Amity International School, Vasundhara, Sec.

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PHYSICS – Class XII

Chapter 3: Current Electricity

Electric Current and Drift velocity:

1. Why electric current is considered to be a scalar quantity?
2. If the length of a conducting wire is doubled by stretching it, keeping the pd across it constant,
by what factor does the drift velocity of electrons change?
3. What is the effect of heating of a conductor on the drift velocity of free electrons?
4. A potential difference V is applied to a conductor of length L, diameter D. How are the electric
field E, the drift velocity vd and the resistance R affected when (i) V is doubled (ii) L is doubled
(iii) D is doubled?
Verification and limitations of Ohm’s law:
1. Explain how electron mobility changes for a good conductor when (i) the temperature of the
conductor is decreased at constant potential difference and (ii) applied potential difference is
doubled at constant temperature.
2. A potential difference of 12V is applied across a conductor of length 0.2m. If the drift velocity
of electrons is 3 x 10-4m/s, calculate the electron mobility.
Resistivity of various materials and its temperature dependence, Carbon resistors:
1. Explain how the resistivity of a conductor depends upon (i) number density ‘n’ of free
electrons, and (ii) relaxation time Γ.
2. If a wire of resistivity ρ is stretched to thrice its initial length, what will be its new resistivity?
3. The sequence of bands marked on a carbon resistor are: Red, Red, Silver. Write the value of
resistance with tolerance.
4. A Carbon resistor 47 k Ω is to be marked with rings. Write the sequence of colour of rings.
Electrical energy, Power:
1. What happens to the power dissipation if the value of electric current passing through a
conductor of constant resistance is halved?
2. Two electric lamps A and B are marked 220V-100W and 220V-60W. Out of the two which
lamp has higher resistance?
3. Two heating elements of resistances R1 and R2 when operated at a constant supply of voltage,
V, consume powers P1 and P2 respectively. Deduce the expressions for the power of their
combination when they are, in turn, connected in (i) series and (ii) parallel across the same
voltage supply.
4. How much power does a 60W, 220V bulb consume when it is operated at 110V?
Emf, terminal p.d and internal resistance:
1. Differentiate between terminal p.d and emf of a cell.
2. Find an expression for the terminal p.d. of a cell in terms of internal resistance and emf of the
cell.
3. Under what conditions will the terminal pd of a cell be greater than its emf?
4. A series battery of 6 lead accumulators of emf 2V and internal resistance 0.5Ω is charged by a
100V dc supply. What series resistance should be used in the charging circuit in order to limit
the current to 8A? Using the required resistor, obtain (i) the power supplied by the dc source
and (ii) the power dissipated as heat.
 5. Define internal resistance. Write the factors on which it depends
Combination of resistors and cells:
1. Find an expression for emf and internal resistance of two cells when they are connected in
(i) series and (ii) parallel
2. A wire of 15 Ω resistance is gradually stretched to double its original length. It is then cut into
two equal parts. These parts are then connected in parallel across a 3V battery. Find the current
drawn from the battery.
3. I-V graph for a metallic wire at two different temperatures T1 and T2 is as shown in the figure.
Which of the two temperatures is higher and why?

T1

V T2

I
4. Find the resistance of the networks shown between the points A and B.
Kirchoff’s laws:
1. Find the current in each resistor.

2. Two cells of e.m.f’s 1.5 V and 2V having internal resistances 2Ω and 1 Ω respectively, have
their negative terminals joined by a wire of 6 Ω and positive terminals joined by a wire of 4 Ω
resistance. A third resistance wire of 8 Ω connects middle points of these wires. Draw the
circuit diagram. Using Kirchhoff’s laws, find the potential difference at the end of this third
wire.
Wheatstone bridge and meter bridge:
1. A wire connected in the left gap of a metre bridge balances a 10Ω resistance in the right gap at
a point, which divides the bridge wire in the ratio 3:2. Find the resistance of the left gap.

2. Find the value of the unknown resistance X, in the following circuit, if no current flows through
the section AO. Also calculate the current drawn by the circuit from the battery of emf 6V and
negligible internal resistance.

3. Fig. shows an experimental set up of a meter bridge. When two unknown resistances X and Y
are inserted, the null point D is obtained 40 cm from the end A. When a resistance of 30 Ω is
connected in series with X, the null point shifts by 10 cm. Find the position of null point when
the 30 Ω resistance is connected in series with resistance Y. Determine the values of resistances
X and Y.
Potentiometer:
1. The variation of potential difference V with length l in case of two potentiometers X and Y is
as shown in the fig. Which one of these will you prefer for comparing emfs of the two cells and
why?

V X

l
2. A 10m long wire AB of uniform area of cross-section and 20 Ω resistance is used as a
potentiometer wire. It is connected in series with a battery of 5V and a resistor of 480 Ω. An
unknown emf is balanced at 600cm of the potentiometer wire. Calculate (i) the potential
gradient for the potentiometer wire. (ii) the value of the unknown emf E.

3. In the adjoining figure a p.d. of 4V is 4V

established across wire AB by mean of
battery X. Now when a cell Y is X
connected between A and C through a
galvanometer G as shown, null 30 cm
C
deflection is obtained. If AC=30cm, then A B
find- 100 cm
a. Potential gradient on wire AB
b. emf of cell Y
Y
4. Two cells of emf E1 and E2 (E1 >E2) are connected as shown in figure. When a potentiometer is
connected between A and B, the balancing length of the potentiometer wire is 300 cm. On
connected the potentiometer between A and C, the balancing length is 100 cm. Calculate the ratio
of E1 and E2. E1 E2
B
A C
 4V
5. Two primary cells of emf E1 and E2 (E1
>E2) are connected to potentiometer wore
AB as shown in the figure. If the balancing 250 400
A B
lengths for the two combinations of the 2
E1
cells are 250 cm and 400 cm, find the ratio E2
of E1 and E2. E1
E2
6. In the circuit diagram given below AB is a uniform E
wire of resistance 10 ohm and length 1m. It is R
connected to a series arrangement of cell E1 of emf
2.0 V and negligible internal resistance and a
resistor R. Terminal A is also connected to an
A B
electrochemical cell E2 of emf 100 mV and a
galvanometer G. In this setup a balancing point is E
obtained at 40 cm mark from A. calculate the value G
of resistance R. If E2 were to have an emf 300 mV,
where will you expect the balancing point to be?

7. The length of a potentiometer wire is 600 cm and it carries a current of 40 mA. For a cell of emf
2V and internal resistance 10 ohm, the null point is found to be at 500 cm. If a voltmeter is
connected across the cell, the balancing length is decreased by 10 cm. Find
a. Resistance of the whole wire
b. Reading of voltmeter and
c. Resistance of voltmeter.

8. A 10 m long wire of uniform cross-section and 20 Ω resistance is used in a potentiometer. The

wire is connected in series with a battery of 5V along with an external resistance of 480 Ω. If an
unknown emf E is balanced at 600 cm length of the wire, calculate
a. potential gradient
b. the value of unknown emf E

9. In the following figure, AB is 1m long 2.0 15 

uniform wire of 10 Ohm resistance. Other V
data are shown in the diagram. Calculate
a. potential gradient along AB,
A O B
b. length AO, when galvanometer
shows no deflection
1.2
 G
0.3 1.5
 V