Hello!

Let’s think…

Why does tungsten

filament become hot when
light bulb is connected to
electricity?
 Goal of the lesson:

◉ Apply Ohm's law for part of electric circuit that

consists of complex combination of resistors
 Electric current
The potential difference (voltage) of battery “pushes” free electrons
through a conductor.

The directed flow of electrons called Electric current.

 Electricity & Water analogy

Electric current is similar to the water flow in pipes

 Electric current

Electric current is defined as the net amount of charge

passing through a cross-sectional area in unit time.

The unit of electric current is Ampere (A), and denoted as I

I: electric current [A]

∆q
Ne
I= = q: charge [C]
∆t ∆t t: time [s]
 Electric current
For smaller units of current, milliampere, mA (1 mA = 10–3 A), and
microampere, µA, (1 µA = 10–6 A) are used.

The current is measured by using an ammeter.

The symbol of an ammeter used in a circuit diagram is shown as

 Example
A current of 2 A flows through the cross-section of a conductor for 5 s.
Calculate:
a) The amount of charge that passes through the conductor
b) The number of electrons that passes through the cross-section of the
conductor. (Take |e| = 1.6 × 10-19 C)

a) q = 10 C
b) 6.2 × 1019 electrons.
 Problem
What is the current if it takes 10 seconds for 5 C to pass?

I = 0.5 A
 Problem
How many coulombs (C) of charge passes through a 0.5 A lamp
in 5 minutes?

q = 150 C
 The source of electric current
To produce electric current, we need batteries.

Many electrical devices use batteries: cell phones, watches, toys etc.
 Conductors and insulators

Some materials allow electric current to pass through them very

easily. They are called conductors.

However, some materials do not allow electric current to pass

through them. They are called insulators.

Finally, there are some materials that conduct electricity poorly.

They are called poor conductors.
Conductors and insulators

Good conductor Poor conductor Insulator

Copper Human body Rubber
Silver Earth Plastics
Gold Salty water Glass
Mercury Germanium Dry air
 Resistance
When electrons move through conductor, they hit the atoms of the
conductor.

The conductor resists the motion of electrons. This is called

electrical resistance.
Vibrating atoms

Electrons
 OHM’s law

The degree of opposition to the flow of

electrons is called the resistance of the wire. V
R=
I
Resistance is defined as: Ratio of potential
difference to current for a conductor.
R: Resistance [Ω, Ohm]
V: Voltage [V, Volt]
This equation is known as Ohm’s law. The SI I: Current [A, Amper]
unit of resistance is the Ohm (Ω).
 Example
A certain flashlight bulb draws a current of 0.1 R=?

A when a battery of 1.5 V is connected across

0.1 A
it. What is the resistance of the bulb?
1.5 V

15 𝜴
 Resistance

If we increase potential I = neA𝜐

difference V between the
terminals, it increases the drift
velocity of electrons so that n: concentration of electrons
e: charge of electron (1.6 × 10-19 C)
current increases. Thus A: is cross-sectional area of wire
𝜐: is drift speed of electrons
 Density of current

The amount of electric current traveling

per unit cross-section area is called
current density and expressed in I
𝑗 = = ne𝜐
amperes per square meter. A
The more the current in a conductor, the
j is the density of current
higher will be the current density.
 Resistance
What does resistance depend upon?

Cross-
Type of
Length sectional
area material

If a wire is long, Thick wires have more space Materials have different
then there are for electrons to move. atomic structures, therefore
more atoms on Thin wires provide less space they have different
the way. for the electrons to move. conducting abilities
 Resistance
Material Resistivity ρ (Ω × m)

Silver 1.59 × 10-8

L Copper 1.7 × 10-8
R=𝜌
A Gold
Aluminium
2.44 × 10-8
2.82 × 10-8
Tungsten 5.6 × 10-8
R - resistance (Ω) Iron 10 × 10-8
ρ - resistivity (the Greek letter rho ) (Ω × m)
Nichrome 150 × 10-8
L - length (m)
S - Area of conductor (m²) Carbon 3.5 × 10-5
Glass 108-14
 Example
A copper wire of resistivity 1.7 × 10-8 Ω ∙m, has a cross-sectional area of 10 mm2.
What is the resistance of the wire if it is 200 m-long?

0.34 𝜴
Problems
 Problem #1
In an electric circuit, the battery provides a current of 1.6 A for 1 s.
How many electrons flow in this time? (The charge on an electron
is 1.6 × 10-19 C)

1019 electrons
 Problem #2
A current of 0.16 A is drawn from a dry cell for 10 min.
a) Calculate the number of zinc atoms dissolved in the cell.
b) What is the mass of dissolved zinc atoms?
(2 electrons are required to produce one zinc atom; the charge on an electron is
1.6 × 10-19 C; mzinc = 1.09 × 10-22 g/atom)

a) 3 x 1020 zinc atoms

b) 0.0327g
 Problem #3
The current passing through unit cross-sectional area is called
current density. Find the current density in a wire of cross-
sectional area, 0.2 mm2, when the current through it is 0.5 A.

2.5 × 106 A/m2

 Problem #4
How much current is drawn from a 12 V battery when a 100 Ω
resistor is connected across its terminals?

0.12 A
 Problem #5
A resistor R, is connected between the terminals of a 6 V battery.
A charge of 2 C passes through the resistor in 100 s. What is the
resistance of the resistor?

300 𝜴
 Problem #6
Calculate the length of a copper wire of cross sectional area 20
mm2 and resistance 0.85 Ω.
(The Resistivity of copper is 1.7 × 10-8 Ω·m)

1000 m
 Problem #7
Determine the resistance of a copper wire of diameter 1 mm and
mass, 300 g.
(ρcopper = 1.7 × 10-8 Ω·m; dcopper = 8.9 × 103 kg/m3)

0.93 𝜴
 Problem #8
USB charging cable (1 m long) uses 5 Volts and 2 Amperes.
a) How many ohms is the USB charging cable?
b) Copper is used to make cables. What is the area of the cable? Is it thin or
thick? (The Resistivity of copper is 1.7 × 10-8 Ω·m)

a) R = 2.5 Ω
b) S = 0.68 x 10-8 m2
Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at
◉ t.me/makhambetq