Homework help sheet 12.

1
Car batteries
1

What is the p.d. across r in terms of I ?

b VAB is the p.d. across the battery terminals, and it is also the p.d. across R, which should make
the calculation of the two current values straightforward. You then need to substitute the values
in Table 1 into the equation given in question 1a. Then you will get two simultaneous linear
equations. Solving these will give both unknown values, E and r.
2

The quantity measured in A h is actually the charge. It is just a larger unit, much as the kW h is
larger than the J. Remember that all the components here are in parallel with each other, so
they each have 12 V across them.

b No calculations are needed here, but you need to think what each of these changes does to the
current drawn from the battery.
3

You need to think what would happen to any resistance that carries such a very large current,
and explain why a thick cable is used, and why copper.

b Remember that the internal resistance is in series with a parallel combination of all of the other
components. What are the lost volts here?

Cambridge International AS and A Level Physics Cambridge University Press 2014