Amity International School, Sec- 46, GGN

Class X Physics
Ch : 12 Electricity MLP and HLP

Electric charge: It is the fundamental property of elementary particles for example electron,
proton.
SI unit of Electric Charge: SI unit of electric charge is coulomb (C).
One coulomb is nearly equal to 6 x 1018 electrons.
Electric Circuit: Electric circuit is a continuous and closed path of electric current.
Electric Current: The flow of electric charge is known as electric current. Electric current is
carried by moving electrons through a conductor.
By convention, electric current flows in opposite direction to the movement of electrons.

Fig: Conventional Flow of Electric Charge

Expression of Electric Current: Electric current is denoted by letter ‘I’. Electric current is
expressed as the amount of charge flowing through a particular area in unit time.
If a net electric charge (Q) flows through a cross section of conductor in time t, then;

where, I= electric current, Q = net charge and t = time in second.

SI unit of electric current is ampere (A).
1 Ampere is the flow of electric charges through a surface at the rate of one coulomb per
second.
1 A = 1 C/1 s
Small quantity of Electric Current: 1mA (milliampere) = 10−3 A
1μA(microampere)=10−6 A
Ammeter: An apparatus to measure electric current in a circuit. It is always connected in the
series with the resistor in a circuit.it is low resistance device.
Electric Potential: The amount of work done in moving a charge from infinity to a point is
called electric potential at that point.
Electric Potential difference: Electric potential difference is known as voltage, which is
equal to the work done per unit charge to move the charge between two points against static
electric field.
Therefore;

Voltage or electric potential difference is denoted by ‘V’. Therefore;

Where, W = work done and Q = Charge

SI unit of electric potential difference (Voltage): SI unit of electric potential difference is
volt and denoted by ‘V’
1 volt of electric potential difference is equal to the 1 joule of work to be done to move a
charge of 1 coulomb from one point to another in an electric circuit. Therefore,

Voltmeter: It is a device to measure the potential difference or electric potential difference

between two points in an electric circuit.It is high resistance device and always connected in
parallel to the resistor in the circuit.
Ohm's Law
If the physical state of the conductor (Temperature and mechanical strain etc.) remains
unchanged, then current flowing through a conductor is always directly proportional to the
potential difference across the two ends of the conductor
Mathematically
I∝V
or
V∝I
or
V=IR
Where R is constant for the given conductor at a given temperature and called resistance.
From the expression of Ohm’s Law it is obvious that electric current through a resistor is
inversely proportional to resistance. This means electric current will decrease with increase in
resistance and vice versa.
The graph of V (potential difference) versus I (electric current) is always a straight line.

Resistance: Resistance is the property of conductor to resist the flow of electric current
through it.
SI Unit of resistance is ohm( Ω).
1 ohm (Ω) of Resistance Resistance is said to be one ohm when a current of 1 A flows
through a conductor between two points having potential difference equal to 1 V.

Resistor: Component that is used to resist the flow of electric current in a circuit is called
resistor.In practical applications, resistors are used to increase or decrease the electric current.
Variable Resistance: The component of an electric circuit which is used to regulate the
current; without changing the voltage from the source; is called variable resistance.
Rheostat: This is a device which is used in a circuit to provide variable resistance.
Cause of Resistance in a Conductor:
Flow of electrons in a conductor is electric current. The particles of conductor create
hindrance to flow of electrons; because of attraction between them. This hindrance is the
cause of resistance in the flow of electricity.
Nature of material: Some materials create least hindrance and hence are called good
conductors. Silver is the best conductor of electricity. While some other materials create more
hindrance in the flow of electric current, i.e. flow of electrons through them. Such materials
are called bad conductors. Bad conductors are also known as insulators. Hard plastic is the
one of the best insulators of electricity.
Factors affecting resistance of a conductor
Resistance in a conductor depends on nature, length and area of cross section of the
conductor.
1. Length of conductor: Resistance R is directly proportional to the length of the
conductor..
or R ∝ l------- -(i)
2. Area of cross section: Resistance R is inversely proportional to the area of cross
section ( A) of the conductor.
3. Nature of the material: Different materials offer different resistance.

where ρ (rho) is the proportionality constant. It is called the electrical resistivity of the
material of conductors.
From equation (iii)

The SI unit of resistivity: Since, the SI unit of R is Ω, SI unit of Area is m2 and SI unit of
length is m. Hence

Thus, SI unit of resistivity (ρ) is Ω m

Resistivity of materials varies with temperature.
Combination of resistors
Resistors are joined in two ways, i.e. in series and in parallel.
Resistors in Series: When resistors are joined from end to end, it is called in series. In this
case, the total resistance of the system is equal to the sum of the resistance of all the resistors
in the system.
Let total resistance = R
Resistance of resistors are R1, R2, R3, … Rn
Therefore, R = R1 + R2 + R3 + …………+ Rn
 Fig: Resistance in Series

IMPORTANT NOTE

1. When a number of resistors are connected in series, then the same electric
current flows through each resistance.

2. When a number of resistances are connected in series, then the potential

difference across a combination of resistors is equal to the sum of potential
differences across the individual resistors.

V=V1+V2+V3

3. When numbers of resistances are connected in series then their combined

resistance is greater than the individual resistance.

Resistors in parallel: When resistors are joined in parallel, the reciprocal of total
resistance of the system is equal to the sum of reciprocal of the resistance of resistors.

Fig: Resistance in Parallel

Let total resistance = R

Resistance of resistors are R1, R2, R3, … Rn
IMPORTANT NOTE

1. When a number of resistors are connected in parallel, then the potential

difference across each resistance is equal to the voltage of the battery applied.

2. When a number of resistances are connected in parallel, then the sum of the
currents flowing through all the resistances is equal to total current flowing in
the circuit.

I=I1+I2+I3

3. When numbers of resistances are connected in parallel then their combined

resistance is less than the smallest individual resistance. This happens because
the same current gets additional paths to flow resulting decrease in overall
resistance of the circuit.

Heating Effect of Electric Current

When electric current passes through a high resistance wire, the wire becomes and produces
heat. This is called heating effect of current. This phenomenon occurs because electrical
energy is gets transformed into heat energy when current flows through a wire of some
resistance say R Ω.

Some examples are as follows:

When electric energy is supplied to an electric bulb, the filament gets heated because of
which it gives light. The heating of electric bulb happens because of heating effect of electric
current.
When an electric iron is connected to an electric circuit, the element of electric iron gets
heated because of dissipation of electric energy, which heats the electric iron. The element of
electric iron is a purely resistive conductor. This happens because of heating effect of electric
current.
Cause of heating effect of electric current: Electric current generates heat to overcome the
resistance offered by the conductor through which it passes. Higher the resistance, the electric
current will generate higher amount of heat. Thus, generation of heat by electric current while
passing through a conductor is an inevitable consequence. This heating effect is used in many
appliances, such as electric iron, electric heater, electric geyser, etc.
Joule’s Law of Heating: According to Joule’s Law of Heating, the heat produced in a
resistor is directly proportional to the square of current given to the resistor, directly
proportional to the resistance for a given current and directly proportional to the time for
which the current is flowing through the resistor.
H = I2Rt
Heating Effect of Electric Current-Practical Application
Electric Bulb: In an electric bulb, the filament of bulb gives light because of heating effect
of electricity. The filament of bulb is generally made of tungsten metal; having melting point
equal to 3380°C.
Electric iron: The element of electric iron is made of alloys having high melting point.
Electric heater and geyser work on the same mechanism.
Electric fuse: Electric fuse is used to protect the electric appliances from high voltage; if any.
Electric fuse is made of metal or alloy of metals, such as aluminium, copper, iron, lead, etc.
In the case of flow of higher voltage than specified, fuse wire melts and protects the electric
appliances.
Fuse of 1A, 2A, 3A, 5A, 10A, etc. are used for domestic purpose.
Suppose, if an electric heater consumes 1000W at 220V.
Then electric current in circuit I = P/V
Or, I = 1000 W − 220 V = 4.5 A
Thus, in this case a fuse of 5A should be used to protect the electric heater in the case of flow
of higher voltage.
Electric Power: The rate at which electric work is done or the rate at which electric energy is
consumed is called electric power
Mathematically,

…………………….. (1)

Now we know that work done W by current I when it flows for time t under a potential
difference V is given by

Putting this value of work done in equation (1) we get

Hence,
Electric Power = voltage x current

SI unit of electric power is watt (W).

The power of 1 Watt is a rate at which electric work of 1J is done in 1 sec.

Bigger unit of power is 1 kilo watt or 1kW = 1000 W

Commercial unit of electric energy

Unit of electric energy is kilo watt hour (kWh)
1 kWh = 1000 watt X 1 hour = 1000 W x 3600 s
Or, 1kWh = 3.6 x 106 watt second = 3.6 x 106 J

MLP Questions:
1. What is relation between KWH and Joule?
2. A voltmeter has high resistance and it is connected in parallel.Why?
3. Why is Tungsten used almost exclusively for filament of electric lamps?
4. Calculate the current supplied by a cell if the amount of charge passing through the cell
in 4 seconds is 12 C ?
5. A 2 Volt cell is connected to a 1 Ω resistor. How many electrons come out of the
negative terminal of the cell in 2 minutes?
6. A lamp has a resistance of 96 ohms. How much current flows through the lamp when it
is connected to 120 volts?
7. Calculate the current and resistance of a 100 W ,200V electric bulb.
8. Calculate the power rating of the heater coil when used on 220V supply taking 5 Amps.
 9. When a potential difference of 2 V is applied across the ends of a wire of 5 m length, a
current of 1 A is found to flow through it. Calculate:
(i) the resistance per unit length of the wire
(ii) the resistance of 2 m length of this wire
(iii) the resistance across the ends of the wire if it is doubled on itself.
10. Two bulbs have ratings 100 W, 220 V and 60 W, 220 V respectively. Which one has a
greater resistance?
11. A 4 Ω resistance wire is doubled. Calculate the new resistance of the wire.
12. Two resistances are connected in series as shown in the fig.
(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?
13. In the circuit diagram given in figure,

Calculate:
(i) The current through each resistor,
(ii) The total current in the circuit, and
(iii) The total circuit resistance
14. An electric bulb draws a current of .8 A and works on 250 V on the average 8 hours a
day.
a) Find the power consumed by the bulb
b) If the electric distribution company changes Rs 5 for 6 KWH, what is the monthly
bill for 60 days.

HLP
1. A lamp can work on a 50 volt mains taking 2 amps.What value of the resistance must
be connected in series with it so that it can be operated from 200 volt mains giving the
same power.
2. The potential difference between the terminals of an electric heater is 60 V when it
draws a current of 4 A from the source. What current will the heater draw if the
potential difference is increased to 120 V?
3. In the circuit diagram given here,

Find:
(i) Total resistance of the circuit,
 (ii) Total current flowing in the circuit, and
(iii) The potential difference across 7.2 Ω resistance.
4. Calculate the effective resistance between the points A and B in the

network shown here

5. An electric iron is connected to the mains power supply of 220 V. When the electric
iron is adjusted at minimum heating’ it consumes a power of 360 W but at ‘maximum
heating’ it takes a power of 840 W. Calculate the current and resistance in each case.