7 Charge and current Exam practice questions

Pages 99–101 Exam practice questions

−3 −1
1 ΔQ = IΔt = 32 × 10 C s × 3000 s
= 115.2 C
total charge
Number of electrons =
charge on an electron
115.2 C 20
= = 7.2 × 10 electrons (The answer is B.) [Total 1 Mark]
1.6 × 10−19 C

2 n for copper is much greater than n for silicon. (The answer is A.) [Total 1 Mark]
Δ𝑄 8C
3 a) I = = [1]
Δ𝑡 0.5 × 10-3 s

= 16 000 A (= 16 kA) [1]

total charge 8C
b) Number of electrons = = [1]
charge on an electron 1.6 × 10-19 C
19
= 5.0 × 10 electrons [1]
[Total 4 Marks]

4 a) I = current
n = number of charge carriers per unit volume
A = area of cross-section normal to current
v = drift velocity of charge carriers
q = charge on each charge carrier [3]
𝐼
b) I = nAvq ⇒ v =
𝑛𝑛𝑛

10 × 10-3 C s-1
v= [2]
7.0 × 1022 m-3 × (6 × 10-3 × 0.5 ×10-3 ) m2 ×1.6 × 10-19 C
−1 −1
= 0.298 m s ≈ 0.3 m s [1]
𝐼
c) v =
𝑛𝑛𝑛
1
If I, A and q are the same, then v ∝ [1]
𝑛
6
As n for copper is in the order of 10 times greater than n for a semiconductor, v for copper
6
will be in the order of 10 less (‘very much greater’ and ‘very much less’ would be sufficient in
an exam answer). [1]
[Total 8 Marks]

distance 21 × 10-2 m −9
5 Time = = = 5.0 × 10 s
speed 4.2 × 107 m s-1
charge 𝐼𝐼𝐼
Number of electrons = =
charge on an electron 𝑒

32 × 10-3 C s-1 × 5.0 × 10-9 s 9

= = 1.0 × 10 (The answer is A.) [Total 1 Mark]
1.6 × 10-19 C
𝐼
6 I = nAvq ⇒ v =
𝑛𝑛𝑛

D X = ½D Y ⇒ A X = ¼ A Y
v X = 4v Y ⇒ v X : v Y = 4 : 1 (The answer is D.) [Total 1 Mark]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015

7 Charge and current Exam practice questions

π𝐷2 4𝐴 4 × 0.20 ×10-6 m2

=�
−4
7 a) A = ⇒D=� = 5.05 × 10 m ≈ 0.5 mm [2]
4 π π

i) A micrometer or digital vernier having a precision of 0.01 mm would be suitable for

measuring a diameter in the order of 0.5 mm.
ii) Proceed as follows:
• Check for zero error before taking measurements.
• Measure the diameter in four different places.
• Rotate the instrument to measure the diameter at different angles.
• Find the average of the measurements. [3]
iii) Assuming the diameter is measured to the precision of the instrument, 0.01 mm: [1]
0.01 mm
% uncertainty = × 100% = 2% [1]
0.50 mm
2
iv) As the area is given by πD /4 [i.e. (π × D × D)/4] and the % uncertainty in the diameter is
2%, the percentage uncertainty in the area of cross-section will be 2% + 2% = 4%. [1]
[Total 8 Marks]
−3
8 a) I = 25 mA = 25 × 10 A
−3 −1
i) ΔQ = IΔt = 25 × 10 C s × (8 × 60) s = 12 C [2]
total charge 12 C
ii) Number of electrons = =
charge on an electron 1.6 × 10-19 C
19
= 7.5 × 10 electrons [2]
b) The copper leads are likely to be much thicker than the tungsten filament, so they will have a
much larger area of cross-section. From I = nAvq:
• as the leads and filament are in series, I will be the same for both
• q, the electron charge, is the same for copper and tungsten
• if A is larger for the leads, v will be less in the leads for the same current
• n is larger for copper (it is a better conductor than tungsten)
• which will also make v less in the leads. [4]
[Total 8 Marks]
𝐼
9 a) I = nAvq ⇒ v =
𝑛𝑛𝑛
0.25 C s-1
v= [2]
8.5 × 1028 m-3 × 0.50 × 10-6 m2 ×1.6 × 10-19 C
−5 −1
= 3.7 × 10 m s [1]
distance 3.0 m
t= = [1]
speed 3.7 × 10-5 m s-1

81 600 s
= 81 600 s=
(60 × 60)s h-1

= 23 hours [1]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015

7 Charge and current Exam practice questions

29
b) As there are in the order of 10 conducting electrons per cubic metre, a very large number
will pass through the filament in a very short time, so the filament will appear to light almost
immediately a potential difference is applied by switching on, even though each electron is
only drifting slowly. [2]
[Total 7 Marks]

Stretch and challenge

mass
10 a) density =
volume

mass 63.5 × 10-3 kg −6 3

⇒ volume = = = 7.13 × 10 m [2]
density 8.9 × 103 kg m-3
−6 3 23
If 7.13 × 10 m contains 6.0 × 10 atoms
3 6.0 × 1023 atoms 28 −3
1.0 m contains = 8.4 × 10 atoms m [1]
7.13 × 10-6 m3

Assuming that there is one conduction electron per atom of copper

28 −3
n = 8.4 × 10 m [1]
𝐼 𝜋𝑑 2 4𝐼
b) I = nAvq ⇒ v = , where A = ⇒v=
𝑛𝑛𝑛 4 π𝑑 2 𝑛𝑛

4 × 5.0 C s-1
v= 2 [2]
π × (0.2 ×10-3 ) m2 × 8.4 × 1028 m-3 ×1.6 × 10-19 C
−1 −1
= 0.012 m s = 12 mm s [1]
𝐼
c) In the equation v = :
𝑛𝑛𝑛

• the fuse is in series with the connecting leads, so I is the same for each
• both are made of copper, so n is the same for each
• q is the electron charge, which is the same for each.
1
⇒v ∝ [2]
𝐴

The diameter of the connecting wire (1.0 mm) is 5 times that of the fuse wire (0.2 mm), so
the area of cross-section of the connecting wire is 25 times that of the fuse wire. The drift
velocity in the connecting wire is therefore 25 times less than in the fuse wire. [2]
28 3
d) From part (a) we found that there were 8.4 × 10 atoms in 1.0 m of copper. If we assume
3
that copper has a simple cubic structure, with x atoms along each 1.0 m side of a 1.0 m cube,
3
then there will be x atoms in the cube. [1]
3 28 −3 9 −2
So, x = 8.4 × 10 m ⇒ x = √8.4 × 1028 = 4.4 × 10 m [1]
1 1
As x = number of atoms in a 1.0 m length, atomic spacing d = = [1]
𝑥 4.4 × 109 m-1
−10
d = 2.3 × 10 m = 0.23 nm [1]
The structure of copper is actually more complex than the simple cubic structure that we
assumed and therefore this is only a very approximate value.
[Total 15 Marks]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015