Questions

1. When an electric cell is connected to a circuit, electrons flow 9. If a rectangular solid made of carbon has sides of lengths a,
away from the negative terminal in the circuit. But within 2a, and 3a, to which faces would you connect the wires
the cell, electrons flow to the negative terminal. Explain. from a battery so as to obtain (a) the least resistance, (b) the
2. When a flashlight is operated, what is being used up: bat- greatest resistance?
tery current, battery voltage, battery energy, battery power, 10. Explain why lightbulbs almost always burn out just as they
or battery resistance? Explain. are turned on and not after they have been on for some time.
3. What quantity is measured by a battery rating given in 11. Which draws more current, a 100-W lightbulb or a 75-W
ampere-hours (A! h)? Explain. bulb? Which has the higher resistance?
4. Can a copper wire and an aluminum wire of the same 12. Electric power is transferred over large distances at very
length have the same resistance? Explain. high voltages. Explain how the high voltage reduces power
losses in the transmission lines.
5. One terminal of a car battery is said to be connected to
“ground.” Since it is not really connected to the ground, 13. A 15-A fuse blows out repeatedly. Why is it dangerous to
what is meant by this expression? replace this fuse with a 25-A fuse?
14. When electric lights are operated on low-frequency ac (say,
6. The equation P = V2!R indicates that the power dissipated
5 Hz), they flicker noticeably. Why?
in a resistor decreases if the resistance is increased, whereas
the equation P = I 2R implies the opposite. Is there a 15. Driven by ac power, the same electrons pass back and
contradiction here? Explain. forth through your reading lamp over and over again.
Explain why the light stays lit instead of going out after the
7. What happens when a lightbulb burns out?
first pass of electrons.
8. If the resistance of a small immersion heater (to heat water 16. The heating element in a toaster is made of Nichrome wire.
for tea or soup, Fig. 18–32) was increased, would it speed up Immediately after the toaster is turned on, is the current
or slow down the heating process? Explain. magnitude AIrms B in the wire increasing, decreasing, or staying
constant? Explain.
17. Is current used up in a resistor? Explain.
18. Why is it more dangerous to turn on an electric appliance
when you are standing outside in bare feet than when you
are inside wearing shoes with thick soles?
*19. Compare the drift velocities and electric currents in two
wires that are geometrically identical and the density of
atoms is similar, but the number of free electrons per atom
in the material of one wire is twice that in the other.
*20. A voltage V is connected across a wire of length l and
radius r. How is the electron drift speed affected if (a) l is
FIGURE 18–32 doubled, (b) r is doubled, (c) V is doubled, assuming in
Question 8. each case that other quantities stay the same?

MisConceptual Questions
1. When connected to a battery, a lightbulb glows brightly. If 4. Electrons carry energy from a battery to a lightbulb. What
the battery is reversed and reconnected to the bulb, the bulb happens to the electrons when they reach the lightbulb?
will glow (a) The electrons are used up.
(a) brighter. (c) with the same brightness. (b) The electrons stay in the lightbulb.
(b) dimmer. (d) not at all. (c) The electrons are emitted as light.
2. When a battery is connected to a lightbulb properly, cur- (d) Fewer electrons leave the bulb than enter it.
rent flows through the lightbulb and makes it glow. How (e) None of the above.
much current flows through the battery compared with the 5. Where in the circuit of Fig. 18–33
lightbulb? is the current the largest, (a), (b),
(a) More. (c), or (d)? Or (e) it is the same
(c)
(b) Less. at all points?
(c) The same amount. (b)
(d) No current flows through the battery.
3. Which of the following statements about Ohm’s law is true? FIGURE 18–33 + 1.5 V
–

(a) Ohm’s law relates the current through a wire to the MisConceptual Question 5. (a) (d)
voltage across the wire.
6. When you double the voltage across a certain material or
(b) Ohm’s law holds for all materials.
device, you observe that the current increases by a factor
(c) Any material that obeys Ohm’s law does so
of 3. What can you conclude?
independently of temperature.
(a) Ohm’s law is obeyed, because the current increases
(d) Ohm’s law is a fundamental law of physics.
when V increases.
(e) Ohm’s law is valid for superconductors.
(b) Ohm’s law is not obeyed in this case.
520 CHAPTER 18 Electric Currents (c) This situation has nothing to do with Ohm’s law.
 7. When current flows through a resistor, 10. Nothing happens when birds land on a power line, yet we
(a) some of the charge is used up by the resistor. are warned not to touch a power line with a ladder. What
(b) some of the current is used up by the resistor. is the difference?
(c) Both (a) and (b) are true. (a) Birds have extremely high internal resistance
(d) Neither (a) nor (b) is true. compared to humans.
(b) There is little to no voltage drop between a bird’s two
8. The unit kilowatt-hour is a measure of feet, but there is a significant voltage drop between
(a) the rate at which energy is transformed. the top of a ladder touching a power line and the
(b) power. bottom of the ladder on the ground.
(c) an amount of energy. (c) Dangerous current comes from the ground only.
(d) the amount of power used per second. (d) Most birds don’t understand the situation.
9. Why might a circuit breaker open if you plug too many 11. When a light switch is turned on, the light comes on imme-
electrical devices into a single circuit? diately because
(a) The voltage becomes too high. (a) the electrons coming from the power source move
(b) The current becomes too high. through the initially empty wires very fast.
(c) The resistance becomes too high. (b) the electrons already in the wire are instantly “pushed”
(d) A circuit breaker will not “trip” no matter how many by a voltage difference.
electrical devices you plug into the circuit. (c) the lightbulb may be old with low resistance. It would
take longer if the bulb were new and had high
resistance.
(d) the electricity bill is paid. The electric company can
make it take longer when the bill is unpaid.

For assigned homework and other learning materials, go to the MasteringPhysics website.

Problems
18–2 and 18–3 Electric Current, Resistance, Ohm’s Law 9. (II) A hair dryer draws 13.5 A when plugged into a 120-V
(Note: The charge on one electron is 1.60 * 10 –19 C.) line. (a) What is its resistance? (b) How much charge
passes through it in 15 min? (Assume direct current.)
1. (I) A current of 1.60 A flows in a wire. How many elec-
trons are flowing past any point in the wire per second? 10. (II) A 4.5-V battery is connected to a bulb whose resistance
is 1.3 ". How many electrons leave the battery per minute?
2. (I) A service station charges a battery using a current of
6.7 A for 5.0 h. How much charge passes through the battery? 11. (II) An electric device draws 5.60 A at 240 V. (a) If the
3. (I) What is the current in amperes if 1200 Na± ions flow voltage drops by 15%, what will be the current, assuming
across a cell membrane in 3.1 ms? The charge on the nothing else changes? (b) If the resistance of the device were
sodium is the same as on an electron, but positive. reduced by 15%, what current would be drawn at 240 V?
4. (I) What is the resistance of a toaster if 120 V produces a
current of 4.6 A? 18–4 Resistivity
5. (I) What voltage will produce 0.25 A of current through a 12. (I) What is the diameter of a 1.00-m length of tungsten
4800-" resistor? wire whose resistance is 0.32 "?
6. (I) How many coulombs are there in a 75 ampere-hour car
battery? 13. (I) What is the resistance of a 5.4-m length of copper wire
1.5 mm in diameter?
7. (II) (a) What is the current in the element of an electric
clothes dryer with a resistance of 8.6 " when it is connected 14. (II) Calculate the ratio of the resistance of 10.0 m of alu-
to 240 V? (b) How much charge passes through the ele- minum wire 2.2 mm in diameter, to 24.0 m of copper wire
ment in 50 min? (Assume direct current.) 1.8 mm in diameter.
8. (II) A bird stands on a dc electric transmission line carrying 15. (II) Can a 2.2-mm-diameter copper wire have the same
4100 A (Fig. 18–34). The line has 2.5 * 10–5 " resistance resistance as a tungsten wire of the same length? Give numer-
per meter, and the bird’s feet are 4.0 cm apart. What is the ical details.
potential difference between the bird’s feet?
16. (II) A certain copper wire has a resistance of 15.0 ". At
what point along its length must the wire be cut so that the
resistance of one piece is 4.0 times the resistance of the
other? What is the resistance of each piece?
17. (II) Compute the voltage drop along a 21-m length of
household no. 14 copper wire (used in 15-A circuits). The
wire has diameter 1.628 mm and carries a 12-A current.
18. (II) Two aluminum wires have the same resistance. If one has
FIGURE 18–34 twice the length of the other, what is the ratio of the diameter
Problem 8. of the longer wire to the diameter of the shorter wire?

Problems 521
19. (II) A rectangular solid made of carbon has sides of lengths 31. (I) An electric car has a battery that can hold 16 kWh of
1.0 cm, 2.0 cm, and 4.0 cm, lying energy (approximately 6 * 107 J). If the battery is designed
y
along the x, y, and z axes, to operate at 340 V, how many coulombs of charge would
respectively (Fig. 18–35). need to leave the battery at 340 V and return at 0 V to equal
Determine the resistance for the stored energy of the battery?
current that passes through 32. (I) An electric car uses a 45-kW (160-hp) motor. If the bat-

cm
the solid in (a) the x direc- tery pack is designed for 340 V, what current would the motor
2.0 cm

0
tion, (b) the y direction,

4.
need to draw from the battery? Neglect any energy losses
and (c) the z direction. in getting energy from the battery to the motor.
Assume the resistivity is x
33. (II) A 120-V hair dryer has two settings: 950 W and 1450 W.
r = 3.0 * 10–5 " ! m. (a) At which setting do you guess the resistance to be higher?
After making a guess, determine the resistance at (b) the
lower setting, and (c) the higher setting.
FIGURE 18–35 1.0 cm 34. (II) A 12-V battery causes a current of 0.60 A through a
Problem 19. z
resistor. (a) What is its resistance, and (b) how many joules
of energy does the battery lose in a minute?
20. (II) A length of wire is cut in half and the two lengths are
35. (II) A 120-V fish-tank heater is rated at 130 W. Calculate
wrapped together side by side to make a thicker wire. How
(a) the current through the heater when it is operating, and
does the resistance of this new combination compare to the
(b) its resistance.
resistance of the original wire?
36. (II) You buy a 75-W lightbulb in Europe, where electricity
21. (II) How much would you have to raise the temperature of is delivered at 240 V. If you use the bulb in the United States
a copper wire (originally at 20°C) to increase its resistance at 120 V (assume its resistance does not change), how bright
by 12%? will it be relative to 75-W 120-V bulbs? [Hint: Assume
22. (II) Determine at what temperature aluminum will have roughly that brightness is proportional to power consumed.]
the same resistivity as tungsten does at 20°C. 37. (II) How many kWh of energy does a 550-W toaster use in
23. (II) A 100-W lightbulb has a resistance of about 12 " when the morning if it is in operation for a total of 5.0 min? At a
cold (20°C) and 140 " when on (hot). Estimate the tem- cost of 9.0 cents!kWh, estimate how much this would add
perature of the filament when hot assuming an average to your monthly electric energy bill if you made toast four
temperature coefficient of resistivity a = 0.0045 (C°)–1. mornings per week.
24. (III) A length of aluminum wire is connected to a precision 38. (II) At $0.095!kWh, what does it cost to leave a 25-W
10.00-V power supply, and a current of 0.4212 A is precisely porch light on day and night for a year?
measured at 23.5°C. The wire is placed in a new environment 39. (II) What is the total amount of energy stored in a 12-V,
of unknown temperature where the measured current is 65 A! h car battery when it is fully charged?
0.3818 A. What is the unknown temperature? 40. (II) An ordinary flashlight uses two D-cell 1.5-V batteries
25. (III) For some applications, it is important that the value connected in series to provide 3.0 V across the bulb, as in
of a resistance not change with temperature. For example, Fig. 18–4b (Fig. 18–36). The bulb draws 380 mA when turned
suppose you made a 3.20-k" resistor from a carbon resistor on. (a) Calculate the resistance of the bulb and the power dis-
and a Nichrome wire-wound resistor connected together so sipated. (b) By what factor would the power increase if four
the total resistance is the sum of their separate resistances. D-cells in series (total 6.0 V) were used with the same bulb?
What value should each of these resistors have (at 0°C) so (Neglect heating effects of the filament.) Why shouldn’t you
that the combination is temperature independent? try this?
26. (III) A 10.0-m length of wire consists of 5.0 m of copper
followed by 5.0 m of aluminum, both of diameter 1.4 mm.
A voltage difference of 95 mV is placed across the composite
wire. (a) What is the total resistance (sum) of the two wires? FIGURE 18–36
(b) What is the current through the wire? (c) What are the Problem 40
voltages across the aluminum part and across the copper part? (X-ray of a
flashlight).
18–5 and 18–6 Electric Power
27. (I) What is the maximum power consumption of a 3.0-V port- 41. (II) How many 75-W lightbulbs, connected to 120 V as in
able CD player that draws a maximum of 240 mA of current? Fig. 18–20, can be used without blowing a 15-A fuse?
42. (II) An extension cord made of two wires of diameter
28. (I) The heating element of an electric oven is designed to
0.129 cm (no. 16 copper wire) and of length 2.7 m (9 ft) is
produce 3.3 kW of heat when connected to a 240-V source.
connected to an electric heater which draws 18.0 A on a
What must be the resistance of the element?
120-V line. How much power is dissipated in the cord?
29. (I) What is the maximum voltage that can be applied across 43. (II) You want to design a portable electric blanket that runs
a 3.9-k" resistor rated at 14 watt? on a 1.5-V battery. If you use a 0.50-mm-diameter copper
30. (I) (a) Determine the resistance of, and current through, wire as the heating element, how long should the wire be if
a 75-W lightbulb connected to its proper source voltage of you want to generate 18 W of heating power? What happens
110 V. (b) Repeat for a 250-W bulb. if you accidentally connect the blanket to a 9.0-V battery?

522 CHAPTER 18 Electric Currents

44. (II) A power station delivers 750 kW of power at 12,000 V 54. (II) A heater coil connected to a 240 -Vrms ac line has a
to a factory through wires with total resistance 3.0 ". How resistance of 38 ". (a) What is the average power used?
much less power is wasted if the electricity is delivered at (b) What are the maximum and minimum values of the
50,000 V rather than 12,000 V? instantaneous power?
45. (III) A small immersion heater can be used in a car to heat a
*18–8 Microscopic View of Electric Current
cup of water for coffee or tea. If the heater can heat 120 mL
of water from 25°C to 95°C in 8.0 min, (a) approximately *55. (II) A 0.65-mm-diameter copper wire carries a tiny dc
how much current does it draw from the car’s 12-V battery, current of 2.7 mA. Estimate the electron drift velocity.
and (b) what is its resistance? Assume the manufacturer’s *56. (II) A 4.80-m length of 2.0-mm-diameter wire carries a
claim of 85% efficiency. 750-mA dc current when 22.0 mV is applied to its ends. If the
46. (III) The current in an electromagnet connected to a 240-V drift velocity is 1.7 * 10 –5 m!s, determine (a) the resistance R
line is 21.5 A. At what rate must cooling water pass over of the wire, (b) the resistivity r, and (c) the number n of
the coils for the water temperature to rise no more than free electrons per unit volume.
6.50 C°? *57. (III) At a point high in the Earth’s atmosphere, He2± ions
18–7 Alternating Current in a concentration of 2.4 * 1012!m3 are moving due north
at a speed of 2.0 * 106 m!s. Also, a 7.0 * 1011!m3 con-
47. (I) Calculate the peak current in a 2.7-k" resistor connected centration of O2– ions is moving due south at a speed of
to a 220-V rms ac source. 6.2 * 106 m!s. Determine the magnitude and direction of
48. (I) An ac voltage, whose peak value is 180 V, is across a 310-" the net current passing through unit area AA!m2 B.
resistor. What are the rms and peak currents in the resistor?
49. (II) Estimate the resistance of the 120 -Vrms circuits in your *18–10 Nerve Conduction
house as seen by the power company, when (a) everything *58. (I) What is the magnitude of the electric field across an
electrical is unplugged, and (b) two 75-W lightbulbs are on. axon membrane 1.0 * 10–8 m thick if the resting potential
50. (II) The peak value of an alternating current in a 1500-W is –70 mV?
device is 6.4 A. What is the rms voltage across it? *59. (II) A neuron is stimulated with an electric pulse. The action
51. (II) An 1800-W arc welder is connected to a 660 -Vrms ac line. potential is detected at a point 3.70 cm down the axon
Calculate (a) the peak voltage and (b) the peak current. 0.0052 s later. When the action potential is detected 7.20 cm
52. (II) Each channel of a stereo receiver is capable of an from the point of stimulation, the time required is 0.0063 s.
average power output of 100 W into an 8-" loudspeaker What is the speed of the electric pulse along the axon? (Why
(see Fig. 18–14). What are the rms voltage and the rms are two measurements needed instead of only one?)
current fed to the speaker (a) at the maximum power of *60. (III) During an action potential, Na± ions move into the
100 W, and (b) at 1.0 W when the volume is turned down? cell at a rate of about 3 * 10–7 mol!m2 ! s. How much power
53. (II) Determine (a) the maximum instantaneous power dissi- must be produced by the “active Na± pumping” system to
pated by a 2.2-hp pump connected to a 240 -Vrms ac power produce this flow against a ±30-mV potential difference?
source, and (b) the maximum current passing through the pump. Assume that the axon is 10 cm long and 20 mm in diameter.

General Problems
61. A person accidentally leaves a car with the lights on. If each 63. What is the average current drawn by a 1.0-hp 120-V motor?
of the two headlights uses 40 W and each of the two taillights (1 hp = 746 W.)
6 W, for a total of 92 W, how long will a fresh 12-V battery 64. The conductance G of an object is defined as the reciprocal
last if it is rated at 75 A! h? Assume the full 12 V appears of the resistance R; that is, G = 1!R. The unit of con-
across each bulb. ductance is a mho A = ohm–1 B, which is also called the
siemens (S). What is the conductance (in siemens) of an
62. A sequence of potential differences V is applied across object that draws 440 mA of current at 3.0 V?
a wire (diameter = 0.32 mm, length = 11 cm) and the
65. The heating element of a 110-V, 1500-W heater is 3.8 m long.
resulting currents I are measured as follows:
If it is made of iron, what must its diameter be?
66. (a) A particular household uses a 2.2-kW heater 2.0 h!day
V (V) 0.100 0.200 0.300 0.400 0.500 (“on” time), four 100-W lightbulbs 6.0 h!day, a 3.0-kW
I (mA) 72 142 218 290 357 electric stove element for a total of 1.0 h!day, and miscel-
laneous power amounting to 2.0 kWh!day. If electricity
(a) If this wire obeys Ohm’s law, graphing I vs. V will result costs $0.115 per kWh, what will be their monthly bill (30 d)?
in a straight-line plot. Explain why this is so and determine (b) How much coal (which produces 7500 kcal!kg) must be
the theoretical predictions for the straight line’s slope and burned by a 35%-efficient power plant to provide the yearly
y-intercept. (b) Plot I vs. V. Based on this plot, can you needs of this household?
conclude that the wire obeys Ohm’s law (i.e., did you 67. A small city requires about 15 MW of power. Suppose that
obtain a straight line with the expected y-intercept, within instead of using high-voltage lines to supply the power, the
the values of the significant figures)? If so, determine the power is delivered at 120 V. Assuming a two-wire line of
wire’s resistance R. (c) Calculate the wire’s resistivity and 0.50-cm-diameter copper wire, estimate the cost of the
use Table 18–1 to identify the solid material from which it energy lost to heat per hour per meter. Assume the cost of
is composed. electricity is about 12 cents per kWh.

General Problems 523