38

Name : ................................ Gr 10 IGCSE Electricity SCIENCE FOR TENTH

Revision CLASS : PHYSICS
Handout

8. Show how you would connect two 4 ohm resistors to produce a combined resistance of (a) 2 ohms
(b) 8 ohms.
9. Which of the following resistor arrangement, A or B, has the lower combined resistance ?
10 W

10 W
1000 W

(A) (B)
10. A wire that has resistance R is cut into two equal pieces. The two parts are joined in parallel. What is the
resistance of the combination ?
11. Calculate the combined resistance in each case :
2W 4W
500 W 1 kW 3W
2W 4W

(a) (b) (c)

12. Find the current in each resistor in the circuit shown below :

24 V
6W
4W

Short Answer Type Questions

13. Explain with diagrams what is meant by the “series combination” and “parallel combination” of resistances.
In which case the resultant resistance is : (i) less, and (ii) more, than either of the individual resistances ?
14. A battery of 9 V is connected in series with resistors of 0.2 , 0.3 , 0.4 , 0.5  and 12 . How much
current would flow through the 12  resistor ?
15. An electric bulb of resistance 20  and a resistance wire of 4  are connected in series with a 6 V battery.
Draw the circuit diagram and calculate :
(a) total resistance of the circuit.
(b) current through the circuit.
(c) potential difference across the electric bulb.
(d) potential difference across the resistance wire.
16. Three resistors are connected as shown in the diagram.
10 W

A 5W B C
1 amp.

15 W
Through the resistor 5 ohm, a current of 1 ampere is flowing.
(i) What is the current through the other two resistors ?
(ii) What is the p.d. across AB and across AC ?
(iii) What is the total resistance ?
17. For the circuit shown in the diagram below :
4V
+ –
6W 3W

12 W 3W
ELECTRICITY 39
What is the value of :
(i) current through 6  resistor ?
(ii) potential difference across 12  resistor ?
18. Two resistors, with resistances 5  and 10  respectively are to be connected to a battery of emf 6 V so as to
obtain :
(i) minimum current flowing (ii) maximum current flowing
(a) How will you connect the resistances in each case ?
(b) Calculate the strength of the total current in the circuit in the two cases.
19. The circuit diagram given below shows the combination of three resistors R1, R2 and R3 :
3W
R2
4W
R1 6W

R3

+ –

12 V

Find : (i) total resistance of the circuit.

(ii) total current flowing in the circuit.
(iii) the potential difference across R1.
20. In the circuit diagram given below, the current flowing across 5 ohm resistor is 1 amp. Find the current
flowing through the other two resistors.
5W

A 4W B

10 W

+ –

21. A resistor has a resistance of 176 ohms. How many of these resistors should be connected in parallel so that
their combination draws a current of 5 amperes from a 220 volt supply line ?
22. An electric heater which is connected to a 220 V supply line has two resistance coils A and B of 24 
resistance each. These coils can be used separately (one at a time), in series or in parallel. Calculate the
current drawn when :
(a) only one coil A is used.
(b) coils A and B are used in series.
(c) coils A and B are used in parallel.
23. In the circuit diagram given below five resistances of 10 , 40 , 30 , 20  and 60  are connected as
shown to a 12 V battery.
30 W
10 W
20 W
40 W
60 W

+ –
( )
12 V
Calculate :
(a) total resistance in the circuit.
40 SCIENCE FOR TENTH CLASS : PHYSICS

(b) total current flowing in the circuit.

24. In the circuit diagram given below, three resistors R1, R2, and R3 of 5 , 10  and 30 , respectively are
connected as shown.
R1 = 5 W

R2 = 10 W

R3 = 30 W

+ –
( )
12 V
Calculate :
(a) current through each resistor.
(b) total current in the circuit.
(c) total resistance in the circuit.
25. A p.d. of 4 V is applied to two resistors of 6  and 2  connected in series. Calculate :
(a) the combined resistance
(b) the current flowing
(c) the p.d. across the 6  resistor
26. A p.d. of 6 V is applied to two resistors of 3  and 6  connected in parallel. Calculate :
(a) the combined resistance
(b) the current flowing in the main circuit
(c) the current flowing in the 3  resistor.
27. In the circuit shown below, the voltmeter reads 10 V.

V
2W 3W

(a) What is the combined resistance ?

(b) What current flows ?
(c) What is the p.d. across 2  resistor ?
(d) What is the p.d. across 3  resistor ?
28. In the circuit given below :

6A
3W

6W

(a) What is the combined resistance ?

(b) What is the p.d. across the combined resistance ?
(c) What is the p.d. across the 3  resistor ?
(d) What is the current in the 3  resistor ?
(e) What is the current in the 6  resistor ?
ELECTRICITY 41
29. A 5 V battery is connected to two 20  resistors which are joined together in series.
(a) Draw a circuit diagram to represent this. Add an arrow to indicate the direction of conventional current
flow in the circuit.
(b) What is the effective resistance of the two resistors ?
(c) Calculate the current that flows from the battery.
(d) What is the p.d. across each resistor ?
30. The figure given below shows an electric circuit in which current flows from a 6 V battery through two
resistors.

6V 2W 3W

(a) Are the resistors connected in series with each other or in parallel ?
(b) For each resistor, state the p.d. across it.
(c) The current flowing from the battery is shared between the two resistors. Which resistor will have bigger
share of the current ?
(d) Calculate the effective resistance of the two resistors.
(e) Calculate the current that flows from the battery.
31. A 4  coil and a 2  coil are connected in parallel. What is their combined resistance ? A total current of
3 A passes through the coils. What current passes through the 2  coil ?
Long Answer Type Questions
32. (a) With the help of a circuit diagram, deduce the equivalent resistance of two resistances connected in
series.
(b) Two resistances are connected in series as shown in the diagram :

10 V 6V

5W R

+ –

V volt
(i)What is the current through the 5 ohm resistance ?
(ii)What is the current through R ?
(iii)What is the value of R ?
(iv) What is the value of V ?
33. (a) With the help of a diagram, derive the formula for the resultant resistance of three resistors connected in
series.
(b) For the circuit shown in the diagram given below :
5W

10 W

30 W

– +
A
6V
42 SCIENCE FOR TENTH CLASS : PHYSICS

Calculate :
(i) the value of current through each resistor.
(ii) the total current in the circuit.
(iii) the total effective resistance of the circuit.
34. (a) With the help of a circuit diagram, obtain the relation for the equivalent resistance of two resistances
connected in parallel.
(b) In the circuit diagram shown below, find :
(i) Total resistance.
(ii) Current shown by the ammeter A

5W

3W 2W

A + –
4V
35. (a) Explain with the help of a labelled circuit diagram, how you will find the resistance of a combination of
three resistors of resistances R1, R2 and R3 joined in parallel.
(b) In the diagram shown below, the cell and the ammeter both have negligible resistance. The resistors are
identical.
+ –
A

K
With the switch K open, the ammeter reads 0.6 A. What will be the ammeter reading when the switch is
closed ?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

36. The figure given below shows three resistors :

6W

6W

2W

Their combined resistance is :

5 2 1
(a) 1  (b) 14  (c) 6  (d) 7 
7 3 2
37. If two resistors of 25  and 15  are joined together in series and then placed in parallel with a 40 
resistor, the effective resistance of the combination is :
(a) 0.1  (b) 10  (c) 20  (d) 40 
38. The diagram below shows part of a circuit :
6W

6W 6W
If this arrangement of three resistors was to be replaced by a single resistor, its resistance should be :
(a) 9  (b) 4  (c) 6  (d) 18 
ELECTRICITY 43
39. In the circuit shown below :
2V 1W

2W 3W

The potential difference across the 3  resistor is :

1 1
(a) V (b) V (c) 1 V (d) 2 V
9 2
40. A battery and three lamps are connected as shown :
X

Which of the following statements about the currents at X, Y and Z is correct ?

(a) The current at Z is greater than that at Y.
(b) The current at Y is greater than that at Z.
(c) The current at X equals the current at Y.
(d) The current at X equals the current at Z.
41. V1, V2 and V3 are the p.ds. across the 1  , 2  and 3  resistors in the following diagram, and the current is
5 A.
V1 V2 V3

Current 1W 2W 3W
5A
Which one of the columns (a) to (d) shows the correct values of V1 , V2 and V3 measured in volts ?
V1 V2 V3
(a) 1.0 2.0 3.0
(b) 5.0 10.0 15.0
(c) 5.0 2.5 1.6
(d) 4.0 3.0 2.0
42. A wire of resistance R1 is cut into five equal pieces. These five pieces of wire are then connected in parallel.
R1
If the resultant resistance of this combination be R2, then the ratio is :
R2
1 1
(a) (b) (c) 5 (d) 25
25 5
Questions Based on High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
43. Show with the help of diagrams, how you would connect three resistors each of resistance 6 , so that the
combination has resistance of (i) 9  (ii) 4 .
44. Two resistances when connected in parallel give resultant value of 2 ohm; when connected in series the
value becomes 9 ohm. Calculate the value of each resistance.
45. A resistor of 8 ohms is connected in parallel with another resistor X. The resultant resistance of the combination
is 4.8 ohms. What is the value of the resistor X ?
46. You are given three resistances of 1, 2 and 3 ohms. Show by diagrams, how with the help of these resistances
you can get :
44 SCIENCE FOR TENTH CLASS : PHYSICS

6
(i) 6  (ii)  (iii) 1.5 
11
47. How will you connect three resistors of 2 , 3  and 5  respectively so as to obtain a resultant resistance of
2.5  ? Draw the diagram to show the arrangement.
48. How will you connect three resistors of resistances 2 , 3  and 6  to obtain a total resistance of : (a) 4 ,
and (b) 1  ?
49. What is (a) highest, and (b) lowest, resistance which can be obtained by combining four resistors having the
following resistances ?
4 , 8 , 12 , 24 
50. What is the resistance between A and B in the figure given below ?
10 W 20 W
A

30 W 10 W

B
10 W 20 W

51. You are given one hundred 1  resistors. What is the smallest and largest resistance you can make in a
circuit using these ?
52. You are supplied with a number of 100  resistors. How could you combine some of these resistors to make
a 250  resistor ?
53. The resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4 in the figure given below are all equal in value.

A B C

R1 R2 R3 R4

12 V

What would you expect the voltmeters A, B and C to read assuming that the connecting wires in the circuit
have negligible resistance ?
54. Four resistances of 16 ohms each are connected in parallel. Four such combinations are connected in series.
What is the total resistance ?
55. If the lamps are both the same in the figure given below and if A1 reads 0.50 A, what do A2, A3, A4 and A5
read ?
A1

A2 A4

A3 A5

ANSWERS
2. 1 ohm 4. 1 ohm 5. In parallel 6. In parallel 7. 8  ; 1.5  8. (a) In parallel (b) In series
R
9. B 10. 11. (a) 1500  (b) 1  (c) 5  12. Current in 6  resistor = 4 A ; Current in 4 
4
resistor = 6 A. 13. (i) Parallel combination (ii) Series combination 14. 0.67 A