ELECTROSTATICS AND ELECTRICITY

1. Two free point charges +q and +4q are a distance L apart. A 3rd charge is so placed that
that the entire system is in equilibrium. Find the sign, magnitude and location of the
third charge.
Ans: -4q/9 located between the charges 1/3 L from q

2. A length of wire is cut in half and the two lengths are wrapped together side by side to
make a thicker wire. How does the resistance of this new combination compare to the
resistance of the original wire?
Ans: R1 = 4R2

3. A person accidentally leaves a car with the lights on. If each of the two front lights uses
30 W and the two rear lights, 15 watts, how long will a fresh 15 volt battery last if it is
rated at 100 Ah?
Ans: 16.67 hrs.

4. There are approximately 5 million TVs in the Philippines. Each uses, on average 80 watts
of power from a 220 V power source and is turned on for 7 hours/day. If the electrical
energy costs PhP 5.00 per kWh, how much money is spent everyday in keeping the TVs
turned on? How much heat is released in the air if 5% of the energy dissipates as heat?
Ans: PhP 14 million and 504 gigajoules

5. An electric kettle contains 2L of water which it heats from 20oC to boiling point in 5
minutes. The supply voltage is 200 V and a kWh unit costs PhP 5.00. a) Calculate the
power consumed, b) the cost of using this kettle under this conditions six times, c) the
resistance of the heating element and d) the current in the element.
Ans: a) 2.2325 kW b) PhP 5.58
c) 17.92 Ω d) 11.16 A

6. A bird stands on an electric transmission line carrying 2.5 kA. The line has 2.5 x 10-5 Ω
resistance per meter and the bird’s feet are 4.0 cm apart. What voltage does the bird
feel?
Ans: 2.5 millivolts

7. In an electrical brown-out, a light’s output drops from its usual 60 watts at 120 V. If the
voltage was cut half and the power dropped to 20 watts during brown-out, what is the
ratio of the bulb’s resistance at full power to the resistance during brown-out?
Ans: 4:3
8. A mercury cell with a capacity of 1.5 Ah and a potential difference of 1.35 volts is to be
used to power a cardiac pacemaker. A) If the power required is 1000 μW, how long will
the cell last? B) What will be the average current?
Ans: a) 84.375 days b) 0.741 milliampere