Chapter No.

01
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ELECTRICITY
Short Questions
1. Define Atom?
Ans: All the mattes are composed of small particles which are called as atoms. Atom cannot exist freely as a single particle and combines with other atoms
and forms molecules. Atom is composed of the three fundamental particles i. Electron, ii. Proton, iii. Neutron

2. Describe structure of an atom?

Ans: According to the present theory of the structure of an atom, an atom consists of three fundamental particles which are called electrons, protons and
neutrons. An atom consists of following parts. (i) External Part. (ii) Internal Part.

External Part:
External part consists of electrons. Electrons are negatively charged particles and the value of this charge is 1.602 × 10−19 coulombs and has mass
9.11 x 10–28 grams or 9.11 x 10–31 Kg. It radius is 1.9 x 10–15 meter. Electrons are the lightest part of an atom.

Internal Part:
Internal part of the atom is called as Nucleus and it consists of two particles i.e. protons and neutrons. Proton is positively charged particle and the
amount of this charge is same as the charge of an electron i.e. 1.6 x 10–19 coulombs the mass of proton is 1836 times heavier than that of the mass of
the electron.

3. What is proton?
Ans: Proton is positively charged particle and the amount of this charge is same as the charge of an electron i.e. 1.6 x 10–19 coulombs the mass of proton is
1836 times heavier than that of the mass of the electron.

4. What is Neutron?
Ans: The neutrons have no charge and its mass is equal to the mass of the proton. So the total mass of an atom is due to the mass of the protons and neutrons.
5. What is electron?
Ans: Electron revolves around the nucleus in fixed paths which are called as orbits. The structure of an atom is shown in figure below. The number of
protons and electrons in an atom is same. Since the electrons are negatively charged and protons are positively charged, a force of attraction exists among
these charges. That is why atom is electrically neutral.
6. Define energy level/shells?
Ans: Electrons revolve around the nucleus in the orbits. These orbits are called shells. These shells are represented by K, L and M etc. The shell which is
closest to the nucleus is called as K shell; next shells are L, M and so on.
Every shell has a fixed number of electrons and is determined by the rule as described below. No. of electron is shell No. n = 2n2 Where n = No. of shell.
No. of electrons in K shell is = 2 (1)2= 2
No. of electrons in L shell is = 2 (2)2 = 8
No. of electrons in M shell is = 2 (3)2= 18

7. Describe valance electrons?

Ans: Electrons in outer most shell are called as the Valence Electrons and this shell is called as the Valence Shell. Valence electrons lightly bound to the
nucleus compared with those electrons which are closer to the nucleus. The reason is that the force of attraction between the positively charged nucleus and
negatively charged electrons decreases with the increase in distance from the nucleus.

8. Describe Conduction Band?

Ans: Conduction Band The higher energy level band is called the Conduction Band.
(a) It is also called as empty band of minimum energy.
(b) This band is partially filled by the electrons.
(c) In this band the electron can get energy from the external electric field
(d) The electrons in the conduction band are called as free electrons. They are able to move anywhere within the volume of the solid.
(e) Current flows due to such electrons.
9. Describe valance band?
Ans: Valence Bands: The energy band formed by a series of energy levels containing the valence electrons is known as valence band. It has following
characteristics.
(a) This band is always filled by electrons.
(b) This is the band of maximum energy.
(c) Electrons are not capable to gain energy from the external electric field.
(d) No flow of current due to such electrons.
(e) The highest energy occupied by the electron at 0 K° in the valence band is called as Fermi Level.

10. Describe forbidden energy gap?

Ans: Forbidden Energy Gap: The energy gap found between the conduction band and the valence band is called as Forbidden Energy Gap. Based on energy
bands materials can also be classified as Conductors, Insulators and Semiconductors. Following figure shows the difference between conductors, insulators
and semiconductors.

11. Define potential and unit of potential?

Ans: Potential: Potential is a force or pressure which maintains the flow the charge through a conductor. It is represented by V and its unit is volt. Normally
potential is measured by specifying a certain reference value. The reference value is normally 0-V. Term Potential difference is also used for potential. The
potential between two points will be 1 volt if one coulomb of charge requires one joule of energy to move this charge between these points. Mathematically
we can say:
1 Volt = 1 Joule/ 1 Coulomb Or 𝑉 = 𝑊/𝑄
W = VQ Where W represents work done in joules.
Unit of Potential (Volt): The SI unit of electric potential is the volt, which is defined as a joule per coulomb. Hence, one joule per coulomb is equal to the
unit of the potential difference. Therefore it will be equal to one Volt. It is denoted by letter “V”.

12. Define current with its unit?

Ans: The rate of flow of charge in a conductor is called current. It is denoted by I.
Mathematically, 𝐼 = 𝑄/𝑡 Where Q is charge in coulomb and t is time in second. The unit of current is Ampere. It can be define as: “If one coulomb of charge
flows in one second through a conductor, the amount of current is one ampere”
Unit of Current (Ampere): The SI unit of electric current is the ampere, or amp, which is the flow of electric charge across a surface at the rate of one
coulomb per second. The ampere (symbol: A) is an SI base unit Electric current is measured using a device called an ammeter. It is denoted by letter “A”.

13. What is difference between electron current and conventional current?

Ans: Conventional Current: The motion of positive charge in the opposite direction to the flow of electrons is called as Conventional Current.
Electron Current: The motion of the negative charge due to the flow of the electrons is called electron current.

Long Questions
1. Describe the structure of atom in detail?
Page 14 topic 1.1.1 to page 17 topic 1.1.4
2. Describe conductor, insulator and semiconductor with reference to the energy band diagram?
Page 18 topic 1.1.5 to page 20 complete topic
3. Explain electrical quantities such as potential, current and resistance with their units?
Page 20 topic 1.2 to page 21 topic 1.2.3