Current & Resistance

Lecture 14

• Current and Current Density.

• Ohm’s Law.
• Conductivity, Resistivity, and Resistance.

Serway Sections 27.1, 27.2

 Electric Current
CURRENT I is the charge per unit time flowing
along a conductor:

I  dQ if charge dQ flows past in time dt

dt
Units: 1 ampere (A) = 1 C/s

Direction: by convention, the direction of

movement of positive charge

+ + + - - -
+ + + - - -

I I
2
Determining the current
+ + + + + +
+ + + + A
+ +

L = vd t

Charge passing through cross sectional area A in time t :

Q = (number of particles/volume) x (charge on each one) x volume

Q = n ·q ·(AL) = nqAvd t

Current: I = Q/t = nqAvd t /t

vd = average (“drift”)
So, I = nqAvd
velocity of charges
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Example: A copper wire of cross sectional area 3 x 10-6 m2 carries a
current of 10A. Find the drift velocity of the electrons. Copper has a
density of 8.95g/cm3, and atomic weight of 63.5g/mole. Assume
each atom contributes one free electron.

I  n q A vd vd  I (nqA) n  # charge cm3

I  10 A, A  3  10 6 m 2 ,   8.95 g / cm3 , Avo  6.02  10 23 atom / mole ,
m 63.5 g / mole 3
Vone mole   3
 0 . 709 cm mole Volume of one mole of copper
 8.95 g / cm
Avo 6.02  1023 atoms mole 23 3
n   8 .48  10 atoms / m
Vone mole 0.709 cm3 mole
10 A
vd 
(8.48  10 23 el / cm3 )(1.6  10 19 C / e)(3  10 6 m 2 )

vd  2.46  10 4 m / s  0.246 mm / s
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Current Density J (a vector):
I
J 
A

 
J  nqv d

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 L
A E

V ( V )

Uniform E,  V  E L

I V   L 
J   E         V   I
 A L  A 

“Resistance”, R
 V  R  I

L
R 
A
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 Ohm’s Law

volt
R = “resistance”; unit, 1 ohm ()  1
amp
A
m 2 1
 = “conductivity”; units, 
V  m
m

1


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Resistivities of a few materials

ρ (20°C)
(Ω·m)
Cu 1.7 x 10-8
Al 2.8 x 10-8
Nichrome 150 x 10-8
Graphite 3500 x 10-8
Si ~640
Quartz ~ 1018

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Example:
• The current in a particular conductor is doubled. Then:

A) the resistance decreases by half

B) the conductivity doubles
C) the electron density doubles
D) the electron drift speed doubles
E) more than one of the above is true

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Example

• A copper wire, 0.2 mm in diameter and 30 m in length,

has a 5 A current.   1.7 108   m for Cu

Find: a) The resistance of the wire.

b) The potential difference across the wire.
c) The magnitude of the E field.
d) J

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Solutions
30m
a) R    4 2  16.2 
 (1  10 m )

b) V  I  R  81V

V 81 V
c) E    2.7 V m
L 30 m

5A 8 A
d) J   1. 6  10
 (1  10 4 m)2 m2

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 Example: Flat Square Aluminum Conductor

Thickness  0.1  m  1.0 10-7 m

Square piece, side L

Thick copper contact
L
Al:   2.8  108   m
L
• Determine the resistance
between opposite edges.

12
Solution:

L
R  “le
A n gt
h ”
L

(L thickness )
 0.28  thickness
I

Area

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 Summary
Current Density: J  I A  nqvd
 
Conductivity:  : J  E (defines  )

1
Resistivity:  


L
Resistance: R  V and so… R 
A
I

Ohm’s Law: I  V ( R is constant)

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