W10 CurrentAndResistance Filled

Physics 102
Prof. E. Aslı Yetkin
Source Material: Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (9th Edition) by Serway & Jewett Copyright © BROOKS/COLE CENGAGE Learning.
Current & Resistance
• Electric Current
• Resistance
• Electrical Power
Chapter-27
th
(Serway, 9 Edition)
Current & Resistance
Electric Current
• In this chapter, we will study the flow of electric charges through a piece of
material.
• The amount of the flow depends on both
• the material through which the charges are passing
• The potential difference across the material
Electric current is the rate of flow of charge through some region of space.
The SI unit of the current is the ampere (A)
1 A = 1C / s
The symbol for the electric current is I
Average Electric Current
Assume charges are moving perpendicular to a surface of area A.
If ∆Q is the amount of charge that passes through A in time ∆t,
then the average current is
Δ𝑄
𝐼𝑎𝑣𝑔 =
Δ𝑡
Instantaneous Electric Current
If the rate at which charge flows varies in time, the
instantaneous current I is the limit of the average current as
∆t→0:
𝑑𝑄
𝐼=
𝑑𝑡
Direction of Current
The charges passing through the area could be positive or
negative or both.
This area may or may not be an actual physical surface and the
charges can flow in a conductor or in a vacuum.
It is conventional to assign to the current the same direction as
the flow of positive charges.
In electrical conductors such as copper or aluminum, the current
results from the motion of negatively charged electrons.
Therefore, in an ordinary conductor, the direction of the
current is opposite the direction of flow of electrons.
It is common to refer to any moving charge as a mobile charge
carrier
Current and Drift Speed
Consider the current in a cylindrical conductor of cross-sectional area A.
n is the number of charge carriers per unit volume (charge carrier

density)
nA∆x is the total number of charge carriers in the interested volume.
The total charge is the number of carriers times the charge per carrier, q
∆Q = (nA∆x)q
Current and Drift Speed
The drift speed, Vd, is the speed at which the carriers move
Vd = Δ𝑥Τ
Δ𝑡
If we rewrite the ΔQ
Δ𝑄 = 𝑛𝐴𝑉𝑑 Δt q
Since Iavg = Δ𝑄/Δ𝑡 = nqVdA
This is to say that the current is linearly proportional to the drift speed
Vd.
Motion of the charge carrier
The Electrons in a Conductor
The actual charge carrier in a conductor is the
electron
The zigzag black liner represents the motion of a
charge carrier in a conductor.
The net drift speed is small
The sharp changes in direction are due to
collisions
The net motion of electrons is opposite to the
direction of electric field.
Remember: The current direction is conventionally defined to be the
positive carrier motion direction, or the electric filed direction.
Motion of the charge carrier
The Electrons in a Conductor
•In the presence of an electric field, in spite of all
the collisions, the charge carriers slowly move along
the conductor with a drift velocity, 𝑉𝑑
•The electric field exerts forces on the conduction
electrons in the wire
•These forces cause the electrons to move in the
wire and create a current
•The electrons are already in the wire
•They respond to the electric field set up by the battery
• So the current starts to flow anywhere in the circuit when the switch is
closed.
The battery does not supply the electrons, it only establishes the electric field
Example: Drift Speed in a Copper Wire
Assume a copper wire which has a cross-sectional area of 3.31 x10-6 m2. It carries a
constant current of 10.0 A. What is the drift speed of the electrons in the wire?
Assume each copper atom contributes one free electron to the current. The density
of copper is 8.92 g/cm3.
Resistance
Current Density
J is the current density of a conductor, and it is defined as the current
per unit area
• 𝐽=
𝐼
𝐴
= 𝑛𝑞𝑉𝑑
• This expression is valid only if the current density is uniform and A is

perpendicular to the direction of the current.
J has SI units of A/m2
The current density is a vector and is in the direction of positive charge
carriers.
The relationship to the current is 𝐼 = ‫𝐽 ׬‬റ ∙ 𝑑 𝐴റ
Resistance
Conductivity
A current density and an electric field are established in a conductor
whenever a potential difference is maintained across the conductor.
For some materials, the current density is directly proportional to the
filed.
The constant of proportionality, σ, is called the conductivity of the
conductor.
Resistance
Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s law states that for many materials, the ratio of the current density
to the electric filed is constant σ that is independent of the electric field
producing the current
• Most metals obey Ohm’s law
• Mathematically, J= σ E
• Materials that obey Ohm’s law are said to be ohmic
• Ohm’s law is not a fundamental law of nature
• Ohm’s law is an empirical relationship valid only for certain materials
Resistance
In a conductor, the voltage applied across the ends of the conductor is
proportional to the current through the conductor.
The constant of proportionality is called the resistance of the conductor
∆𝑉
𝑅≡
𝐼
∆𝑉 = 𝐸𝑙
∆𝑉
𝐽=𝜎
𝑙
𝑙 𝑙
∆𝑉 = 𝐽 = 𝐼 = 𝑅𝐼
𝜎 𝜎𝐴
Resistance
SI unit of resistance are ohms (Ω)
1 Ω = 1V / A
Resistance in a circuit arises due to collisions between the electrons
carrying the current with the fixed atoms inside the conductor.
Resistivity
The inverse of the conductivity is the resistivity:
ρ=1/σ
Resistivity has SI units of ohms-meters (Ω.m)
Resistance is also related to the resistivity
𝑙
𝑅=𝜌
𝐴
Resistor Values
Values of resistors are

commonly marked by colored
bands
Resistivity Values
Resistance & Resistivity
• Every ohmic material has a characteristic resistivity that
depends on the properties of the material and on
temperature
• Resistivity is a property of substances
• The resistance of a material depends on its geometry and
its resistivity
• Resistance is a property of an object
• An ideal conductor would have zero resistivity
• An ideal insulator would have infinite resistivity
Ohmic Material
•An ohmic device

•The resistance is constant
over a wide range of voltages
•The relationship between
current and voltage is linear
•The slope is related to the
resistance
Nonohmic Material
•Nonohmic materials are

those whose resistance
changes with voltage or
current
•The current-voltage
relationship is nonlinear
•A junction diode is a
common example of a
nonohmic device
Example: Resistance of Nichrome Wire
The radius of 22-gauge Nichrome wire is 0.32 mm.
a) Calculate the resistance per unit length of this wire
b) If a potential difference of 10 V is maintained across a 1.0 m length if Nichrome
wire, what is the current in the wire?
Electrical Energy & Power
In a circuit, as a charge moves through the battery, the electrical
potential energy of the system is increased by ΔQ ΔV (the chemical
potential energy of the battery decreases by the same amount)
The charge moving through a resistor loses this potential energy
during collisions with atoms in the resistor (the temperature of the
resistor increases)
When the charge returns to a, the net

result is that some chemical energy of
the battery has been delivered to the
resistor and caused its temperature to
rise
Electrical Energy & Power
The rate at which the energy is lost is the power
∆𝑄
𝑃= ∆𝑉 = 𝐼∆𝑉
∆𝑡
For Ohm’s Law, alternate forms of power are
2
∆𝑉
𝑃 = 𝐼2 𝑅 =
𝑅
The SI unit of power is Watt (W, current should be in A, resistance should
be in Ω and ∆V should be in Volts)
The unit of energy used by electric companies is the kilowatt-hour (defined
in terms of the unit of power and the amount of time it is supplied): 1 kWh
= 3.60 x 106 J

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Physics 102

Prof. E. Aslı Yetkin

Current & Resistance

• The amount of the flow depends on both

• the material through which the charges are passing

• The potential difference across the material

The SI unit of the current is the ampere (A)

The symbol for the electric current is I

n is the number of charge carriers per unit volume (charge carrier

• This expression is valid only if the current density is uniform and A is

The relationship to the current is 𝐼 = ‫𝐽 ׬‬റ ∙ 𝑑 𝐴റ

Values of resistors are

•An ohmic device

•Nonohmic materials are

When the charge returns to a, the net

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