Department of Physics Waves and electromagnetism 2.

- Electric currents
UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO E. P. I. de Gijón 2018-19

1. A conducting wire used to transport electricity has a diameter of 2.50 mm and a length of
14.0 m. The resistance between its ends is 0.104 Ω.
1) Find the resistivity of the material?
2) If the electric field in the conductor is 1.28 V/m, what is the current?
3) If the material has 8.5∙1028 free electrons per cubic meter, calculate the drift velocity in
the same conditions as in point 2).
Solution: 1)  = 3.64∙10-8 ∙m 2) I = 172 A 3) vd = 2.58∙10-3 m/s

2. A 2.0 m long wire is built welding the end of a 120 cm long silver wire to the end of 80
cm long copper wire. Both wires have the same circular cross section of diameter 0.60 mm.
The resulting wire is at room temperature, so the silver and copper resistivity are 1.5∙10 -8 and
1.7∙10-8 Ω∙m respectively. A 5.0 V potential between the final wire ends is established.
1) What is the current through a section of the copper part of the wire? And through a
section inside the silver part?
2) What is the electric field ⃗
E at a point in the copper sector? And at a point in the silver
sector?
3) What is the potential difference between the silver ends?
Solution: 1) ICu = IAg = 45 A 2) ECu = 2.7 V/m EAg = 2.3 V/m 3) VAg = 2.8 V

3. The receiver of a global positioning system (GPS), working with batteries, operates at
9.0 V and uses a current of 0.13 A. How much electric energy is consumed is this device in
1.5 hours?
Solution: W = 6a<<318 J

4. Light bulbs are commercially classified according to the power dissipated when it is con-
nected to a 220 V potential difference.
1) What is the resistance of a 100 W light bulb?
2) And for a 60 W light bulb?
3) Calculate the current going through each of the previous light bulbs?
Solution: 1) R1 = 480  2) R2 = 810  3) I1 = 0.46 A I2 = 0.28 A

5. A light bulb is connected to a battery. The tungsten filament has a temperature coefficient
of resistance  = 0.00450 (ºC)-1. When it is first switched on the temperature is 20.0 ºC and the
current is 0.860 A. After 30 s, the current is 0.220 A. What is the temperature of the filament
in that moment? Assume that the thermal expansion of tungsten is null.
Solution: t = 667 ºC

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 Department of Physics Waves and electromagnetism 2.- Electric currents
UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO E. P. I. de Gijón 2018-19

6. The potential difference between two points in a wire 75.0 cm apart is 0.938 V when the
current density is 4.40∙107 A/m2. Calculate:
1) The electric field ⃗
E at a point in the wire.
2) The resistivity of the material of the wire.
Solution: 1) E = 1.25 V/m 2)  = 2.84∙10-8 ∙m

7. We will use a carbon resistor with null thermal expansion to build a thermometer. The
temperature coefficient of resistance of carbon is  = –5.00·10–4 (ºC)-1. During a winter day
when the temperature is 4.00ºC, the resistance in the carbon resistor is measured to be 217 Ω.
What is the temperature during a spring day when the resistance is found to be 216 Ω?
Solution: t = 17.8 ºC

8. The heater of an electric stove consists of a conductor embedded inside an isolating mate-
rial, which in turn is inside a metal shell. The heater wire has a resistance of 20 Ω at room
temperature (23 ºC) and a temperature coefficient of resistance α = 2.8∙10-3 (ºC)-1. The heater
operates on a 120 V line.
1) Calculate the current and power dissipated by the heater, when it is first switched on.
2) Find again the current and the power when the heater reaches its operational tempera-
ture 280ºC
Solution: 1) I = 6.0 A P = 720 W 2) I’ = 3.5 A P’ = 420 W

9. The potential difference across a resistor made of nichrome wire was measured for differ-
ent values of the current obtaining the following values:
I (A): 0.50 1.00 2.00 4.00
V (V): 1.94 3.88 7.76 15.52
1) Do a graphical representation of V versus I
2) Does nichrome follow Ohm’s law? Why?
3) What is the resistance of this resistor?
Solution: 3) R = 3.88 

10. Consider the circuit in the side figure with an idealized volt-
meter connected in parallel to a group formed by a 2.0 Ω resistor
and a battery with an emf of 10 V and an internal resistance of
0.50 Ω.
1) Find the current through the 2.0 Ω resistor
2) Find the potential difference between the two terminals of
the battery
3) What is the reading at the voltmeter?
Solution: 1) I = 1.5 A 2) V = 9.2 V 3) V = 6.2 V
11.

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 Department of Physics Waves and electromagnetism 2.- Electric currents
UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO E. P. I. de Gijón 2018-19

12. The circuit in the figure has two resistors and two batteries, each
one with an emf and some internal resistance. Find:
1) The current magnitude and the current direction.
2) Voltage between the terminals at the 16 V battery.
3) Potential difference between points A and C in the circuit
(VAC).
Solution: 1) I = 0.47 A anticlockwise 2) VAB = 15 V
3) VAC = 11 V
13. The circuit in the figure has ideal batteries with neg-Solution: 1)  = 36.4 V 2)
ligible internal resistance. Likewise, consider an idealized I = 0.50 A
voltmeter and an idealized ammeter. When the switch S is
left opened, the reading in the voltmeter shows 15.0 V.
1) Calculate the unknown emf  in the battery shown in the
picture.
2) If we now close the switch, what will be the reading in the
ammeter?

14. For the circuit ABCD in the figure, find:

1) The current I.
2) The potential difference between B and D.
3) Power in each element in the circuit.
4) If we connect a C = 6.0 F capacitor between B and D
(dashed line in the figure), calculate its charge
5) If we then add a new line DF, find the potential difference between C and F
Solution: 1) I = 2.0 A 2) VBD = 10 V 3) P20 V = 40 W P4 V = 8.0 W P5  = 20 W P3  = 12
W
4) Q = 60 C 5) VCF = −6.0 V

15. A capacitor with capacitance 12.4 µF is connected through a 0.895 MΩ resistor to a con-
stant 60,0 V potential. Find:
1) Charge in the capacitor 5.00 s, 10.0 s, 20.0 s and 100 s after the connection.
2) Current at the same times.
Solution: 1) q1 = 270 C q2 = 442 C q3 = 621 C q4 = 744 C
2) I1 = 42.7 A I2 = 27.2 A I3 = 11.1 A I4 = 0.008 A

16. A 12.0 µF capacitor is charged to a 50.0 V potential, and then discharged through a 175 Ω
resistor. How long does it take to:
1) lose half the charge?
2) lose half the stored energy?
Solution: 1) t = 1460 s 2) t = 728 s