Study Package

Srivastavas
CURRENT ELECTRICITY
1.

Electrical conduction
a)
Current
instantaneous

dq
dt

average

i
b)

q
t

it is scalar
Current density

i A

J
A
c)

Drift velocity
vd

i
eV

neA
ml

mean free path

v d

d)
e)

f)

g)

Ohm's law (in vector form)

J E ,
resistance, resistivity and conductivity
ml
l
1

R
2
ne A
A A
temperature coefficient of resistance
dR
R
R d

R R 0 1 R
temperature coefficient of resistivity
d

d

0 1
Relation between and R
R

h)
i)

equivalent temperature coefficient

series
Req eq R
parallel

eq
Req
j)

k)

Mobility of charge carrier

v
d
E
effect of temperature on conductivity

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Current Electricity & Electrical Conduction

for conductor
for semiconductor

2.

Resistance combination
a)
Series (current remains same in all elements)
Req R
b)

Parallel (potential difference is same across all elements)

1
1

R eq
R

c)

Delta to star conversion : Multiply the neighbors and divide it with the sum
of delta.
C
C

Rc

RBC

RCA

RA
A

RAB

RB

R AB RCA
where R AB R BC RCA

Wheatstone bridge :
a
RA

d)

Q
W

S
b

if P

then bridge is balanced and then Va = Vb. In this situation

Req

e)

P Q R S
P Q R S

Cube solution :

C
D
B
A
i)

Req AB

Srivastavas

3
r
4

(across the face diagonal)

SCO 18, 2nd Floor, Sec. 20 D, CHANDIGARH.

Ph : 0172-6543210

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74

Current Electricity & Electrical Conduction

5
r (across the body diagonal)
6
7
iii)
Req AD
r (across the edge)
12
Symmetry consideration
i)
If line of symmetry is line joining terminals corresponding points in
both halves are equipotential hence fold one half over the other.
ii)
If line of symmetry is perpendicular to line joining terminals all the
points on the line of symmetry are equipotential.
ii)

f)

3.

Req AC

Cell and cell combination

a)
Cell
E

Real cell

deal cell

V E ir iR
E V
ii)

R r
V
Cells in series
E eq E and req r

i)

b)

for identical cells

nE
nr R
if r << R then connecting cells in series is not advisable.
Cells in parallel
E r and 1 1
E eq
req r
1r
for identical cells
nE
E
i

r R r nR
n
if r >> R then connecting cells in parallel is not advisable.
Mixed combination of identical cells (battery) with m rows in parallel, each
containing n cells in series.
nr
E eq nE and req
m
NE
i
where N = mn
mR nr
i is maximum if nr mR and
mE
i max
2r
i

c)

d)

4.

Effects of current
a)
Thermal effect
i)
ii)

V2
R
time taken by two coils to produce same amount of heat
in series
t s t1 t 2
P Vi i 2R

Srivastavas

SCO 18, 2nd Floor, Sec. 20 D, CHANDIGARH.

Ph : 0172-6543210

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75

Current Electricity & Electrical Conduction

in parallel
t1t 2
t1 t 2
A battery produces maximum power in external resistance if internal
resistance of battery is same as external resistance
E2
Pmax
4r
Fuse wire : Low melting point & low resistance wire melts if current
goes beyond its rated limit. Its current rating
tp

iii)

iv)

i r 2,
i T2

b)

Chemical effect
i)
Farad's 1st law :
m q m zq
ii)
Farad's 2nd law :
m Eq
iii)

5.

E
= 96500 C = Ne (one mole of charge)
z

Thermoelectricity
Seebeck effect
a)
i)
Thermo emf

E T 1 T
2

Tn

Ti
Tc

Thot

ii)

b)

c)

d)

Thermoelectric power
dE
S
T
dT
T Tc
iii)
Tn i
2
Peltier effect
peltier coefficient
dH

J C1
dq
Thomson effect
thomson's coefficient
1 dH

T dq
thomson's coefficient for led (Pb) is zero
Relation between thermoelectric coefficients
TS

Srivastavas

SCO 18, 2nd Floor, Sec. 20 D, CHANDIGARH.

Ph : 0172-6543210

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76

Current Electricity & Electrical Conduction

dS
dT

6.

Solutions of simple circuits :

a) At a junction (node) in a circuit, the incoming current equals the outgoing
current. In other words, the algebraic sum of the currents entering any
junction point in a circuit is zero.
b) The algebraic sum of the changes in potential around any closed path is zero.
c) In an electrical circuit the sum of the effects of individual cells is same as the
effect when all of them present simultaneously.

7.

Growth and decay of current in RC circuit (transient behavior)

a) Charging circuit
C
R
A

E
time constant of circuit RC .
E t
ii) i e RC
R
t

iii) Vc E 1 e RC

iv) q q max 1 e RC

i)

v) U 1 CE 2 1 e RC
2

t
2t
2

E RC
e
vi) P
e RC
R

vii) P is maximum at t RC ln 2 and Pmax

8.

b) Discharging circuit

C
+

V2
4R

R
A

i
i)

V0
e
R

RC

ii) Vc V0e

iv) q CV0e

t
RC

t
RC
2t

v) U 1 CV0 2e RC
2

Srivastavas

SCO 18, 2nd Floor, Sec. 20 D, CHANDIGARH.

Ph : 0172-6543210