TRECE MARTIRES CITY

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

General Physics 2
Current
•Electric current I is the rate at which charge flows, given by

•The direction of conventional current is taken as the

direction in which positive charge moves.
•The SI unit for current is the ampere (A), where 1 A = 1 C/s.
•Current is the flow of free charges, such as electrons and
ions.
Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Simple
Circuits
•A simple circuit is one in which there is a single voltage
source and a single resistance.
•One statement of Ohm’s law gives the relationship between
current I , voltage V , and resistance R in a simple circuit to be
•Resistance has units of ohms ( Ω ), related to volts and
amperes by 1 Ω = 1 V/A .
•There is a voltage or IR drop across a resistor, caused by the
current flowing through it, given by V = IR .
Sample problems
•What is the current in milliamperes produced by the
solar cells of a pocket calculator through which 4.00 C
of charge passes in 4.00 h?
•A total of 600 C of charge passes through a flashlight
in 0.500 h. What is the average current?
 Sample problem
•(a) A defibrillator sends a 6.00-A current through the chest of a
patient by applying a 10,000-V potential as in the figure below.
What is the resistance of the path? (b) The defibrillator paddles
make contact with the patient through a conducting gel that greatly
reduces the path resistance. Discuss the difficulties that would
ensue if a larger voltage were used to produce the same current
through the patient, but with the path having perhaps 50 times the
resistance. (Hint: The current must be about the same, so a higher
voltage would imply greater power. Use this equation for power: P =
I2R .)
Assignment
1.) A clock battery wears out after moving 10,000 C of
charge through the clock at a rate of 0.500 mA. (a)
How long did the clock run? (b) How many electrons
per second flowed?
Assignment
2.) (a) Find the voltage drop in an extension cord
having a 0.0600- Ω resistance and through which
5.00A is flowing. (b) A cheaper cord utilizes thinner
wire and has a resistance of 0.300 Ω . What is the
voltage drop in it when 5.00 A flows? (c) Why is the
voltage to whatever appliance is being used reduced
by this amount? What is the effect on the appliance?
 Assignment
3.) A power transmission line is hung
from metal towers with glass
insulators having a resistance of
1.00×109 Ω . What current flows
through the insulator if the voltage is
200 kV? (Some high-voltage lines are
DC.) Is the value of your answer high
or low? Explain why.
Ohm’s Law: Resistance
and Simple Circuits
Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Simple
Circuits
•Ohm’s Law
• The current that flows through most substances is
directly proportional to the voltage V applied to it. The
German physicist Georg Simon Ohm (1787–1854) was
the first to demonstrate experimentally that the
current in a metal wire is directly proportional to the
voltage applied:
I∝V
Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Simple
Circuits
•This important relationship is known as Ohm’s law. It
can be viewed as a cause-and-effect relationship,
with voltage the cause and current the effect
Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Simple
Circuits
•Resistance and Simple Circuits
• If voltage drives current, what impedes it? The electric
property that impedes current (crudely similar to
friction and air resistance) is called resistance R .

• Combining the relationships of current to voltage and

current to resistance gives
Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Simple
Circuits
Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Simple
Circuits
Resistance and Resistivity
Resistance and Resistivity
 Resistance and Resistivity
•We define the resistivity ρ of a
substance so that the resistance R of an
object is directly proportional to ρ .
Resistivity ρ is an intrinsic property of a
material, independent of its shape or
size. The resistance R of a uniform
cylinder of length L , of cross-sectional
area A , and made of a material with
resistivity ρ
I vs V curves of ohmic and non-ohmic

Ohmic Material Non-ohmic Material

Resistance and Resistivity
•SAMPLE PROBLEM
•A car headlight filament is made of tungsten and has
a cold resistance of 0.350 Ω . If the filament is a
cylinder 4.00 cm long (it may be coiled to save space),
what is its diameter?
Resistance and Resistivity
•A simple circuit is one in which there is a single voltage
source and a single resistance.
•One statement of Ohm’s law gives the relationship between
current I , voltage V , and resistance R in a simple circuit to be
•Resistance has units of ohms ( Ω ), related to volts and
amperes by 1 Ω = 1 V/A .
•There is a voltage or IR drop across a resistor, caused by the
current flowing through it, given by V = IR .
Energy and Power in
Electric Circuits
Power in Electric Circuits
•Electric power ( P ) is simply the product of current
times voltage. Power has familiar units of watts. Since
the SI unit for potential energy (PE) is the joule,
power has units of joules per second, or watts. Thus,
1A⋅V=1W.
Power in Electric Circuits
•For example, cars often have one or more auxiliary
power outlets with which you can charge a cell
phone or other electronic devices. These outlets may
be rated at 20 A, so that the circuit can deliver a
maximum power P = IV = (20 A)(12 V) = 240 W . In
some applications, electric power may be expressed
as volt-amperes or even kilovolt-amperes ( 1 kA ⋅ V =
1 kW ).
Power in Electric Circuits

• The SI unit for electric power is Watts named after

James, a Scottish inventor
Power in Electric Circuits
•Power delivered to a resistor
Power in Electric Circuits
•Sample problems
•What is the power of a 1.00×102 MV lightning bolt
having a current of 2.00 × 104 A ?
•What power is supplied to the starter motor of a
large truck that draws 250 A of current from a 24.0-V
battery hookup?
Power in Electric Circuits
•The Cost of Electricity
• If the cost of electricity in your area is P10.46 per kWh,
what is the total cost (capital plus operation) of using a
60-W incandescent bulb for 1000 hours (the lifetime of
that bulb) if the bulb cost P25? (b) If we replace this bulb
with a compact fluorescent light that provides the same
light output, but at one-quarter the wattage, and which
costs P150 but lasts 10 times longer (10,000 hours), what
will that total cost be?
Assignment
1. Alkaline batteries have the advantage of putting
out constant voltage until very nearly the end of
their life. How long will an alkaline battery rated
at 1.00 A ⋅ h and 1.58 V keep a 1.00-W flashlight
bulb burning?
Assignment
2.) (a) Determine the power consumed by a resistor
having a resistance of 2.5kΩ supplied by a 120V DC
source. (b) Suppose that the conductor of the circuit
has a resistance of 0.06 Ω, compute for the power
wasted on the conductor and the resistor
respectively.
Draw the schematic diagram for both (a) and (b).
Assignment
3.) An electric water heater consumes 5.00 kW for
2.00 h per day. What is the cost of running it for one
year if electricity costs 12.0 cents/kW ⋅ h ?
4.) Look for three appliances around your house that
draws the largest power. Estimate the energy
consumed by these appliances in an average day (by
estimating their time of use). Calculate the cost of
operating those appliances for a month.