PHYSICS

Electricity
 Electricity

Electricity is the flow of electric charges, or

electrons, through conductors like copper wires.

It's a fundamental form of energy that's vital to

modern life.
 Electric Circuit

A continuous closed path made of electric components

through which an electric current flows is known as an

electric circuit. A simple circuit consists of the following

components:

(a) Conductors

(b) Cell

(c) Switch
 Cell and battery

Cell is a single unit that

produces electricity

Battery is a collection of cells

that work together to produce

 Charge

The charge is an intrinsic property of matter by

virtue of which it can exert electromagnetic

force.

Types of Charge: There are two main types of

electric charge- Positive charge and Negative

Like charges repel each other, while unlike
charges attract each other.
Unit of charge :

Coloumb (C) is the unit of electric charge

The equation relating electric charge, current and time is:

Charge = Current × Time

Q= Ixt
 Electric Current (I)

The rate of flow of electric charge through a

conductor, typically measured in amperes

(A), which is equivalent to one coulomb of

charge flowing per second

Equation:

Electric current (I) is calculated as the total

charge (Q) flowing divided by the time (t) taken

I=
Unit of Electric current:

The SI unit for electric current is the Ampere (A)

Ampere is defined as the unit of electric current that

is equal to the flow of one Coulomb per second

Ampere =
In an electric circuit the electric current flow in the

opposite direction of the flow of electron (-ve

charge) conventionally. It flows from the +ve

terminal of battery or cell to –ve terminal.

Small quantity of current are expressed in

mA (milli Ampere) = 10 −3
A

uA (micro Ampere) = 10 −6
A
A current of 0.5 A is drawn by a filament

of an electric bulb for 10 minutes. Find

the amount of electric charge that flows

through the circuit.

 Net charge (Q)

Net charge is equivalent to the charge contained in

nearly electrons 6.25×1018

Q = ne
Where Q = Net charge
n = No . of electron
e = Charge on electron
 Number of electrons constituting one coulomb

of charge

If Q = 1C

e = 1.6×10−19𝐶 (negative charge on electron)

n=
=

= 6.25 x 1018 electron

 Electric Potential and Potential
Difference
The electric potential at a point is defined as

work done in bringing a unit positive charge

from infinity to that point. The potential

difference between two points is defined as the

difference in electric potentials at the two given

 Potential Difference (V)

Work done by the external force to move a unit

positive charge between two points slowly

Unit : Volts (V)

Potential difference between two points is
1V

When 1 J of work is done to move a charge of

1 C from one point to another, it is said that

the potential difference between two points is

1 V.
How much work is done in moving a

charge of

2C across two points

having a potential difference 12 V?

How much energy is given to each coulomb of
charge passing through a 6 V battery?

Potential difference between two points is

given by

V=
W- Work done in moving the charge from one point to

another
 W=V×Q
W = 6V × 1C

=6J

Hence, 6 J of energy is given to each coulomb

of charge passing through a 6 V of battery.

 Electric circuit and circuit diagram

• A closed-loop path which a current take is called an electric

circuit.

• Representation of an electric circuit through symbols is

called a circuit diagram.

Symbols of some commonly used
components
Ohm's law

Ohm's law states that the

electric current through a

conductor between two points

is directly proportional to the

voltage across the two points.

 Resistance

• Resistance of a circuit is the ratio between the

voltage applied to the current flowing through it.

• SI Unit : Ohm (Ω)

If the potential difference across the two ends of a

conductor is 1V and the current through it is 1A,

then the resistance R, of the conductor is 1 Ω.

1Ω =
 Fixed Resistors

These resistors have a specific,

unchangeable resistance value.

Examples: Carbon composition

resistors, wire-wound resistors,

 Variable Resistors
These resistors allow for

adjustment of their

resistance value.

Examples: Potentiometers,

rheostats
 Factors affecting
Resistance
The resistance of the conductor depends on the following

factors:

a. Temperature of the conductor

b. Cross-sectional area of the

conductor

c. Length of the conductor

Resistance is:
• directly proportional to the length of the

conductor.

• directly proportional to nature of the conductor.

• directly proportional to the temperature of the

conductor.

• inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area

 Resistivity ( ρ )

The electrical resistance offered by a substance

of unit length and unit cross-sectional area is

called resistivity.

R=ρ
Will current flow more easily through a

thick wire or a thin wire of the same

material, when connected to the same

source? Why?
 Resistance is given by the equation,

ρ - resistivity of the material of the wire,

l - length of the wire

A - area of the cross-section of the wire

 Area of the cross-section of wire is inversely

proportional to the resistance.

Therefore, the thinner the wire, the more the

resistance and vice versa.

Hence, current flows more easily through a

thick wire than a thin wire.

 How much current will an electric bulb

draw from a 220 V source, if the resistance

of the bulb filament is 1200Ω ?

How much current will an electric heater

coil draw from a 220 V source, if the

resistance of the heater coil is 100 Ω?

 The potential difference between the

terminals of an electric heater is 60 V when

it draws a current of 4 A from the source.

What current

will the heater draw if the potential

difference is increased to 120 V?

Resistance of a metal wire of length 1 m is

26 Ω at 20°C. If the diameter of the wire is

0.3 mm, what will be the resistivity of the

metal at that temperature?

 A wire of given material having length l

and area of cross-section A has a

resistance of 4 Ω. What would be the

resistance of another wire

of the same material having length l/2 and

area of cross-section 2A?

 Let the resistance of an electrical

component remain constant while the

potential difference across the two ends of

the component decreases to half of its

former value. What change will occur in the

current through it?

 Why are coils of electric toasters and electric irons
made of an alloy rather than a pure metal?

The melting point of an alloy is much higher than a

pure metal because of its high resistivity. At high

temperatures, alloys do not melt readily. Therefore,

alloys are used in heating appliances such as electric

toasters and electric irons.

 Ohmic and Non-Ohmic resistors

Resistors which follow Ohm’s Law are called Ohmic

resistors, and those which do not follow it are called Non-

Ohmic resistors
 RESISTANCE OF A SYSTEM OF RESISTORS

• Current through a conductor depends upon its

resistance and the potential difference across its

ends.

• In various electrical gadgets, we often use

• There are two methods of joining the resistors

together

1. Resistors in series

2. Resistors in parallel
 Resistors in series

Figure shows an electric

circuit in which three

resistors having resistances

R1,R2 and R3, respectively, are

joined end to end. Here the

resistors are said to be

 Current in series connection
• The value of the current in the ammeter is the

same, independent of its position in the

electric circuit.

• It means that in a series combination of

resistors the current is the same in every part

Series combination of three

resistors is given.

The potential difference

across the first resistor R1 be

V1 . Potential difference

across the other two

Potential difference V is equal to the sum of potential

differences V1 , V2 , and V3 .

That is the total potential difference across a

combination of resistors in series is equal to the

sum of potential difference across the individual

resistors.
 Let I be the current through the circuit.

The current through each resistor is also I

It is possible to replace the three resistors joined in series by an

equivalent single resistor of resistance R, such that the potential

difference V across it, and the current I through the circuit

remains the same.

Applying the Ohm’s law

V=IR

Applying Ohm’s law to the three resistors separately,

V1 = I R1

V2 = I R2

V3 = I R3
 V = V1 + V2 + V3

I R = I R 1+ I R 2+ I R 3

Rs = R 1+ R 2 + R 3
.

When several resistors are joined in series, the

resistance of the combination Rs equals the sum of
their individual resistances,
R1 , R2 , R3 and is thus greater than any individual
An electric lamp, whose

resistance is 20 Ω, and a

conductor of 4Ω resistance are

connected to a 6 V battery

(Figure). Calculate (a) the total

resistance of the circuit, (b) the

current through the circuit, and

(c) the potential difference

across the electric lamp and

 Resistors in parallel

Figure shows a combination

of resistors in which three

resistors are connected

together between points X

and Y. Here, the resistors are

said to be connected in
Three resistors of resistances R1 , R2 , and R3 are in parallel

combination. A voltmeter is connected in parallel with the

combination of resistors. Let the current be I. It gives the potential

difference V, across the combination. The potential difference across

each resistor is also V

Total current I, is equal to the sum of the separate

currents through each branch of the combination.

I = I1 + I2 + I3

Let Rp be the equivalent resistance of the parallel

combination of resistors
By applying Ohm’s law

V=IR

I = V/Rp

On applying Ohm’s law to each resistor, we have

I1 = V /R1

I2 = V /R2
 V/Rp = V/R1 + V/R2 + V/R3

Or

1/Rp = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3

The reciprocal of the equivalent resistance of a

group of resistances joined in parallel is equal

to the sum of the reciprocals of the individual

In the circuit diagram given,

suppose the resistors R1 , R2 and

R3 have the values 5 Ω, 10 Ω, 30

Ω, respectively, which have been

connected to a battery of 12 V.

Calculate (a) the current through

each resistor, (b) the total current

in the circuit, and (c) the total

circuit resistance.
 Equivalent Resistance of a system of
resistors

The equivalent resistance of two resistors is

given as
Disadvantage of series connection in on electric

circuit :–

1. In series connection if any of the component fail to

work, the circuit will break and then none of the

component (ex. TV, bulb, fan..) will work.

2. It is not possible to connect a bulb and a heater in

series, because they need different value of current to

 EMF and Terminal Voltage

EMF: The potential difference between the two

terminals of a cell, when there is no current flowing

through the circuit.

Terminal voltage: The potential difference between

the two terminals of a cell, when current is flowing

through the circuit.

 Heating Effect of Current

• Consider a current I flowing through a resistor of resistance

R.

• Let the potential difference across it be V.

• Let t be the time during which a charge Q flows

across.

• The work done in moving the charge Q through a

potential difference V is VQ.

• Therefore, the source must supply energy equal to VQ in

time t.

• Hence the power input to the circuit by the source is

P = V = VI

• Energy supplied to the circuit by the source in

time t is

Energy supplied = P × t = VIt

• This energy gets dissipated in the resistor as heat.
• Thus for a steady current I, the amount of heat H
produced in time t is

H = Vit
• Applying Ohm’s law, we get

H = I Rt
2

This is known as Joule’s law of heating.

 Joule’s law of heating
H = I Rt2

The law implies that heat produced in a resistor is

(i) directly proportional to the square of current for a given

resistance

(ii) directly proportional to resistance for a given current

(iii) Directly proportional to the time for which the current flow

through
 Joule's Law:

• Heat (H) ∝ square of the current (I).

• H ∝ Resistance of the given circuit.

• H ∝ Time (t) for which current flows through the

conductor.
Practical Applications of Heating Effect of Electric Current

Devices based on Joule’s heating:

1. Laundry iron
2. Electric toaster
3. Electric oven
4. Electric kettle
5. Electric heater
 Electric Heating in Bulbs

Electric heating is used to produce light in electric

bulbs.

• The filament gets extremely hot and emits light.

• Filament is thermally isolated using insulating supports.

• Bulbs are filled with inert gases like nitrogen and argon

to extend filament life.

• Most power is converted to heat, with some as light.

 Fuse in Electric Circuits

Fuse is a safety device to protect appliances from excess

current.

• Works on Joule’s heating effect.

• Made of metals/alloys with low melting points (e.g.,

• Placed in series with the device.

• Melts and breaks circuit when current exceeds safe level.

• Encased in a cartridge with metal ends.

• Domestic fuse ratings: 1 A, 2 A, 3 A, 5 A, 10 A, etc.

Example:

Electric iron = 1 kW at 220 V

Current = 1000 ÷ 220

= 4.54 A

Use a 5 A fuse
 Electric Power

The rate of doing work or rate of consumption of electrical energy is

called Electric Power

Power = Voltage × Current

P = VI
 Units of Electric Power

SI unit: Watt (W)

1W = 1 Volt × 1 Ampere

1W = 1 V × 1 A
 1 kilowatt (kW) = 1000 watts

Electric energy = Power × Time

Unit = Watt hour (Wh)

1 Wh = 1 W used for 1 hour

One kilowatt-hour is defined as the amount of

energy consumed when 1kW of power is used for 1

hour.

1 kilowatt hour (kWh) =1000 W × 3600 s = 3.6 × 10⁶

joules
An electric bulb is connected to a 220 V

generator. The current is 0.50 A. What is

the power of the bulb?

 An electric refrigerator rated 400 W

operates 8 hour/day. What is the cost of

the energy to operate it for 30 days at Rs

3.00 per kW h?
An electric lamp of 100 Ω, a toaster of resistance 50 Ω, and a
water filter of resistance 500 Ω are connected in parallel to a
220 V source. What is the resistance of an electric iron
connected to the same source that takes as much current as
all three appliances, and what is the current through it?
How can three resistors of resistances 2 Ω, 3 Ω, and 6 Ω be
connected to give a total resistance of 1 Ω?
THANKYOU