BASIC ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

PROBLEM SET 1: Basic Electrical Ideas and Units

NAME: ____________________________________________________ DATE:__________________

1. Calculate the number of free electrons in a copper conductor having a diameter of

0.064 in. and a length of 1000 ft.
2. The electric charge that moves through a conductor varies in accordance with the
equation 𝑞 = 800𝑡, where 𝑞 and 𝑡 are given in 𝜇𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑠 and milliseconds,
respectively. Calculate the current in amperes.
3. The current in a conductor varies as follows: during the first 8 seconds there is a
linear change from zero to 4 amp; during the next 15 seconds, the current is constant
at 4 amp; during a third period of 20 sec the current decreases linearly to 3 amp.
Determine
a. The total charge transferred in the elapsed time of 43 sec
b. The average current
4. A conductor having a cross-sectional area of 0.00161 sq. in. carries a current of 4.5
amp. Calculate the electron velocity, assuming the wire to be
a. Copper
b. Aluminum
5. Calculate the number of free electrons in a 100-ft length of copper wire if its
diameter is 0.46 inches.
6. The current density in the wires of an electric machine is not to exceed 4,500 amp
per sq. in. What is the maximum permissible current in each conductor if its
diameter is 0.032 in.?
7. The average velocity of the electrons in a conductor carrying a current of 65.5 amp
is 0.0153 in. per sec. What is the cross-sectional area of the conductor?
8. A 500-in. length of conductor is connected to a source of emf and carries a steady
current of 30 amp. If the cross-sectional area of the wire is 0.0082 sq. in., calculate
the number of trips the electrons make during the 24-hr period.
9. A copper wire whose diameter is 0.162 in., has a resistance of 0.4 ohm. If the wire is
drawn through a series of dies until its diameter is reduced to 0.032 in., what is the
resistance of the lengthened conductor? Assume that the resistivity remains
unchanged.
10. A coil of copper wire (𝜌 = 10.37) has a length of 600 ft. What is the length of an
aluminum conductor (𝜌 = 17), if its cross-sectional area and resistance are the
same as those of the copper coil?