Series and parallel Circuits

5. In each circuit below find:

i. The total resistance
ii. The current flowing in the battery
iii. The current through resistor X
iv. The p.d across the resistor Y
Charge and Current
1. The current in a circuit is 0.40 A. Calculate the charge that passes a point
in the circuit in a period of 15 s.
2. Calculate the current that gives a charge flow of 150 C in a time of 30 s.
3. In a circuit, a charge of 50 C passes a point in 20 s. Calculate the current
in the circuit.
4. A car battery is labelled ‘50 A h’. This means that it can supply a current
of 50 A for one hour.
a For how long could the battery supply a continuous current of 200 A
needed to start the car?
b Calculate the charge which flows past a point in the circuit in this time.
5. Calculate the mean drift velocity of the electrons in a copper wire of
cross-sectional area 5.0 × 10-6m2 carrying a current of 1.0A. The electron
number density for copper is 8.5 × 1028m-3
6. There is a current of 10 A through a lamp for 1.0 hour. Calculate how
much charge flows through the lamp in this time.
7. Calculate the current in a circuit when a charge of 180 C passes a point in
a circuit in 2.0 minutes.
8. Calculate the current in a gold wire of cross-sectional area 2.0 mm2 when
the mean drift velocity of the electrons in the wire is 0.10 mm s-1. The
electron number density for gold is 5.9 × 1028 m-3.
9. Calculate the mean drift velocity of electrons in a copper wire of diameter
1.0 mm with a current of 5.0 A. The electron number density for copper
is 8.5 × 1028 m-3.
10. A length of copper wire is joined in series to a length of silver wire of the
same diameter. Both wires have a current in them when connected to a
battery. Explain how the mean drift velocity of the electrons will change
as they travel from the copper into the silver. Electron number densities:
copper n = 8.5 × 1028 m-3
silver n = 5.9 × 1028 m-3.
11. Calculate the current in a lamp given that its resistance is 15 Ω and the
potential difference across
its ends is 3.0 V.
12. A car headlamp bulb has a resistance of 36Ω. Calculate the current in the
lamp when connected to a ‘12 V’ battery.
13. a Calculate the potential difference across a motor carrying a current of
1.0 A and having a resistance of 50Ω .
b Calculate the potential difference across the same motor when the
current is doubled. Assume its resistance remains constant.
14. Calculate the resistance of a lamp carrying a current of 0.40 A when
connected to a 230 V supply.
15. Calculate the current in a 60 W light bulb when it is connected to a 230 V
power supply.
16. A large power station supplies electrical energy to the grid at a voltage of
25 kV. Calculate the output power of the station when the current it
supplies is 40 kA.
17. A calculator is powered by a 3.0 V battery. The calculator’s resistance is
20 kΩ. Calculate the power transferred to the calculator.
18. An energy-efficient light bulb is labelled ‘230 V, 15 W’. This means that
when connected to the
230 V mains supply it is fully lit and changes electrical energy to heat and
light at the rate of 15 W. Calculate:
a the current which flows through the bulb when fully lit
b its resistance when fully lit.
19. Calculate the resistance of a 100 W light bulb that draws a current of 0.43
A from a power supply.
20. A 12 V car battery can supply a current of 10 A for 5.0 hours. Calculate
how many joules of energy the battery transfers in this time.
21. A lamp is operated for 20 s. The current in the lamp is 10 A. In this time,
it transfers 400 J of energy to the lamp. Calculate:
a how much charge flows through the lamp
b how much energy each coulomb of charge transfers to the lamp
c the p.d. across the lamp.

27.A lamp connected to a 12 V supply converts energy at a rate of 36 W.

How much energy will be converted in 10 s?
 A 30 J B 36 J C 120 J D 360 J
28.An immersion heater is labelled 12 V, 60 W.
What is the current in the heater when connected to a 12 V supply?
a. 0.20 A B 5.0 A C 12 A D 60 A
29.A lamp is rated at 60 W on a 240 V supply.
What is the current in the lamp when used normally?
A 0.25 A B 4.0 A C 60 A D 180 A
30.How much energy is converted in a resistor of 5.0 Ω carrying a current of
2.0 A for 10 seconds?
A 4.0 J B 25 J C 100 J D 200 J
31.Which of the following would cost the least if operated from the same
voltage supply?
a. a 5000 W electric cooker used for 1 minute
b. a 1000 W electric fire used for 10 minutes
c. a 500 W electric iron used for 1 hour
d. a 100 W lamp used for 1 day
32. What is the current in milliamperes produced by the solar cells of a pocket
calculator through which 4.00 C of charge passes in 4.00 h?
33. A total of 600 C of charge passes through a flashlight in 0.500 h. What is the
average current?
34. What is the current when a typical static charge of 0.250 µC moves from
your finger to a metal doorknob in 1.00 µs ?
35. Find the current when 2.00 nC jumps between your comb and hair over a
0.500 - µs time interval.
36. A large lightning bolt had a 20,000-A current and moved 30.0 C of charge.
What was its duration?
37. The 200-A current through a spark plug moves 0.300 mC of charge. How
long does the spark last?
38. What is the power of a 1.00×102 MV lightning bolt having a current of 2.00
× 104 A ?
39. What power is supplied to the starter motor of a large truck that draws 250
A of current from a 24.0-V battery hookup?
40. A charge of 4.00 C of charge passes through a pocket calculator’s solar cells
in 4.00 h. What is the power output, given the calculator’s voltage output is 3.00
V?

Resistance and Resistivity

1. Find the resistance of a 2.6 m length of eureka wire with cross-sectional

area 2.5 × 10-7 m2.
2. Use the resistivity value quoted in Table to calculate the lengths of 0.50
mm diameter manganin wire needed to make resistance coils with
resistances of:
a 1.0Ω
b 5.0Ω
c 10Ω.
3. 1.0 cm3 of copper is drawn out into the form of a long wire of cross-
sectional area 4.0 × 10-7 m2. Calculate its resistance. (Use the resistivity
value for copper from Table)
4. A 1.0 m length of copper wire has a resistance
of 0.50Ω.
a Calculate the resistance of a 5.0 m length of the same wire.
b What will be the resistance of a 1.0 m length of copper wire having half
the diameter of the original wire?
5. A piece of steel wire has a resistance of 10Ω. It is stretched to twice its
original length. Compare its new resistance with its original resistance.
Kirchhoff’s Laws
1 Use Kirchhoff’s first law to deduce the value of the current I in the below
diagram.

2. In the diagram below, calculate the current in the wire X. State the direction
of this current (towards P or away from P).
3. Calculate ΣIin and ΣIout in the diagram below. Is Kirchhoff’s first law
satisfied?

4. Use Kirchhoff’s first law to deduce the value and direction of the current I in
the diagram below.

5. Use Kirchhoff’s second law to deduce the p.d. across the resistor of resistance
R in the circuit shown in the diagram below, and hence find the value of R.
(Assume the battery of e.m.f. 10 V has negligible internal resistance.)
6. Calculate the current in each of the resistors in the circuit shown in the
diagram below.

7. You can use Kirchhoff’s second law to find the current I in the circuit shown
in the diagram below. Choosing the best loop can simplify the problem.
a Which loop in the circuit should you choose?
b Calculate the current I
8. Use Kirchhoff’s second law to deduce the resistance R of the resistor shown
in the circuit loop of the diagram below.

9. Use the idea of the energy gained and lost by a 1 C charge to explain why
two 6 V batteries connected together in series can give an e.m.f. of 12 V or 0 V,
but connected in parallel they give an e.m.f. of 6 V.
10 Apply Kirchhoff’s laws to the circuit shown in the diagram below to
determine the current that will be shown by the ammeters A1, A2 and A3.

11. Use Kirchhoff ’s first law to calculate the unknown currents in the examples
in the diagram below. In each example state the direction of the current.
 a) Apply the junction rule at point a.
b) Apply the loop rule to loop abcdefghija.
c) Apply the loop rule to loop akledcba.
d) Find the currents flowing in the circuit.

Internal Resistance
1 A battery of e.m.f. 5.0 V and internal resistance 2.0Ω is connected to an 8.0Ω
resistor. Draw a circuit diagram and calculate the current in the circuit.
2 a Calculate the current in each circuit. b Calculate also the ‘lost volts’ for each
cell, and the terminal p.d
3. Four identical cells, each of e.m.f. 1.5 V and internal resistance 0.10Ω, are
connected in series. A lamp of resistance 2.0Ω is connected across the four
cells. Calculate the current in the lamp.
4. There is a current of 0.40 A when a battery of e.m.f. 6.0 V is connected to a
resistor of 13.5Ω. Calculate the internal resistance of the cell.
5. When a high-resistance voltmeter is placed across an isolated battery, its
reading is 3.0 V. When a 10Ω resistor is connected across the terminals of the
battery, the voltmeter reading drops to 2.8 V. Use this information to determine
the internal resistance of the battery.
6. A car battery has an e.m.f. of 12 V and an internal resistance of 0.04Ω. The
starter motor draws a current of 100 A. a Calculate the terminal p.d. of the
battery when the starter motor is in operation. b Each headlamp is rated as ‘12
V, 36 W’. Calculate the resistance of a headlamp. c To what value will the
power output of each headlamp decrease when the starter motor is in operation?
(Assume that the resistance of the headlamp remains constant.)
7. A battery of EMF 9.0V and Internal resistance 6.0 Ω is connected across a 30
Ω. Find: a) the current through the resistor, b) the terminal PD. c) What would
the terminal PD be if the cell were on open circuit?
8. When a 12V battery (i.e. a battery of EMF 12V) is connected across a lamp
with a resistance of 6.8Ω the PD across the Lamp is 10.2V. Find: a) the current
through the lamp, b) the internal resistance of the battery.
9. A voltmeter with a resistance of 10kΩ is connected across a power supply
which is known to have an EMF of 3.6kV. The reading on the voltmeter is only
3.0kV. Find the internal resistance of the power supply.
10. A battery of EMF E and internal resistance r is connected across a variable
resistor. When the resistor is set at 21Ω the current through it is 0.48A; when it
is set at 36Ω the current is 0.30A. Find E and r.
11. A voltmeter with a resistance of 20kΩ connected across a power supply
gives a reading of 44V. A voltmeter with a resistance of 50kΩ connected across
the same power supply gives a reading of 50V. Find the EMF of the power
supply.
12. What is the output voltage of a 3.0000-V lithium cell in a digital wristwatch
that draws 0.300 mA, if the cell’s internal resistance is 2.00 Ω ?
13. (a) What is the terminal voltage of a large 1.54-V carbon-zinc dry cell used
in a physics lab to supply 2.00 A to a circuit, if the cell’s internal resistance is
0.100 Ω ? (b) How much electrical power does the cell produce? (c) What
power goes to its load?
14. What is the internal resistance of an automobile battery that has an emf of
12.0 V and a terminal voltage of 15.0 V while a current of 8.00 A is charging it?
15. (a) Find the terminal voltage of a 12.0-V motorcycle battery having a 0.600-
Ω internal resistance, if it is being charged by a current of 10.0 A. (b) What is
the output voltage of the battery charger?
16. A car battery with a 12-V emf and an internal resistance of 0.050 Ω is being
charged with a current of 60 A. Note that in this process the battery is being
charged. (a) What is the potential difference across its terminals? (b) At what
rate is thermal energy being dissipated
in the battery? (c) At what rate is electric energy being converted to chemical
energy? (d) What are the answers to (a) and (b) when the battery is used to
supply 60 A to the starter motor?
17. The hot resistance of a flashlight bulb is 2.30 Ω , and it is run by a 1.58-V
alkaline cell having a 0.100-Ω internal resistance. (a) What current flows? (b)
Calculate the power supplied to the bulb using . (c) Is this power the

same as calculated using ?

18. An automobile starter motor has an equivalent resistance of 0.0500 Ω and is
supplied by a 12.0-V battery with a 0.0100-Ω internal resistance. (a) What is the
current to the motor? (b) What voltage is applied to it? (c) What power is
supplied to the motor? (d) Repeat these calculations for when the battery
connections are corroded and add 0.0900 Ω to the circuit. 19. A child’s
electronic toy is supplied by three 1.58-V alkaline cells having internal
resistances of 0.0200 Ω in series with a 1.53-V carbon-zinc dry cell having a
0.100-Ω internal resistance. The load resistance is 10.0 Ω . (a) Draw a circuit
diagram of the toy and its
batteries. (b) What current flows? (c) How much power is supplied to the load?
(d) What is the internal resistance of the dry cell if it goes bad, resulting in only
0.500 W being supplied to the load?
20. (a) What is the internal resistance of a voltage source if its terminal voltage
drops by 2.00 V when the current supplied increases by 5.00 A? (b) Can the emf
of the voltage source be found with the information supplied?
1. Determine the range of Vout for the circuit in the diagram below as the variable
resistor R2 is adjusted over its full range from 0Ω to 40Ω. (Assume the supply of
e.m.f. 10 V has negligible internal resistance.)
8. To make a potentiometer, a driver cell of e.m.f. 4.0 V is connected across a 1.00 m length
of resistance wire.
a What is the potential difference across each 1 cm length of the wire? What length of wire
has a p.d. of 1.0 V across it?
b A cell of unknown e.m.f. E is connected to the potentiometer and the balance point is found
at a distance of 37.0 cm from the end of the wire to which the galvanometer is connected.
Estimate the value of E. Explain why this can only be an estimate.
c A standard cell of e.m.f. 1.230 V gives a balance length of 31.2 cm. Use this value to obtain
a more accurate value for E.