ELECTRICITY

1. Introduction
Physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of electric charge is known
as electricity. Electricity and electrical phenomenon have a lot of applications in our day
to day life and they also gives a wide variety of well-known effects, such as lightning,
static electricity, electromagnetic induction and the flow of electrical current.

• Electricity occurs due to several types :

1. Electric charge: a property of some subatomic particles, which determines
their electromagnetic interactions.
2. Electric current: a movement or flow of electrically charged particles,
typically measured in amperes.
3. Electric field: an especially simple type of electromagnetic field produced by
an electric charge even when it is not moving (i.e., there is no electric
current). The electric field produces a force on other charges in its vicinity.
Moving charges additionally produce a magnetic field.
4. Electric potential: the capacity of an electric field to do work on an electric
charge, typically measured in volts.

Fractional electricity

To understand electricity we need to understand the concept of electric charge first. Let
us understand this concept using this example.
When two dry substances of different types are rubbed together and are then
separated , each substances acquires property of attracting light pieces of paper , dry
leaves, straw etc. The substances being rubbed acquire something which give them this
property. That something is called Fractional Electricity. The substances are said to
have become charged after acquiring or loosing electric charge.
The fractional electricity produced have been found to be of two types i.e., positive
electricity (charge) and negative electricity (charge). The to substances rubbed together
acquire equal and opposite charges.

Positive charge Negative charge

Glass rod Silk Cloth
Woolen cloth or cat skin Amber, ebonite, rubber rod
Woolen carpet Rubber shoe soles
Woolen coat Plastic seat

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2. Electric Charges
• Electric charge is a fundamental property like mass; length etc. associated with
elementary particles for example electron, proton and many more.
• Electric charge is the property responsible for electric forces which acts between
nucleus and electron to bind the atom together.
• Charges are of two kinds
1. negative charge
2. positive charge
• Electrons are negatively charged particles and protons, of which nucleus is made
of, are positively charged particles. Actually nucleus is made of protons and
neutrons but neutrons are uncharged particles.
• Electric force between two electrons is same as electric force between two
protons kept at same distance apart i.e., both set repel each other but electric
force between an electron and proton placed at same distance apart is not
repulsive but attractive in nature
• All free charges are integral multiples of a unit of charge e, where e = -1.602 ×
10 -19 C i. e., charge on an electron or proton.
• Thus charge q on a body is always denoted by
q = ne
where n = any integer positive or negative

Unit of electric Charge

• Charge on a system can be measured by comparing it with the charge on a standard

body.
• SI unit of charge is Coulomb written as C.
• 1 Coulomb is the charge flowing through the wire in 1 second if the electric current
in it is 1A.
• Charge on electron is -1.602 × 10 -19 C and charge on proton is positive of this value.
Concept Map for Electric Charge

3. Conductors and insulators

• There is a category of materials in which electric charges can flow easily while in
other materials charges cannot flow easily.
• Substances through which electric charges can flow easily are called conductors.
All metals like copper, aluminum etc. are good conductors of electricity.
• Substances through which electric charges cannot flow are called insulators.
• Few examples of insulating materials are glass, rubber, mica, plastic, dry wood
etc.
• Presence or absence of free electrons in a material makes it a conductor or
insulator.
 • Conductors have free electrons which are loosely held by nuclei of their atoms
whereas insulators do not have free electrons as in insulators electrons are
strongly held by nuclei of their atoms.

Concept Map for Materials(conductors, insulators & superconductors)

Following are the related problems for the topics given in this page. I insist that you must
solve them before proceeding to next page for new topics. These are very easy questions that
you can attempt by memorizing the concepts and definitions given in this page
Question 1 Calculate the number of electrons constituting one Coulomb of charge?(charge
on 1 electron = 1.6 ×10-19C)

Solution We know that n=qe

So, n=11.6×10−19=6.25×1018

Question 2. What is the difference between static and current electricity?

Answer.
1. Static(or fractional) electricity is caused by the build up of electrical charges on the
surface of objects, while current electricity is a phenomenon involving the flow of electrons
along a conductor.
2. When objects are rubbed, a loss and/or gain of electrons occurs, which results in the
phenomenon of static electricity.
3. Current electricity is normally controlled, and it is the more used phenomenon of
electricity, in countless applications.
4. Static electricity is usually uncontrolled, and just happens occasionally or at irregular
intervals.
5. Current electricity is generated by batteries and power plants.

Question 3. Where does charge come from?

Answer. The process of acquiring charge consists of transferring of electrons from one
body to another, so that one body has an excess and the other a deficiency of electrons. It
was not until the end of nineteenth century that electrons were found to be very small,
negatively charged particles. Electrons were discovered by Sir J.J. Thomson. To give a body
an excess negative charge, we may add a number of electrons. And to give excess of positive
charge, we may remove the electrons from the body.

Try this yourself

Question 2 How many electrons will flow for charge of 4C4C?

Question 3 What is electricity

Question 4 What are conductors and insulators? Give one example of each

Question 5 Unit of electric charge is________.

Question 6 Define terms like

a. Electric Charge

b. Electric Potential
c. Electric Current

Quiz Time

Question 1 All free charges are integral multiples of a unit of charge e where e is?
A) 1.602 x 10-19 C
B) 1.102 x 10-19 C
C) 1.602 x 10-17 C
D) 1.602 x 10-18 C
Question 2 SI unit of charge is?
A) V
B) A
C) C
D) A/sec
Question 3 Which is of these is good conductors?
A) Rubber
B) Wood
C) glass
D) Copper
Question 4 The number of electrons constituting one Coulomb of charge
A) 6.25x1020
B) 1.25x1018
C) 6.25x1018
D) 6.25x1019
Question 5 Who Discovered electrons?
A) Bohr
B) JJ thomson
C) Rutherford
D) None of these
Question 6 Which of these statement is incorrect?
A) Electric force between two electrons is same as electric force between two proto
ns kept at same distance apart
B) Electrons are positively charged particles and protons are negatively charged
C) electric force between an electron and proton is attractive in nature
 D) None of these

4. Electric potential and potential difference

• Charges present in a conductor does not flow from one end to another on their
own.
• Electric charges or electrons move in a conductor only if there is a difference of
electric pressure, called potential difference, along the conductor.
• This difference of potential may be produced by a battery, consisting of one or
more electric cells.
• Potential difference across the terminals of the cell is generated due to chemical
reaction within the cell.
• When the cell is connected to a conducting circuit element, the potential
difference sets the charges inside the conductor in motion and produces an
electric current.
• In order to maintain the current in a given electric circuit, the cell has to expend
its chemical energy stored in it.
• The potential difference between two points in an electric field is defined as the
amount of work done in moving a unit positive charge from one point to another
point. So,

• The SI unit of electric potential difference is volt (V)

• The potential difference between two points is said to be one Volt if 1 Joule of
work is done in moving 1 Coulomb of electric charge from one point to another.
Thus

• The potential difference is measured by means of an instrument called the

voltmeter.
• The voltmeter is always connected in parallel across the points between which
the potential difference is to be measured.

Concept Map for electric Potential

5. Electric current and electrical circuits
• Consider two metallic conducting balls charged at different potential are hanged
using a non-conducting insulating wires .Since air is an insulator ,no charge
transfer takes place
• Now if we join both the metallic wire using a conducting metallic wire then charge
will flow from metallic ball at higher potential to the one at lower potential.
• This flow of charge will stop when the two balls would be at the same potentials.
• If somehow we could maintain the potential between the metallic balls through a
cell or battery, we will get constant flow of the charge in metallic wire, connecting
the two conducting balls
• This flow of charge in metallic wire due to the potential difference between two
conductors used is called electric current.
• So, Electric current is expressed by the amount of charge flowing through a
particular area in unit time.
 • In other words, it is the rate of flow of electric charges (electrons) in a conductor
(for example copper or metallic wire).
• If a net charge Q, flows across any cross-section of a conductor in time t, then
the current I, through the cross-section is

The S.I. unit of electric current is Ampere (A)

• When 1 Coulomb of charge flows through a cross-section of conductor in 1
second then current flowing through the conductor is said to be 1 Ampere.
• Current is measured by an instrument called ammeter. It is always connected in
series in a circuit through which the current is to be measured.
• A continuous and closed path of an electric current is called an electric circuit.
For example figure given below shows a typical electric circuit comprising a cell,
an electric bulb, an ammeter A and a plug key K.

Note that the electric current flows in the circuit from the positive terminal of the
cell to the negative terminal of the cell through the bulb and ammeter
• The conventional direction of electric current is from positive terminal of the cell
to the negative terminal through the outer circuit.
• Or we can say that conventional direction of electric current is in the direction of
the flow of positive charged carriers.

Electric Current Concept Map

6. Circuit Diagrams
• We already know that electric circuit is a continuous path consisting of cell (or a
battery), a plug key, electrical component(s), and connecting wires.
• Electric circuits can be represented conveniently through a circuit diagram.
• A diagram which indicates how different components in a circuit have to be
connected by using symbols for different electric components is called a circuit
diagram.
• Table given below shows symbols used to represent some of the most commonly
used electrical components
Ohm's Law
• Ohm's law is the relation between the potential difference applied to the ends of
the conductor and current flowing through the conductor. This law was expressed
by George Simon Ohm in 1826.
• Statement of Ohm's Law
If the physical state of the conductor (Temperature and mechanical strain etc.)
remains unchanged, then current flowing through a conductor is always directly
proportional to the potential difference across the two ends of the conductor
mathematically
V∝I
or
V=IR
where constant of proportionality R is called the electric resistance or simply
resistance of the conductor.
• Value of resistance depends upon the nature, dimension and physically
dimensions of the conductor.
• From Ohm's Law

Thus electric resistance is the ratio of potential difference across the two ends of
conductor and amount of current flowing through the conductor.
• If a graph is drawn between the potential difference readings (V) and the
corresponding current value (I), then the graph is found to be a straight line
passing through the origin as shown below in the figure

• From graph we see that these two quantities V and I are directly proportional to
one another.
 • Also from this graph we see that current (I) increases with the potential difference
(V) but their ratio V/I remain constant and this constant quantity as we have
defined earlier is called the Resistance of the conductor.
• Electric resistance of a conductor is the obstruction offered by the conductor to
the flow of the current through it.
• SI unit of resistance is Ohm (Ω) where 1 Ohm=1 volt/1 Ampere or 1Ω=1VA -1.
Bigger units of resistance are Kilo-Ohm and Mega-Ohm
1KΩ=103Ω
1MΩ=106Ω
• The resistance of the conductor depends
1. on its length,
2. on its area of cross-section
3. on the nature of its material
• Resistance of a uniform metallic conductor is directly proportional to its length (l)
and inversely proportional to the area of cross-section (A). That is,

Where ρ is the constant of proportionality and is called the electrical resistivity of

the material of the conductor.
• The SI unit of resistivity is Ω m. It is a characteristic property of the material.
• The metals and alloys have very low resistivity in the range of 10-8 Ω m to 10-6 Ω
m. They are good conductors of electricity.
• Insulators like rubber and glass have resistivity of the order of 10 12 to 1017 Ω m.
• Both the resistance and resistivity of a material vary with temperature.

Ohmic and Non-Ohmic resistors (or devices)

From above figure 2 we can see that straight line graph means that ratio V/I is
constant . This constant ratio is called resistance R of the conductor. Resistance may
be ohmic or non-ohmic.
(a) Resistors (or devices) for which potential difference and current graph is a straight
line are called ohmic resistors. Their resistance remains same throughout their
operation.
Examples are metallic conductors.
(b) Resistors (or devices) for which potential difference-current graph is not a straight
line are called non-ohmic resistors.

Examples are liquid electrolytes, diodes etc.

Concept Map of Ohm's Law

Solved Questions on Ohm's Law Class 10

Question 1. What causes resistance in a conductor?

Answer. When electrons move from one end of the conductor to the other end , then
because of the potential difference they collide with the electrons, atoms and ions present
in the conductor. Due to these collisions movement of the electrons gets restricted through
the conductor. Thus “resistance is the property of the conductor due to which it opposes
the flow of charge”.
Solved Example 1. Following graph was plotted between V and I values.

What would be the values of VI/ ratios when the potential difference is 0.8V, 1.2V and 1.6V
respectively? What conclusion do you draw from these values?
Solution
Hint: Choose convenient scales for X-axis and Y-axis (X-axis, 1 cm= 0.1 A, Y-axis, 1 cm= 0.5
V) and mark the current bid potential difference values as shown. Draw horizontal lines
corresponding to the potential difference values of 0.8V, 1.2V and 1.6V; which meet the
graph at P. Q and T respectively. From P. Q and T draw vertical lines to the X-axis and get
the respective current values. Tabulate as given below and find the values of V/I

From the nature of the graph (which is a straight line) and above table we can conclude
that  is same at every point. We find that V/I is same and found to be a constant. The wire
obeys ohm's law and its resistance R = 2.67 ohm.
Solved Example 2. Electrical resistivity's of some substances at 20°C are given below:
Answer the following questions using above data:
(a) Among silver and copper, which one is a better conductor? Why?
(b) Which material would you advise to be used in electrical heating devices and why?
Answer. (a) Silver is better conductor as its resistivity is less then that of copper.
(b) Nichrome, as it has a greater value of resistivity as compared to the others.
Solved Example 3. A simple electric circuit has 24 V battery and a resistor of 60 ohm.
What will be the current in the circuit. The resistance of the connecting wire is negligible.
Solution. Here Voltage (potential difference)=24 V
Circuit resistance , R= 60 Ohm
Current I=? To be calculated
From Ohm’s Law
R=VI
Or we have
I=VR
Putting the values we get
I=24V60Ω=0.4A
The current in the circuit will be 0.4A.

8. Factors affecting of resistances of a conductor

Electric resistance of a conductor (or a wire) depends on the following factors
1. Length of the conductor: -
From equation 5 we can see that resistance of a conductor is directly
proportional to its length. So, when length of the wire is doubled, its resistance
also gets doubled; and if length of the wire is halved its resistance also gets
halved.
Thus a long wire has more resistance then a short wire.
2. Area of cross-section:-
Again form equation 5 we see that resistance of a conductor is inversely
proportional to its area of cross-section. So, when the area of cross-section of a
wire is doubled, its resistance gets halved; and if the area of cross-section of wire
is halved then its resistance will get doubled.
Thus a thick wire has less resistance and a thin wire has more resistance.
3. 3. Nature of material of conductor:-
Electrical resistance of a conductor also depends on the nature of the material of
which it is made. For example a copper wire has less resistance then a nichrome
wire of same length and area of cross-section.
4. 4. Effect of temperature:-
It has been found that the resistance of all pure metals increases on raising the
temperature and decreases on lowering the temperature.
Resistance of alloys like manganin, nichrome and constantan remains unaffected
by temperature.
9. Resistance of a system of resistors
• We know that current through a conductor depends upon its resistance and
potential difference across its ends.
• In various electrical instruments resistors are often used in various combinations
and Ohm’s Law can be applied to combination of resistors to find the equivalent
resistance of the combination.
• The resistances can be combined in two ways
1. In series
2. In parallel
To increase the resistance individual resistances are connected in series
combination and to decrease the resistance individual resistances are connected
in parallel combination.

9(a) Resistors in Series

• When two or more resistances are connected end to end then they are said to be
connected in series combination.
• Figure below shows a circuit diagram where two resistors are connected in series
combination.

• Now value of current in the ammeter is the same irrespective of its position in the
circuit. So we conclude that " For a series combination of resistors the current is
same in every part of the circuit or same current flows through each resistor "
• Again if we connect three voltmeters one across each resistor as shown below in
the figure 4.The potential difference measured by voltmeter across each one of
resistors R1 , R2 and R3 is V1 , V2 and V3 respectively and if we add all these
 potential differences then we get

This total potential difference V in equation 6 is measured to be equal to potential

difference measured across points X and Y that is across all the three resistors in
figure 3. So, we conclude that <"the total potential difference across a
combination of resistors in series is equal to the sum of potential differences
across the individual resistors."
• Again consider figure 4 where I is the current flowing through the circuit which is
also the current through each resistor. If we replace three resistors joined in
series by an equivalent single resistor of resistance R such that, the potential
difference V across it, and the current I through the circuit remains same.
• Now applying Ohm’s law to entire circuit we get<

On applying Ohm's law to the three resistors separately we have,<

From equation 6
 So here from above equation 9 we conclude that when several resistances are
connected in series combination, the equivalent resistance equals the sum of
their individual resistances and is thus greater than any individual resistance.

9(b) Resistors in parallel

• When two or more resistances are connected between the same two points they
are said to be connected in parallel combination.
• Figure below shows a circuit diagram where two resistors are connected in
parallel combination.

IMPORTANT NOTE

1. When a number of resistors are connected in parallel, then the potential

difference across each resistance is equal to the voltage of the battery
applied.
 2. When a number of resistances are connected in parallel, then the sum of the
currents flowing through all the resistances is equal to total current flowing
in the circuit.
3. When numbers of resistances are connected in parallel then their combined
resistance is less than the smallest individual resistance. This happens
because the same current gets additional paths to flow resulting decrease in
overall resistance of the circuit
• To calculate the equivalent resistance of the circuit shown in figure 5 consider a
battery B which is connected across parallel combination of resistors so as to
maintain potential difference V across each resistor. Then total current in the
circuit would be

Since potential difference across each resistors is V. Therefore, on applying

Ohm's Law

Putting these values of current in equation 10 we have

If R is the equivalent resistance of parallel combination of three resistors heaving

resistances R1, R2 and R3 then from Ohm's Law

Or,

Comparing equation (10) and (11) we get

• For resistors connected in parallel combination reciprocal of equivalent

resistance is equal to the sum of reciprocal of individual resistances.
• Value of equivalent resistances for capacitors connected in parallel combination
is always less than the value of the smallest resistance in circuit.

Question Calculate the electric current in the given circuit when

(a) Key K1 is open and K2 is closed

(b) both keys are closed

(c) Key K2 is open and K1 is closed

Solution .

(a) When, key K1 is open and K2 is closed , then no current flows in the circuit as circuit is
an open circuit.

(b) When both keys are closed a current begin to flow in the circuit. Let us consider the
circuit given below where we have labelled above given circuit.

How to determine equivalent resistance:-

(i) Now if you look closely at the circuit you would find that current is dividing at
point A and combining again at point B.

(ii) Same amount of current (say I1) will flow through resistors R1 and R2 also same amount
of current (say I2) will flow through resistors R3 and R4.

(iii)We are aware of the fact that “For a series combination of resistors the current is same in
every part of the circuit or same current flows through each resistor”. So we can say that
resistors R1 and R2 are connected in series combination. Similarly resistors R3 and R4 are
also connected in series combination.
(iv) again as mentioned above in step (i) current is dividing at point A so we have different
currents flowing through the combination of resistors R1 and R2 and resistors R3 and R4.

(v)So equivalent resistance of resistors R1 and R2 which is (R1 + R2) and equivalent
resistance of resistors R3 and R4 which is (R3 + R4) are connected in parallel combination to
each other as they have different amount of current flowing through them.

(vi)So, Equivalent resistance in the circuit would be

Putting the values as given in the question we get

1R=14+4+14+4=18+18=14

So,

R=4Ω

Electric current,

I=V/R=12/4=3A

(c) When key K2 is open and K1 is closed, the part ADB will become an open circuit, So no
current will flow in this part of the circuit.

Therefore, net resistance of the circuit will be

R=R1+R2=4+4=8Ω

Therefore, electric current.

I=V/R=12/8=1.5A

10. Heating Effect of Electric current

• When electric current passes through a high resistance wire, the wire becomes
and produces heat. This is called heating effect of current.
• This phenomenon occurs because electrical energy is gets transformed into heat
energy when current flows through a wire of some resistance say R Ω.
• Role of resistance in electrical circuits is similar to the role of friction in
mechanics.
• To we will now derive the expression of heat produced when electric current
flows through a wire.
To we will now derive the expression of heat produced when electric current
flows through a wire.
• For this consider a current I flowing through a resistor of resistance R. Let V be
the potential difference across it as shown in the figure 6
• Let t be the time during which charge Q flows. Now when charge Q moves
against the potential difference V , then the amount of work is given by

Therefore the source must supply energy equal to VQ in time t. Hence power
input to the circuit by the source is

• The energy supplied to the circuit by the source in time t is P×t that is, VIt. This is
the amount of energy dissipated in the resistor as heat energy.
• Thus for a steady current I flowing in the circuit for time t , the heat produced is
given by

Applying Ohm's law to above equation we get

This is known as Joule's Law of heating

• According to Joule's Law of Heating , Heat produced in a resistor is
(a) Directly proportional to the square of current for a given resistor.
(b) Directly proportional to resistance of a given resistor.
(c) Directly proportional to time for which current flows through the resistor.
11. Applications of heating effect of current
1. The heating effect of current is utilized in the electrical heating appliances for
example electric iron, room heaters, water heaters etc.
2. The heating effect of electric current is utilized in electric bulbs or electric lamps
for producing light.
3. An electric fuse is an important application of the heating effect of current. The
working principle of a fuse wire is based on the heating effect of current. When
high current flow through the fuse (current higher than the rated value) then the
heat developed in the wire melts it and breaks the circuit.
4. In an electric heater one type of coil is used. A high resistance material like
nichrome or same type of material is used as coil. The coil is wound in grooves
on ceramic format or china clay. Flowing electric current through the coil it
becomes heated. Due to high resistance the coil becomes red color forms.

12. Electric Power

• Rate of doing work or the rate of consumption of energy is known as POWER
Mathematically,

• SI unit of power is Watt which is denoted by letter W. The power of 1 Watt is a

rate of working of 1 Joule per second. Actually Watt is a small unit, therefore , a
bigger unit of electric power called Kilowatt is used for commercial purposes.
Also ,
1 kilowatt = 1000 Watts
So,

" the rate at which electric work is done or the rate at which electric energy
is consumed is called electric power "
• We will now derive formula for the calculation of electric power.
From equation 14 we know that

Now we know that work done W by current I when it flows for time t under a
potential difference V is given by

Putting this value of work done in equation 16 we get

 Hence,
Electric Power = voltage x current

12 (a) Power in terms of I and R

• From equation 17 we know that

P=VI
Now from Ohm's law

Putting above equation in equation 15 we get

P=I×R×I
Power , P=I2×R
• Above formula is used to calculate power when only current and resistance are
known to us.

12 (b) Power in terms of V and R

• From equation 17 we know that P=VI Now from Ohm's law

Or we have

• Putting this value of I in equation 15 we get

P=V×V/R
P=V2/R
This formula is used for calculating power when voltage V and resistance R is
known to us.
• It is clear from the above equation that power is inversely proportional to the the
resistance.
• Thus the resistance of high power devices is smaller then the low power
ones. For example , the resistance of a 100 Watt bulb (220 V) is smaller then
that of 60 Watt (220 V) bulb.
• We have three formulas for calculating electric power. These are
(1) P=V×I
 (2) P=I2×R
(3)P=V2/R
You must memorize these formulas as they would be used to solve numerical
problems.
• When electrical appliance consumes electrical energy at the rate of 1 Joule per
second , its power is said to be 1 Watt.
• Rate at which electric work is done or the rate at which electric energy is consumed ,
is called electrical power.

electricity Intext Questions

Question 1.
What does an electric circuit mean?
Answer.
Electric circuit is a continuous and closed path for electric current. It consists of of cell
(or a battery), a plug key, electrical component(s), connecting wires etc. .
Question 2. Define the unit of current.
Answer. Unit of current is Ampere. If one Coulomb of charge flows through any section
of a conductor in one second then current through it is said to be 1 Ampere.
1 A = 1Cs-1

Question 3.
Calculate the number of electrons constituting one coulomb of charge.
Solution.
We know that charge q on a body is always denoted by
q = ne
where n is any integer positive or negative
If q=1C and e= 1.6 ×10-19C (negative charge on electron)
Then,
n=q/e=1/1.6×10−19
Or,
n=100/16×1018=6.2×1018
So,
n=6.2×1018electrons
This way we can calculate the number of electrons on charged body if we know the total
charge on the charged body.

Question 4.
Name a device that helps to maintain a potential difference across a conductor.
Answer.
Potential difference is the difference in electric pressure which results in the flow of
electrons. Potential difference across the conductor is maintained by the sources of
electricity such as cell, battery, power supply etc.

Question 5.
What is meant by saying that the potential difference between two points is 1 V?
Answer.
If 1 Joule of work is required to move charge of 1C from one point to another , then it is
said that the potential difference between the two points is 1V.

Question 6.
How much energy is given to each coulomb of charge passing through a 6 V battery?
Answer.
Here we have to remember that “amount of work required to move each coulomb of
charge is equal to energy given to it”.
The expression to be used in solving this question is
Potential Difference=work done /Charge
or
work done=Potential Difference X charge
Here according to question, Charge = 1C and Potential difference=6V
So, Work done = 6×1= 6J
Therefore, 6J of energy is given to each Coulomb of charge passing through a battery
of 6 V.

Question 7.

On what factors does the resistance of a conductor depend?

Answer. The resistance of a conductor depends on following factors.

• Material of the conductor

• Temperature of the conductor
• Length of the conductor
• Area of cross-section of the conductor

Question 8.
Will current flow more easily through a thick wire or a thin wire of the same material,
when connected to the same source? Why?
Answer.
Resistance of a wire is given by the relation
R=ρ X l/A
Where ρ = resistivity of the material of the wire
l= length of the wire
A= Area of the cross section of the wire
From above equation we can see that resistance is inversely proportional to the area of
cross-section of the wire. Thick wire means more area of cross-section and lower the
resistance of wire. Similarly thin wire means less area of cross-section and wire would
have higher resistance.
Therefore, current can flow more easily through thick wire than a thin wire.

Question 9.
Let the resistance of an electrical component remains constant while the potential
difference across the two ends of the component decreases to half of its former value.
What change will occur in the current through it?
Answer.
From Ohm’s Law we have
V=IR
I=V/R
where
R= Resistance of the electric component
V= Potential difference
I=Current
Now according to question the resistance of an electrical component remains constant
while the potential difference across the two ends of the component decreases to half of
its former value. So, we now have
Rnew=R
Vnew=V/2
Inew = new amount of current
Therefore from Ohm’s law we can obtain the Inew as
Inew=Vnew /R=V/2 /R=1/2 V/R=I/2
Therefore the amount of current flowing through the electric component is reduced to
half.

Question 10.
Why are coils of electric toasters and electric irons made of an alloy rather than a pure
metal?
Answer.
Coils of electric toasters and electric iron are made of an alloy rather then a pure metal
because,
(a) resistivity of an alloy is generally higher then that of constituent metals.
(b) alloys have high melting point.
(c) alloys do not oxidize.

Question 11.
Use the data in Table given below
to answer the following –
(a) Which among iron and mercury is a better conductor?
(b) Which material is the best conductor?
Answer.
(a) Resistivity of iron = 10.0 x 10-8
Resistivity of mercury = 94.0 x 10-8
Comparing the resistivity of both iron and mercury we conclude that , resistivity of
mercury is more than that of iron. This implies that iron is a better conductor than
mercury.
(b) It can be observed from above Table that the resistivity of silver is the lowest among
the listed materials. Hence, it is the best conductor.

Question 12.
Draw a schematic diagram of a circuit consisting of a battery of three cells of 2 V each,
a 5Ω resistor, an 8Ω resistor, and a 12Ω resistor, and a plug key, all connected in
series.
Answer
Three cells of potential 2 V, each one of these cells are connected in series therefore
the potential difference of the combined battery will be
2 V + 2 V + 2 V = 6V.
The following circuit diagram shows three resistors of resistances 5Ω , 8Ω and 12Ω
respectively connected in series and a battery of potential 6 V and a plug key which is
closed means the current is flowing in the circuit.
Question 13
Redraw the circuit of question 1, putting in an ammeter to measure the current through
the resistors and a voltmeter to measure potential difference across the 12Ω resistor.
What would be the readings in the ammeter and the voltmeter?
Answer.
An ammeter should be connected in the circuit in series with the resistors. To measure
the potential difference across the resistor it should be connected in parallel, as shown
in the following figure.

The resistances are connected in series.Ohm's law can be used to obtain the readings
of ammeter and voltmeter. According to Ohm's law,
V = IR,
Where, Potential difference, V = 6 V
Current flowing through the circuit/resistors = I
Resistance of the circuit, R = 5Ω + 8Ω + 12Ω = 25Ω
I = V/R = 6/25 = 0.24 A
Potential difference across 12Ω resistor = V1
Current flowing through the 12Ω resistor, I = 0.24A
Therefore, using Ohm's law, we obtain
V1 = IR = 0.24 x 12 = 2.88 V
Therefore, the reading of the ammeter will be 0.24 A.
The reading of the voltmeter will be 2.88 V.

Question 14
Judge the equivalent resistance when the following are connected in parallel - (a) 1Ω
and 106Ω, (b) 1Ω and 103Ω and 106Ω.
Answer.
(a) when 1Ω and 106Ω are connected in parallel:
We know that for parallel combination of resistances equivalent resistance is given by
the relation
1/R=1/R1+1/R2
If R is the equivalent resistance of the parallel combination then
1/R=1+1/106
Or,
R=106 /106+1 ∼ 106/106=1

Therefore, equivalent resistance is nearly equal to 1Ω.

(b) When 1Ω, 103Ω and 106Ω are connected in parallel:
1/R=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3
Let R be the equivalent resistance
1/R=1/1+1/103+1/106=(106+103+1)/106
0r,
R=.99Ω
Which is the equivalent resistance of given resistances.
Hence, in both given cases , the equivalent resistance is less than 1Ω

Question 15.
An electric lamp of 100Ω , a toaster of resistance 50Ω , and a water filter of resistance
500 Ω are connected in parallel to a 220 V source. What
is the resistance of an electric iron connected to the same source that takes as much
current as all three appliances, and what is the current through it?
Answer.
Resistance of electric lamp, R1 = 100Ω
Resistance of toaster, R2 = 50Ω
Resistance of water filter, R3 = 500Ω
Potential difference of the source, V = 220V
It is given in the question that these are connected in parallel combination. Equivalent
resistance of resistances in parallel combination is
1/R=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3
Let R be the equivalent resistance of the circuit.
1/R=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3=1/100+1/50+1/500=16/500
orR=50016Ω
According to Ohm’s Law , V=IR
Or,
I=V/R
Where I is the current flowing through the circuit. So, we have
I=220/(500/16)=7.04A
Therefore the current drawn by an electric iron connected to the same source of
potential 220 V = 7.04 A
Let R’ be the resistance of the electric iron. According to Ohm’s law,
V=IR′
R′=220/7.04=31.25Ω
Therefore the resistance of the electric iron is 31.25Ω and the current flowing through it
is 7.04 A.

Question 16.
What are the advantages of connecting electrical devices in parallel with the battery
instead of connecting
them in series?
Answer.
Advantages of connecting electrical devices in parallel are:-

a. There is no division of voltage among the appliances when connected in parallel.

The potential difference across each appliance is equal to the supplied voltage.
b. The total effective resistance of the circuit can be reduced by connecting electrical
appliances in parallel.
c. If one appliance fail to work, other will continue to work properly if they are
connected in parallel combination.

Question 17.
How can three resistors of resistances 2Ω , 3Ω and 6Ω be connected to give a total
resistance of (a) 4Ω , (b) 1Ω?
Answer.
There are three resistors of resistances 2Ω , 3Ω , and 6Ω respectively.
(a) In order to get 4Ω , resistance 2Ω resistance should be connected in series with the
parallel combination of 3Ω and 6Ω resistances as shown below in the figure.

1/RCD=1/3+1/6=1/2
RCD=2Ω
and RAB=2Ω
This gives
RAD=RAB+RCD=2+2=4Ω
(b) In order to get 1Ω all three resistors should be connected in parallel combination as
shown in this figure
Equivalent resistance would be
1/R=1//2+1/3+1/3=(3+2+1)/6=1 R=1Ω

Question 18.
What is (a) the highest, (b) the lowest total resistance that can be secured by
combinations of four coils of resistance 4Ω , 8Ω , 12Ω , 24Ω ?
Answer.
(a) The highest resistance is secured by combining all four coil of resistances in series.
RS=4+8+12+24=48Ω
(b) If these coils are connected in parallel, then the equivalent resistance will be the
lowest, given by
1/RP=1/4+1/8+1/12+1/24=12/24
Rp=2Ω

Question 19.
Why does the cord of an electric heater not glow while the heating element does?
Answer.
The heating element of the heater is made up of alloy which has very high resistance so
when current flows through the heating element, it becomes too hot and glows red. But
the resistance of cord which is usually of copper or aluminum is very law so it does not
glow.
Also heat produced ‘H’ is given by the relation
H=I2Rt
Thus, for same amount of current
HαR
From this we can conclude that more heat is produced by the heating element as it has
more resistance, this is the reason it glows.

Question 20.
Compute the heat generated while transferring 96000 coulomb of charge in one hour
through a potential
difference of 50 V.
Answer.
Given Charge, Q = 96000C,
Time, t= 1hr
Potential difference, V= 50 Volts
Now we know that
H=I2Rt=VIt=VQ
H=50×96000=48×105J
Question 21.
An electric iron of resistance 20Ω takes a current of 5 A. Calculate the heat developed
in 30 s.
Answer.
It is given that
R=20Ω ; I= 5A and t=30s
H=I2Rt=(5)2×30×30=15000J=1.5×104J

Question 22.
What determines the rate at which energy is delivered by a current?
Answer.
The rate of consumption of electric energy in an electric appliance is called electric
power. Hence, the rate at which energy is delivered by a current is the power of the
appliance.

Question 23.
An electric motor takes 5 A from a 220 V line. Determine the power of the motor and the
energy consumed in 2 h.
Answer.
Power (P) is given by the expression,P = VI
Where,
Voltage,V = 220 V
Current, I = 5 A
P= 220 x 5 = 1100 W
Energy consumed by the motor = Pt
Where,
Time, t = 2 h
Energy consumed = VIt = Pt = 1100 x 2 = 2200 Wh

short Answer Based questions

1. What is relation between KWH and Joule?
2. The Flow of electron constitutes the electric current in the wire. True or false?
3. A voltmeter has high resistance and it is connected in parallel True of false?
4. What is resistance of the conductor?
5. What is the SI unit of resistivity?
6. What are the applications of chemical effect of current?
7. What is same across the parallel combination of resistors Voltage or current?
8. What is critical temperature in metals?
Solution
1. 1KWH=3.6×106Joule
2. True
3. True
4. Electric resistance is the ratio of potential difference across the two ends of
conductor and amount of current flowing through the conductor.
5. The SI unit of resistivity is Ω m
6. Heater, bulb
7. Voltage
8. The temperature at which the resistance falls to zero is called Critical Temperature.
Match the column
Column A Column B
a.The total resistance in series i. Is less than the smallest individual
combination of resistance resistance
b.The total resistance in parallel ii.Equal to sum of the resistances in the
combination of resistance series
c. The quantity which remains same in
iii.Voltage
every resistors in Series combination
d. The quantity which remains same in
iv. current
every resistors in Parallel combination
e.The quantity which is obtained by the
v.Is reciprocal of the sum of the
summing up across the resistors in
reciprocal of all the individual resistance
Series Combination
f.The quantity which is obtained by the
summing up across the resistors in
Parallel Combination
Solution
a- > ii
b -> i, v
c -> iv
d -> iii
e -> iii
f -> iv

Table type question

Two heaters A and B are given
Power Voltage Resistance Current
Heater A 100W 220V ? ?
Heater B 150W 220V ? ?
Some more questions to be answered based on above data

1. Which Heater for high resistance

2. If 1KWH is priced at 30 paise,which heater will be turned costlier if they run for 1
hours each
Solution
Power Voltage Resistance Current
Heater A 100W 220V 484 ω .45 A
Heater B 150W 220V 322.66 ω .68 A

i. Heater A has higher resistance

ii.
Heater A
E=P×t=150×1=.15KWH
Heater B
E=P×t=100×1=.10KWH
So heater A will be costly

Fill in the blanks

1. The positively charged electrode in an electrolytic cell is called ________.
2. The positively electrode in an electrochemical cell is known as ___________.
3. The potential difference between the ends of the wire of resistance 1 ohm is
doubled, the electric power across the wire will ______ by _____.
4. The commercial unit of electric power is _________.
5. Mercury becomes super conductor when temperature is dropped to _______.
6. During the electrolysis of a salt solution,the electricity is carried by _______
and________.
Solution
ad
Fill in the blank Solution
1)Anode
2) Cathode
3) Increase , four times
4)Kilowatt-hour
5) -269 0C
6) Positively charged cations, negatively charged anions

Crossword Puzzle
Across
3. This law states that current is directly proportional to voltage applied
4. This is a process for depositing a thin layer of desired metal over another metal
5. Instrument used to measure current
6. This alloy is used for making heating elements of electrical appliances

Down
1. Substance having infinite resistance
2. Instrument used to measure Voltage
7. This is the unit of charge
Across
Ohm, Electroplating, Ammeter, Nichrome
Down
Insulators, Voltmeter, Coulomb