CBSE

Class 10 Science
NCERT Exemplar Solutions
Chapter 12
Electricity

Exercise

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. A cell, a resistor, a key and ammeter are arranged as shown in the circuit diagrams
of Figure12.1. The current recorded in the ammeter will be

(a) maximum in (i)

(b) maximum in (ii)

(c) maximum in (iii)

(d) the same in all the cases

Ans. (d) The same in all the cases

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Explanation: None of the conditions change in any of the circuits. Hence, current would be
same in all circuits.

2. In the following circuits (Figure 12.2), heat produced in the resistor or combination
of resistors connected to a 12 V battery will be

(a) same in all the cases

(b) minimum in case (i)

(c) maximum in case (ii)

(d) maximum in case (iii)

Ans. (c) Maximum in case (ii)

Explanation: In this case, two resistors are in series. Hence, their sum will be equal to their
arithmetic sum. In figure (iii) the total resistance will be less than individual resistances
because they are connected in parallel. A higher resistance produces more heat so option (c)

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is correct.

3. Electrical resistivity of a given metallic wire depends upon

(a) its length

(b) its thickness

(c) its shape

(d) nature of the material

Ans. (d) Nature of the material

4. A current of 1 A is drawn by a filament of an electric bulb. Number of electrons

passing through a cross section of the filament in 16 seconds would be roughly

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Ans. (a)

Explanation: We have current I=1 A and time t=16s

We know;

or,

or,

Charge contained in 1 electron

So, 16 C charge is contained in following number of electrons;

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5. Identify the circuit (Figure 12.3) in which the electrical components have been
properly connected.

(a) (i)

(b) (ii)

(c) (iii)

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(d) (iv)

Ans. (b) (ii)

6. What is the maximum resistance which can be made using five resistors each of 1/5
Ω?

(a) 1/5 Ω

(b) 10 Ω

(c) 5 Ω

(d) 1 Ω

Ans. (d)

Explanation: When resistors are connected in series then we get the maximum resistance
out of the combination.

When the given resistors are connected in series, the resistance of combination can be
calculated as follows:

7. What is the minimum resistance which can be made using five resistors each of 1/5
Ω?

(a) 1/5 Ω

(b) 1/25 Ω

(c) 1/10 Ω

(d) 25 Ω

Ans. (b) 1/25 Ω

Explanation: When resistors are connected in parallel then we get the minimum resistance

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out of the combination.

When given resistors are connected in parallel, the resistance of combination can be
calculated as follows:

Or

8. The proper representation of series combination of cells (Figure12.4) obtaining

maximum potential is

(a) (i)

(b) (ii)

(c) (iii)

(d) (iv)

Ans. (a) (i)

Explanation: In this combination, positive terminal of next cell is adjacent to negative
terminal of previous cell.

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9. Which of the following represents voltage?

(a)

(b

(c)

(d)

Ans. (a)

10. A cylindrical conductor of length l and uniform area of cross section A has
resistance R. Another conductor of length 2l and resistance R of the same material has
area of cross section

(a) A/2

(b) 3A/2

(c) 2A

(d) 3A

Ans. (c) 2A
Explanation: Both the conductors are of same material hence their resistivity is same.

For double the length;

or,

or,

or,

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11. A student carries out an experiment and plots the V-I graph of three samples of
nichrome wire with resistances R1, R2 and R3 respectively (Figure. 12.5). Which of the

following is true?

(a) R1= R2= R3

(b) R1> R2> R3

(c) R3> R2> R1

(d) R2> R3> R1

Ans. (c) R3> R2 > R1

Explanation: Current is inversely proportional to resistance. So, higher resistance would

allow less current to pass; which is shown by resistance R3.

12. If the current I through a resistor is increased by 100% (assume that temperature
remains unchanged), the increase in power dissipated will be

(a) 100 %

(b) 200 %

(c) 300 %

(d) 400 %

Ans. (c) 300 %

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Explanation: The heat generated by a resistor is directly proportional to square of current.
Hence, when current becomes double, dissipation of heat will multiply by =4. This means
there will be an increase of 300%.

13. The resistivity does not change if

(a) the material is changed

(b) the temperature is changed

(c) the shape of the resistor is changed

(d) both material and temperature are changed

Ans. (c) the shape of the resistor is changed

14. In an electrical circuit three incandescent bulbs A, B and C of rating 40 W, 60 W and

100 W respectively are connected in parallel to an electric source. Which of the
following is likely to happen regarding their brightness?

(a) Brightness of all the bulbs will be the same

(b) Brightness of bulb A will be the maximum

(c) Brightness of bulb B will be more than that of A

(d) Brightness of bulb C will be less than that of B

Ans. (c) Brightness of bulb B will be more than that of A

Explanation: Since bulbs are connected in parallel so resistance of combination would be
less than arithmetic sum of resistance of all the bulbs. So, there will be no negative effect on
flow of current. As a result, bulbs would glow according to their wattage.

15. In an electrical circuit two resistors of 2 Ω and 4 Ω respectively are connected in

series to a 6 V battery. The heat dissipated by the 4 Ω resistor in 5 s will be

(a) 5 J

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(b) 10 J

(c) 20 J

(d) 30 J

Ans. (c) 20 J
Explanation: Total resistance of combination =

Current through the circuit can be calculated as follows:

Heat dissipation by can be calculated as follows:

16. An electric kettle consumes 1 kW of electric power when operated at 220 V. A fuse
wire of what rating must be used for it?

(a) 1 A

(b) 2 A

(c) 4 A

(d) 5 A

Ans. (d) 5 A
Explanation: Power=1 kW= 1000W
Current flowing through the kettle can be calculated as follows:
Or

or

So, required rating of fuse wire=5A

17. Two resistors of resistance 2 Ω and 4 Ω when connected to a battery will have

(a) same current flowing through them when connected in parallel

(b) same current flowing through them when connected in series

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(c) same potential difference across them when connected in series

(d) different potential difference across them when connected in parallel

Ans. (b) same current flowing through them when connected in series.
Explanation: In series combination, current does not change because each resistor receives
a common current. In other words, current does not get divided into branches.

18. Unit of electric power may also be expressed as

(a) volt ampere

(b) kilowatt hour

(c) watt second

(d) joule second

Ans. (b) kilowatt hour

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 Short Answer Questoins

19. A child has drawn the electric circuit to study Ohm’s law as shown in Figure 12.6. His
teacher told that the circuit diagram needs correction. Study the circuit diagram and
redraw it after making all corrections.

Ans. Correct diagram is as follows:

20. Three 2 Ω resistors, A, B and C, are connected as shown in Figure 12.7. Each of them
dissipates energy and can withstand a maximum power of 18 W without melting. Find
the maximum current that can flow through the three resistors?

Ans. Current can be calculated as follows:

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or,

or,

or,

This is the maximum current that can flow through the given resistors.

21. Should the resistance of an ammeter be low or high? Give reason.

Ans. Resistance of ammeter should ideally be zero so that ammeter should not affect the
flow of current in circuit. Hence, resistance of an ammeter should be very low because zero
resistance is not possible in real life.

22. Draw a circuit diagram of an electric circuit containing a cell, a key, an ammeter, a
resistor of 2 Ω in series with a combination of two resistors (4 Ω each) in parallel and a
voltmeter across the parallel combination. Will the potential difference across the 2 Ω
resistor be the same as that across the parallel combination of 4 Ω resistors? Give
reason.

Ans.

Total resistance for parallel combination of resistors can be calculated as follows:

or,

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Thus, resistance of parallel combination is equal to resistance of resistors in series. So,
potential difference across resistance will be same as potential difference across the
other two resistors which are connected in parallel.

23. How does use of a fuse wire protect electrical appliances?

Ans. Fuse wire has high resistance than current rating of the main wiring. So, whenever
there is a surge in electric current, the fuse wire melts and breaks the circuit. This prevents
any damage to the electrical appliances. Thus, a fuse wire protects electrical appliances.

24. What is electrical resistivity? In a series electrical circuit comprising a resistor

made up of a metallic wire, the ammeter reads 5 A. The reading of the ammeter
decreases to half when the length of the wire is doubled. Why?

Ans. The inherent property of a conductor because of which it resists the flow of electric
current is called resistivity. Resistivity for a particular material is unique.

Resistance varies directly as length of the conductor.

Current varies inversely as resistance.

So, when length of the wire is doubled, its resistance becomes double. When resistance
becomes double, current becomes half.

This explains why the reading of ammeter decreases to half when the length of the wire is
doubled.

25. What is the commercial unit of electrical energy? Represent it in terms of joules.

Ans. The commercial unit of electrical energy is kilowatt hour.

1 kWh = 11000 W h

1000 W h= (1000 Joule/second) ×hour

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=3600×1000J

=3.6×

26. A current of 1 ampere flows in a series circuit containing an electric lamp and a
conductor of 5 Ω when connected to a 10 V battery. Calculate the resistance of the
electric lamp. Now if a resistance of 10 Ω is connected in parallel with this series
combination, what change (if any) in current flowing through 5 Ω conductor and
potential difference across the lamp will take place? Give reason.

Ans. Total resistance of circuit can be calculated as follows:

Since lamp and conductor are in series so resistance of lamp

The new resistance in parallel to earlier combination has same value, i.e. as the
resistance of series combination. This means that the amount of current would be equally
divided into two branches. Hence, 0.5A current will flow through conductor.

Now, resistance remains the same but current has become half. Using Ohm formula,
potential difference across the lamp can be calculated as follows:

27. Why is parallel arrangement used in domestic wiring?

Ans. In parallel arrangement, total resistance of the circuit is less than arithmetic sum of
resistors in the wiring. This helps in reducing the load on the wiring. In parallel
arrangement, each appliance can have its independent switch. Fault in one section is not
going to affect any other section. These advantages make parallel arrangement ideal of
domestic wiring.

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28. B1, B2 and B3 are three identical bulbs connected as shown in Figure 12.8. When all

the three bulbs glow, a current of 3A is recorded by the ammeter A.

(i) What happens to the glow of the other two bulbs when the bulb B1 gets fused?

Ans. In parallel circuit, potential difference does not get divided. Hence, glow of other bulbs
will not be affected when bulb B1 gets fused.

(ii) What happens to the reading of A1, A2, A3 and A when the bulb B2 gets fused?

Ans. Ammeter A shows a reading of 3A. This means each of the A1, A2, and A3 show 1A

reading.

When the bulb B2 gets fused, no current flows through this bulb. So, all the current is equally

divided between remaining two bulbs. So, ammeters A1 and A2 will show 3/2 = 1.5 A current

each. Ammeter A3 will show zero current.

(iii) How much power is dissipated in the circuit when all the three bulbs glow together?

Ans. For finding power, we need to first calculate the resistance in the circuit.

Now,

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 Long Answer Questions

29. Three incandescent bulbs of 100 W each are connected in series in an electric
circuit. In another circuit another set of three bulbs of the same wattage are connected
in parallel to the same source.

(a) Will the bulb in the two circuits glow with the same brightness? Justify your answer.

Ans. Voltage gets divided in series combination, So bulbs in series combination will glow
with less brightness. Voltage does not get divided in parallel combination, so bulbs in parallel
combination will glow with more brightness.

(b) Now let one bulb in both the circuits get fused. Will the rest of the bulbs continue to glow
in each circuit? Give reason.

Ans. In case of series combination, fault in even a single component will break the circuit.
So, when one of the bulbs gets fused; another bulb would continue to glow.

30. State Ohm’s law? How can it be verified experimentally? Does it hold good under all
conditions? Comment.

Ans. Ohm’s Law: At constant temperature, potential difference across a conductor is directly
proportional to electric current passing through it. If V is the potential difference and I is
electric current, then as per Ohm’s law;

or,

Where R is the constant of proportionality and it is called resistance.

Verifying Ohm’s Law:

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 Take a nichrome wire, some electric cells, key, voltmeter and ammeter.
Connect the component to make a circuit; as shown in given figure.
Start with 1 cell in the circuit. Switch on the key and take the reading of ammeter.
Increase the number of cells to 2. Switch on the key and take the reading of ammeter.
Increase the number of cells in similar increments and take the reading of ammeter
in each case.

Tabulate your data and plot a V-I graph.

The graph shows that potential difference varies directly as electric current. Ohm’s law holds
good under normal conditions. But, it may not hold good under exceptional conditions.

31. What is electrical resistivity of a material? What is its unit? Describe an experiment
to study the factors on which the resistance of conducting wire depends.

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Ans. The inherent property of a conductor because of which it resists the flow of electric
current is called resistivity. Resistivity for a particular material is unique.
The SI unit of resistivity is (Ohm metre).
Experiment to study the factors on which resistance of conducting wire depends:

Take an ammeter, electric cell, plug key, nichrome wire and wires of different
materials.
Make the circuit as shown in figure.
Start the experiment with nichrome wire. Attach it in the circuit and take ammeter
reading.
Change the length of nichrome wire and take ammeter reading.
Change the thickness of nichrome wire and take ammeter reading.
After above steps, use copper wire for the experiment. Attach a copper wire in the
circuit and take ammeter reading.
Change the length of copper wire and take ammeter reading.
Change the thickness of copper wire and take ammeter reading.
Repeat above steps with wires of different materials.

Observations:

It is seen that resistance depends on material of conductor.

Resistance depends on length of conductor.
Resistance depends on area of cross-section.

32. How will you infer with the help of an experiment that the same current flows
through every part of the circuit containing three resistances in series connected to a
battery?

Ans.

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Take three resistances R1, R2 and R3.

Connect them in series combination to complete a circuit; as shown in figure.

First of all, connect the ammeter between battery and R1 and take its reading.

After that, connect the ammeter between R1 and R2 and take its reading.

Then, connect the ammeter between R2 and R3 and take its reading.

Observation:

It is observed that ammeter shows same reading in all situation. This shows that same
current flows through every part of the circuit containing three resistances in series.

33. How will you conclude that the same potential difference (voltage) exists across
three resistors connected in a parallel arrangement to a battery?

Ans.

Take three resistors R1, R2, and R3 and connect them in parallel to make a circuit; as

shown in figure.
Use voltmeter to take reading of potential difference of three resistors in parallel
combination.
Now, remove the resistor R1 and take the reading of potential difference of remaining

resistors’ combination.
Then, remove the resistor R2 and take the reading of potential difference of remaining

resistor.

Observation: Voltmeter reading was same in each case. This shows that the same potential
difference exists across three resistors connected in a parallel arrangement.

34. What is Joule’s heating effect? How can it be demonstrated experimentally? List its
four applications in daily life.

Ans. The Joule’s Law of Heating states that the heat produced in a resistor is:

(a) Directly proportional to the square of current for a given resistor.

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(b) Directly proportional to resistance for a given current, and

(c) Directly proportional to the time for which the current flows through the resistor.

This can be expressed by following equation:

Here; I is electric current, R is resistance, t is time and H is heating effect.

Experiment to Demonstrate Joule’s Law of Heating:

In this experiment, we will show the effect of current on heating.

Take a water heating immersion rod and connect to a socket which is connected to
regulator. It is important to recall that a regulator controls the amount of current
flowing through a device.
Keep the pointer of regulator on minimum and count the time taken by immersion
rod to heat a certain amount of water.
Increase the pointer of regulator to next level. Count the time taken by immersion rod
to heat the same amount of water.
Repeat above step for higher levels on regulator to count the time.

Observation: It is seen that with increased amount of electric current, less time is required
to heat the same amount of water. This shows Joule’s Law of Heating.

Application: Electric toaster, oven, electric kettle and electric heater etc. work on the basis of
heating effect of current.

35. Find out the following in the electric circuit given in Figure 12.9

(a) Effective resistance of two 8 Ω resistors in the combination

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Ans. These resistors are in parallel, so effective resistance can be calculated as follows:

or,

(b) Current flowing through 4 Ω resistor

Ans. For this, we first need to find effective resistance in the circuit,

or

(c) Potential difference across 4 Ω resistance

Ans. Potential difference is getting divided into two resistance of each. Hence, potential
difference across

(d) Power dissipated in 4 Ω resistor

Ans.

(e) Difference in ammeter readings, if any.

Ans. Since resistors are connected in series, so there will be no difference in ammeter
reading.

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