CURRENT ELECTRICITY

Exercise - IV (Tough Subjective Problems)

1. A triangle is constructed using the wires AB, BC & 6. A network of resistance is constructed with R1 & R2
CA of same material and of resistance , 2 & 3 as shown in the figure. The potential at the points
respectively. Another wire of resistance /3 from A 1,2,3,.., N and V1, V2, V3,....., Vn respectively each
can make a sliding contact with wire BC. Find the having a potential k time smaller than previous one.
maximum resistance of the network between points A R1 R2
and the point of sliding wire with BC. Find (i) R and R in terms of k
2 3
2. (a) The current density across a cylindrical con-
V0 R1 V1 R1 V2 R1 V3 VN–1 R1 VN
ductor of radius R varies according to the equation

 r
J  J0  1   , where r is the distance from the axis.
 R V0 = kV1 R2 R3
R2 R2 R2
Thus the current density is a maximum J0 at the axis r
= 0 and decreases linearly to zero at the surface r =
R. Calculate the current in terms of J0 and the
(ii) current that passes through the resistance R2 near-
conductor’s cross sectional area is A = R2.
est to the V0 in terms V0, k & R3.
(b) Suppose that instead the current density is a
maximum J0 at the surface and decreases linearly to 7. A person decides to use his bath tub water to
generate electric power to run a 40 watt bulb. The
r
zero at the axis so that J  J0 . Calculate the cur- bath tube is located at a height of 10m from the
R ground & it holds 200 litres of water. If we install a
rent. water driven wheel generator on the ground, at what
3. What will be the change in the resistance of a rate should the water drain from the bath tube to
circuit consisting of five identical conductors if two light bulb ? How long can we keep the bulb on, if the
similar conductors are added as shown by the dashed bath tub was full initially. The efficiency of generator
line in figure is 90%.(g = 10m/s–2)
8. In the circuit shown in figure, calculate the follow-
ing
(i) Potential difference between points a and b when
switch S is open. (ii) Current through S in
the circuit when S is closed.
4. The current I through a rod of a certain metallic
36v
oxide is given by I = 0.2 V5/2, where V is the potential
difference across it. The rod is connected in series
with a resistance to a 6V battery of negligible internal
resistance. What value should the series resistance a S b
have so that
(i) the current in the circuit is 0.44
(ii) the power dissipated in the rod is twice that dissi-
pated in the resistance.

5. A piece of resistive wire is made up into two squares 9. The circuit shown in figure is made of a homoge-
with a common side of length 10 cm. A current enters neous wire of uniform cross-section. ABCD is a square.
the rectangular system at one of the corners and
leaves at the diagonally opposite corners. Show that Find the ratio of the amounts of heat liberated per
the current in the common side is 1/5th of the enter- unit time in wire A-B and C-D.
ing current. What length of wire connected between D C
input and output terminals would have an equivalent
effect.
A B
 CURRENT ELECTRICITY

10. A rod of length L and cross-section area A lies (a) Find the length AP of the wire such that the gal-
along the x-axis between x = 0 and x = L. The mate- vanometer shows zero deflection.
rial obeys Ohm’s law and its resistivity varies along (b) Now the rheostat is put at maximum resistance
the rod according to (x) = 0e–x/L. The end of the rod (10 ) and the switch S is closed. New balancing
at x = 0 is at a potential V0 and it is zero at x = L. length is found to 8m. Find the internal resistance r of
(a) Find the total resistance of the rod and the cur- the 4.5 V cell.
rent in the wire. 10V
(b) Find the electric potential in the rod as a function
of x. A P
12m B
11. An ideal cell having a steady emf of 2 volt is G
connected across the potentiometer wire of length
10 m. The potentiometer wire is of magnesium and 4.5V r S
having resistance of 11.5 /m. An another cell gives
a null point at 6.9 m. If a resistance of 5 is put in
series with potentiometer wire, find the new position 17. A galvanometer (coil resistance 99) is converted
of the null point. into a ammeter using a shunt of 1 and connected as
12. An enquiring physics student connects a cell to a shown in the figure (i). The ammeter reads 3A. The
circuit and measures the current drawn from the cell same galvanometer is converted into a voltmeter by
to I1. When he joins a second identical cell is series connecting a resistance of 101  in series. This
with the first, the current becomes I2. When the cells voltmeter is connected as shown in figure (ii). Its
are connected are in parallel, the current through the reading is found to be 4/5 of the full scale reading.
circuit is I3. Show that relation between the current is Find
3 I3 I2 = 2 I1 (I2 + I3)
13. Find the potential difference VA – VB for the cir- 12V r 12V r
cuit shown in the figure.
1V 1V B 1V 1V A
IV IV V
(i) (ii)
A
1V 1V 1V 1V
(a) internal resistance r of the cell
14. A resistance R of thermal coefficient of resistivity (b) range of the ammeter and voltmeter
=  is connected in parallel with a resistance = 3R, (c) full scale deflection current of the galvanometer
having thermal coefficient of resistivity = 2. Find the
value of eff.
15. A galvanometer having 50 divisions provided with
a variable shunt s is used to measure the current
when connected in series with a resistance of 90 
and a battery of internal resistance 10 . It is ob-
served that when the shunt resistance are 10, 50,
respectively the deflection are respectively 9 & 30
divisions. What is the resistance of the galvanometer
? Further if the full scale deflection of the galvanom-
eter movement is 300 mA, find the emf of the cell.

16. In the primary circuit of potentiometer the rheo-

stat can be varied from 0 to 10. Initially it is at
minimum resistance (zero)