ELECTRICITY 3

Physics
 When electrons move through a metal they collide with atoms and lose energy.
 This energy appears as heat.
 The conductor /metal resists the movement of electricity
 Different conductors resist the current by different amounts.
  
 The resistance (R) of a conductor is the ratio of the p.d. across it to the
current flowing through it.
 R=
 The unit of resistance is the ohm (Ω).

RESISTANCE
 Measured with an ohmmeter

RESISTANCE
 The resistance of some conductors changes as the p.d. across them (or the
current through them) changes.
 For other conductors (mainly metals and some liquids) the resistance stays the
same as the voltage across them changes.
  They are called Ohmic conductors and obey ohm’s law.
 Ohm’s law states that for certain conductors (mainly metals), at constant
temperature, the current flowing through them is directly proportional to
the p.d. across them
 i.e. V = a constant

OHM’S LAW
 If resistors are connected in series the total resistance is equal to the sum of the
individual resistors.
 R = R1 + R2 + R3 + ……..

RESISTORS IN SERIES
 If resistors are in parallel
  


RESISTORS IN PARALLEL
QUESTIONS

See page 260

What factors might you consider to affect the resistance of a conductor?
 temperature
 Length
 Material its made from
 Cross sectional area

FACTORS AFFECTING THE

RESISTANCE OF A CONDUCTOR
 The resistance of a uniform conductor is directly proportional to its length.

 So if you doubled the length what would happen to the resistance?

  
 If the length of a conductor is tripled and its resistance of the original length
was 6 Ω what is the resistance now?

RESISTANCE AND LENGTH

 The resistance of a uniform conductor is inversely proportional to its cross
sectional area.

 How do you calculate cross sectional area?

  

 Where r = radius of the circle.

 How do you calculate the radius if you were given the diameter?

RESISTANCE AND CROSS SECTIONAL

AREA
 Combining the above we can say that

  
 Where ρ is a constant and is called the resistivity .
 See questions p 267

RESISTIVITY
 If the value of the resistors are arranged so
that no current flows through the galvanometer
between B and D the bridge is said to be
 balanced.
 
 =
 So if one 3 values are known the unknow can
be worked out.

WHEATSTONE
BRIDGE
 Temperature control: if the value of one of the resistors in a wheatstone bridge
changes due to a change in temperature current will flow in the galvanometer.
This can be used to heat / cool a device/space.
 Fail safe device: in a gas or oil flame burner the pilot light should be on; if it
goes off it could change the resistance in one of the resistors in the wheatstone
bridge and the unbalanced current can be used to turn the fuel off.
 See questions 1-3 p 271

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF A
WHEATSTONE BRIDGE
 James Joule(1818-1889) investigated factors that influence the amount of heat
given out by a current carrying wire.
 He discovered that
 Where
  W = heat given out
 I = current
 R = resistance
 t = time

JAMESJOULE
 = rate at which heat produced = power (P) developed in the wire.
 Therefore P = R
 If
  R is constant then
 Joule’s Law states that the rate at which heat is produced in a conductor is
directly proportional to the square of the current (provided the resistance is
constant).

JOULE’S LAW