference
between two points if the wires are 12.0 m apart? What is the
resistance of a 12.0 m length of wire?
3. The following measurements were made on a Thyrite resistor:
Current Potential
Difference
0.50 4.76
1.00 5.81
2.00 7.05
4.00 8.56

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Make a graph of Vab as a function of current. Does it obey Ohm’s
law?

PART III. SUMMATIVE EVALUATION

A. Multiple Choice
Directions: Read and answer the following problems carefully.
Choose the letter of the best answer and write it on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. The resistance of a conductors is not dependent with
a. mass
b. area
c. length
d. resistivity
2. A certain wire has a resistance R. The resistance of the other wire
having twice its diameter is
a.
b.2R
c.
d.4R
3. Which of the combinations of length and area will cause the
volume of copper to have the least resistance?
a. L and A
b. 2 L and
c. and 2 A
d. volume remains the same
4.The temperature of wire made from copper is increased. The
resistance
a. remains the same
b. decreases
c. increases
d. depends on the temperature involved

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5.Which of the following units is not equivalent to watt?
a.
b.
c. AV
d.
6.A 200 mm length of copper wire has a resistance of 2.0 Ω. The
cross-sectional area is
a. 0.0017 m2
b. 3.4 mm2
c. 1.7 mm2
d. 5.3 mm2
7.An electric heater draws a current of 20 A when connected to a
120 V power source. The resistance is
a. 0.17 Ω
b. 6 Ω
c. 8 Ω
d. 2400 Ω
8.The 8.0 Ω coil of a loudspeaker carries a current of 0.80 A. The
potential difference across the terminals is
a. 5.2 V
b. 2.3V
c. 6.4 V
d. 11 V
9.When a 100 W, 240 V light bulb was operated at 200 V, the
current flowing is
a. 0.35 A
b. 0.75 A
c. 0.90 A
d. 0.10 A
10.The energy content of a fully chaged 12 V battery of capacity 50
A-h is
a. 100 J
b. 3600 J
c. 0.78 J
d. 2.2 MJ

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11.A battery of emf and internal resistance is connected to the
resistance R. If R = r.,
a. there is a low current
b. there is a higher current
c. the power dissipated is lower
d. the power dissipated is higher
12.A battery is connected to the external circuit. The potential drop
within the battery is directly proportional with
a. emf of the battery
b. equivalent resistance of circuit
c. current in circuit
d. power distributed in circuit
13.What is the effect on the current in a simple circuit if both
voltage and resistance are reduced by half?
a. halved
b. stays the same
c. doubles
d. quadruples
14. If the switch in the figure below is
open, the reading of voltmeter is ___.
a. terminal voltage
b. EMF
c. current
d. power
15.Which of the following represents the current-voltage relation
of a solid conductor at room temperature?

a. c.

b. d.

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PART IV. KEY ANSWER
3. No
2. 12.2 A; 7.68 V; 0.628 Ω
1. 0.0144 A; 1.98 x 106m/s

Problem Solving

4. Answer may vary.

3. low melting point, higher resistance

2. the resistivity decreases as the temperature increases

dissipated in the air when it reaches the wires

1. heat is already dissipated along the components of the device; heat already

A. Activity: Qualitative Problems

5. D

4. A

3. C

2. B

1. B

Pre-Test

PART V. REFERENCES
Printed Resources
Sears, F., Zemansky, M. and Young, H. (1992). College Physics 7 th Edition.
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
Zitzewits, Haase and Harper (2013). PHYSICS Principles and Problems. The MAcGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.

Online References
Braza, J. (n.d.). What is a Resistor. Circuit Basics. Retrieved on March 2, 2021 from
https://www.circuitbasics.com/what-is-a-resistor/
Components 101. (2020). Introduction to resistors. Retrieved on March 1, 2021 from
https://components101.com/articles/resistor-basics-types-and-uses
Department of Energy (2020). Energy Label Guides. Retrieved on March 4, 2021 from
https://www.doe.gov.ph/consumer-connect/lighting-and-appliancelabelling-
standard?ckattempt=1
Hoult, D. (2020). Electricity and Magnetism. Retrieved on March 4, 2021 from
https://www.saburchill.com/physics/chapters/0037.html
OpenStax College. (n.d). College Physics. http://cnx.org/contents/031da8d3b525-429c-80cf-
6c8ed997733a/College_Physics.
Pilgaard, M. (2019). Electrical resistivity and conductivity. Michael Pilgaard’s
Web Chemistry. Retrieved on March 3, 2021 from
https://pilgaard.info/Conductivity/ConductivityResistivity.htm

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