PHYSICS

HANDOUT
ELCTRICITY
GRADE 10

Symbols of different physical quantities

Current I
Charge Q
Potential difference V
Resistance R
Ohm Ω
Resistivity or Specific resistance ρ
Power P
Energy E
Units
Current Ampere
Charge Coulomb
Potential difference Volt
Resistance Ohm
Specific resistance or resistivity Ohm meter (Ωm)
Heat developed & Energy Joule
Power Watt
Commercial unit of electrical energy Kilowatt hour
IMP Formulae
I = Q/T, V = W/Q
V = IR I = V/R R = V/I
R = ρl/A
Series Combination RS = R1+ R2+ R3+……………
Parallel combination 1/RP = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + ……………
H = VIT H = I2RT
P = VI P = I2R P = V2/R, E=PxT

Electric circuit: -
A continuous and closed path of an electric current is called electric circuit.
Electric current (I): -
The amount of charge flowing through a particular area in unit time is called electric current.
Electric current (I) = charge (Q)/time (T)
-SI unit of current is Ampere
1 Ampere: - When 1 coulomb of charge flowing through a particular area of conductor in 1 second, the
electric current flowing through it is called 1 ampere.
1 Ampere = 1 coulomb/1 second
1A = 1C / 1S (or) 1A = 1C S-1
-1 mA = 10 A, 1 µA = 10 A
-3 -6

-Charge of Electron = 1.6 x 10-19 Coulombs

Coulomb: - Coulomb is the SI unit of electric charge. It is denoted with C.
-1 Coulomb is equivalent to the charge carried by 6 x 1018 electrons (1 C = 6 x 1018 electrons)

Potential difference (V): -

The work done to move unit charge from one point to the other is called potential difference.
Potential difference (V) = work done (W)/charge (Q)
-SI unit of potential difference is Volt.
1 Volt: - When 1 joule of work done to move 1 coulomb of charge from one point to the other, the
potential difference is 1 volt. 1 Volt = 1 Joule/1 Coulomb
1V = 1J / 1C (or) 1 V = 1 J C-1

What constitutes an electrical current?

The flow of electric charges across a cross- section of a conductor constitutes an electric current.

Note: The direction of current is opposite to the flow of electrons and is called conventional current.

Ammeter Volt meter

1. Current is measured by ammeter. 1. Potential difference is measured by volt meter.
2. Ammeter is always connected in series. 2. Volt meter is always connected in parallel.
3. Resistance of ammeter is negligible. 3. Resistance of volt meter is infinity.

Ohm’s law: - The electric current flowing through a metallic wire is directly proportional to the potential
difference potential difference at constant temperature.
V∞I
V/I = Constant
V = IR

Note: 1. Slope of V-I graph = Resistance 2. Greater the slope greater is the resistance
Experimental set up to study Ohm’s law:
Sample set of values:

S No Current in amperes(I) Potential Difference in Volts (V) Resistance in ohm’s

(Ammeter reading) (Voltmeter reading) R = V/I (Ω)
1 0.1 0.4 4
2 0.2 0.8 4
3 0.3 1.2 4
4 0.4 1.6 4
5 0.5 2.0 4
6 0.6 2.4 4

Differences between resistance and resistivity: -

Resistance (R) Resistivity (ρ)

1. The property of a conductor to resist the
flow of charges through it is called
resistance of that conductor.
2. SI unit of resistance is Ohm (Ω)
3. Resistance depends on length & area of
cross of a conductor.
1. Resistance offered by a wire of unit cross-
sectional area and unit length is called
resistivity or specific resistance.
2. SI unit of resistivity is Ohm meter (Ωm)
3. It does not depend on length and area of
cross section of a conductor.

Definition of 1 ohm: The resistance of a conductor is said to be 1 ohm if a current of 1 amp flows
through it when a potential difference of 1 volt is applied across its ends.
1 Ohm = 1 volt / 1 ampere
1 Ω = 1V / 1A (or) 1 Ω = 1 VA-1

Factors on which the resistance of a conductor depends: -

1) Length 2) Area of cross section 3) Nature of its material 4) Temperature of the conductor.
1. Length: - If the length of the conductor increases resistance increases i.e. resistance is directly
proportional to the length of the conductor.
R∞l (1)
2. Area of cross section: - If the area of cross section of a conductor increases resistance decreases i.e.
resistance is inversely proportional to the area of cross section of a conductor.
I
R∞ (2)
A
3. Temperature: If the temperature of the conductor increases resistance increases i.e. resistance is
directly proportional to the temperature of the conductor.

Derive the expression for resistivity (specific resistance):

R∞l (1)
I
R∞ (2)
A
From (1)&(2) R ∞ l/A
Whenever proportionality symbol is removed a constant has to be kept. ere the proportionality constant is
known as resistivity (ρ)
R = ρl/A
ρ = RA/l
Deduce the unit for resistivity:
ρ = RA/l
= Ωm2/m
= Ωm
 Important points: Higher the resistivity, higher is the heating effect.
Materials with higher resistivity are used in electric heating devices.

Resistors in series
Resistors are said to be connected in series, if they are joined end to end in the form of a continuous
chain.
Finding equivalent resistance in series: -

Consider three resistances R1, R2 and R3 connected in series. Let V1, V2 and V3 be the P.D s across R1, R2
and R3 respectively.
In series combination the current is same through each resistor.
By ohm’s law, the potential difference across the three resistances will be
V1 = IR1 (1) V2 = IR2 (2) V3 = IR3 (3)
But in series combination VS = V1 + V2 + V3
Substituting the values of V1, V2 and V3

From eqn (1), (2) and (3) VS = I R1 + IR2 + IR3

IRS = IR1 + IR2 + IR3
IRS = I( R1 + R2 + R3)
RS = R1 + R2 + R3

Therefore when several resistors are joined in series, the resistance of the combination RS equals the sum
of their individual resistances R1, R2 and R3.

Key points in series: -

1. Current through each resistor is same ( I is constant)
2. Total voltage across the combination = sum of the voltage drops i.e. V = V1 + V2 + V3
2. 3. Equivalent resistance is larger than the largest individual resistance.
3. 4. For identical resistors RS = n R, where n is no. of resistors & R is resistance of each resistor.

Why is an ammeter connected in series in a circuit?

A. An ammeter is a low resistance device. When it is connected in series in a circuit, the total resistance
of the circuit does not increase appreciably and hence the current in the circuit remains constant.

What happens when an ammeter is placed in parallel with a circuit element?

A. An ammeter is a low resistance device. When it is connected in parallel the resistance of the circuit
increases considerably. A large current flows through the circuit which may damage the ammeter.

Resistors in parallel
Resistors are said to be in parallel, if they are connected in between two common points.
 Finding equivalent resistance in parallel: -

Consider three resistances R1, R2 and R3 connected in parallel. Let V1, V2 and V3 be the P.D s across R1,
R2 and R3 respectively.
In parallel combination the P.D is same through each resistor.
By ohm’s law, the P.D across the three resistances will be
I1 = V/R1 (1) I2 = V/R2 (2) I3 = V/R3 (3)
But in parallel combination IP = V/R1 + V/R2 + V/R3
Substituting the values of I1, I2 and I3
from eqn (1), (2) and (3) IP = V/R1 + V/R2 + V/R3
V/RP = V/R1 + V/R2 + V/R3
V/RP = V( R1 + R2 + R3)
1/RP = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3
Therefore when several resistors are joined in parallel, the reciprocal of the equivalent resistance of the
combination equal to the sum of the reciprocals of the individual resistances.

Key points in parallel: -

1. Voltage across each resistor is same and equal to the applied voltage (V is constant)
2. Total current across the combination = sum of the current through individual resistances
i.e. I = I1 + I2 + I3
3. Equivalent resistance is less than the smallest individual resistance.
4. 4. For identical resistors Rp = R/n, where n is no. of resistors & R is resistance of each resistor.

Why is a volt meter connected in parallel across a circuit?

A volt meter is high resistance device. When it is connected in parallel across any component, it draws
very small current from the main circuit and most of the current passes through that component. Hence
potential difference across the material is not affected.

What happens when a volt meter is connected in series in a circuit?

A volt meter is high resistance device. When it is connected in series, the resistance of the circuit
becomes high. The current decreases considerably. Volt meter will not read the actual potential
difference.
Disadvantages of series combination Advantages of parallel combination

1 In a series circuit the current is constant Thus
it is impracticable to connect an electric bulb
and an electric heater in series, because they
need currents of widely different values to
operate properly.
2 If one electric component fails the circuit is
broken and none of the components works.
3 Total resistance becomes large, the current
gets reduced.
The parallel circuit divides the current through the
electrical devices. Thus we can connect an electric
bulb and an electric heater in parallel.
If one electric component fails, others are not
affected.
Total resistance becomes less; each device gets
the full battery voltage.
Joule’s law of heating: -
Joule’s law implies that heat produced in a resistor is
a. directly proportional to the square of current ( H ∞ I2)
b. directly proportional to the resistance ( H ∞ R)
c. directly proportional to the time ( H ∞ t)
H = I2RT

Electric power(P): -
The rate, at which electric energy is dissipated or consumed in an electric circuit, is called electric power.
Power = Voltage x Current
P = VI

P = VI

P = I2R P = V2/ R

- SI unit of power is Watt.

Watt: - Power of a device said to be 1 watt, if it carries 1 A of current when operated at 1 volt of
potential difference.
1 power = 1 volt x 1 ampere

Watt hour (W h): - One watt hour is the energy consumed when 1 watt of power is used for hour.

Electrical energy: - The total work done in maintaining an electric current in an electric circuit for a
given time is called electric energy.
- Commercial unit of electrical energy is Kilowatt hour, commonly known as Unit.
Relation between Commercial unit of electrical energy and SI unit of energy:
1kWh = 1000 watt x 36000 second
= 3.6 x 106 watt second
= 3.6 x 106 J

Note:
Higher the resistance, lower is the power i.e. the bulb with more power has less resistance. Because
P = V2/R R∞1/P
E.g. 100 W bulb & 60 W bulb: which as more resistance?
As power is inversely proportional to resistance, 60 W bulb as more resistance.

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