CH 6 MAIN ELECTRICITY

Resistance
Resistance
◻An electric current flows when electrons move
through a conductor, such as a metal wire. The
moving electrons can collide with the ions in the
metal. This makes it more difficult for the current
to flow and causes resistance.
◻Resistance
⮚ A measure of its opposition to the flow of
electric current
⮚ Converts electrical energy to thermal
energy
Ohm Ω
◻Resistance is measured in ohms.
◻Can be calculated from the voltage across
a component and the current flowing
through it.
Resistance in conductors
◻Long wire has greater resistance than
short wire
⮚ Electron collide with ions more often

◻Thin wire has greater resistance than

thick wire
⮚ Fewer electrons to carry the current
Resistance in conductors
◻Higher temperatures - higher resistance
⮚ Atoms in the wire vibrate more vigorously,
⮚ Making it more difficult for the electrons to
flow (higher resistance)
 Measuring resistance
◻ 
 Measuring resistance
 
 

◻For example, 3 A flows through a 240 V lamp.

What is the resistance of the lamp?
⮚ Resistance = 240V ÷ 3A = 80 Ω
 Ohm’s law
◻Ohm's law states that the current through
a conductor between two points is directly
proportional to the voltage across the two
points
◻Provided that
temperature and other
physical conditions
are unchanged
 Resistors in series

Req is called the total resistance of R1 and R2

- Equivalent resistance of R1 and R2.
Req = add the individual resistances together

 
Two resistors are connected in series to a
battery.
(a)Req of the two resistors = ?

Req = R1 + R2
=3+6
=9

(b) P.d. across the 6- resistor = ?

P.d. across 6- resistor = IR = 1  6 = 6V

Resistors in parallel

I and V unchanged
 Parallel combination  

Two resistors are connected in parallel to a battery.

(a)Req of the two resistors = ?
1 1 1 1 ⇒ R =2Ω
= + = eq
Req 3 6 2
(b) Current through the 6-Ω resistor = ?

Current through the 6-Ω resistor  

V 9
= = = 1.5 A
R 6
Parallel combination
Two resistors are connected
in parallel to a battery.
(c)Total current in the main
circuit = ?
Total current  

V = 9 = 4.5 A
=
Req 2
Power
 Electrical power
◻Power - measured in joules per second or watts (W)
◻Devices: transfer lots of energy very quickly -
expressed in kilowatts (kW)

25J every second

60J every second

◻Power (P) of an appliance is related to :
⮚ Voltage (V) across
⮚ Current (I) flowing through it
Electrical power
A 230 V television takes a current of 3 A.
Calculate the power of television.

= 3 A x 230 V
= 690 W
Calculating the total energy transferred by an
appliance
◻The power of an appliance (P) tells how much
energy it transfers each second.
⮚ The total energy (E) = Power (P) x Time (T)
Calculate the energy transferred by a 60 W
bulb that is turned on for
(a) 20s, and (b) 5 min

(a)E= P x t (b) E= P x t
= 60 W x 20 s = 60 W x 5 x 60 s
= 1200 J or 1.2 kJ = 18000 J or 18 kJ