ACTIVITY 5

ofa wire for a

T o study the variation in potential drop with length
steady current.

ORARATUS REQUIRED 0 to 6 V or a battery,

rheostat, a

a battery eliminator of range

lOmeter,
VoltmefO n e way key, connecting wires, sand paper ec

THEORY that when a steady

current i8

he working eometer
1s based upon the
principle
cross-section,
the potential drop
acrOSs any portion

through
rough a wire of uniform
orm area of
length of the wire.
to the
LTectly proportional
 134 RATORY GKILLB PHYSIEts
nection A wich a
Carryingn nteod.
ser a wire I of uniform area of croaa ady rur
thivugh Uselt ax shown n hguy .

lie Battery

mea

A-5.1

certain porti0n, 1.t,,

F o the wire whose resie
1 be potential differenee across
V atate
Let
1s A. then according to Ohm's law
V = IR
Kinow
AS We
tha

of wire
Where p =
specific resistance
wire
length of the portion P
of the
from eq.i) and ( ) ,

made
such
through a wre ot unilorm area cross-section; then
f
a constant
current lows
p. I and A are constant and we have
V = constant (k) xl or
V
of
Hence i
a constant electric current tlows through a wire of uniform area cro
to the lengo
gTOSs then the difference
potential the wire is
along directly proportional
section,
selec of t h e wire.
resul

instn
i5 cal
PROCEDURE
1. Draw a neat circuit diagram of the experimental arrangement as 5how
fgure A-5.1 and remove the insulating material from the ends of the conne
calib wire by a sand paper.
shoul E, a rheostat, an ammeter, key (R) as **

limit
2. Arrange the battery
in figure A-5.1.
and a one way
C.S negatne
and c 3. Also connect the positive terminal of voltmotor to the end P and the " b
terminal o the voltmeter to a jockoy, i.e., slido along the w
0.1 cr
potentiometer.
4. Place and press the jockey at 50 em mark on the wire PQ and note the v
readings.
5. Now keep the Jockey at the difforent longths of wire away n ten
with Note the readings of voltmeter by prensing the jackoy nt
iro 0d
A 250 cm length on the potentiomotor wiro. 0
 135
emnES
SERVATIONS

A g of the volmeter
...
Volt
eount of the voltmotor
. .

The
drop w i t h length
e i
l v a s t

ble
Table ffor
o Potentinl
Length of polentiometer Reading of voltmeler (V) fin volts
SNo
wire ( i n em)
Obnerved Corrected
50
100

200

cONCLUSIONS

is the potential drop along the length of

mmthe observation table, it
length
found
to the
that
wire. of the
wire is

indly proportional
Sote: You may plot the graph between the potential drop and corresponding
nes of length of the potentiometer wire. The graphs comes to be a straight line
sshown figure A-5.2.
in

leni ena drop

and lengin or ine potenuomerer I r e
d
.

Scale
X axis: 1 c m - - - - -
axis: 1 cm--

O Length of polentiometer (in cm)

Fig. A-5.2
araph between polential drop and length
of the potentiometer wire

length of wire is directly

epotential drop along the
rtional to the
rtional to the length
of the
wire
RECAUTIONS
1.
Electric
The circuit should be connected tightly and nontly.
3 Key J should be pressed gently.
Meading sho be taken over entire length of the wire.