Sample Problem on Current

1. Current Density and Drift Velocity in a Wire. An 18-gauge copper wire (the size usually used for
lamp cords) has a nominal diameter of a 1.02mm. This wire carries a constant current of 1.67A
to a 200-W lamp. The density of free electrons is 8.5 x 1028 electrons per cubic meter. Find the
magnitudes of
a. The current density
b. The drift velocity
2. A current of 3.6A flow through an automobile headlight. How many coulombs of charge flow
through the headlight in 5 hrs?
3. A silver wire 2.6mm in diameter transfer a charge of 420C in 80min. Silver contains 5.8 x 1028
free electrons per cubic meter.
a. What is the current in the wire?
b. What is the magnitude of the drift velocity of the electrons in the wire?
4. Copper has 8.5 x 1028 free electrons per cubic meter. A 71-cm length of a 12-gauge wire which
2.05mm in diameter carries 4.85A of current.
a. How much time does it take for an electron to travel the length of the wire?
b. Repeat part (a) for a 6-gauge copper wire (diameter 4.12mm) of the same length that
carries the same current.
c. Generally speaking, how does changing the diameter of a wire that carries a given
amount of current affect the drift velocity of the electrons in the wire?
5. Each second, 1017 electrons flow from the right to the left across a cross section of a wire
attached to the two terminals of a battery. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric
current in the wire.
6. Suppose that all people on the world move at the same speed around a circular track 20m in
diameter. Approximately how many times per second would each person have to pass the
starting line so that the people current would be the same as the number of electrons passing a
cross section in a wire when a 1-A current flows?