Module 4: Electricity

4.1.1: Charge
a) Define and calculate current.

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Current
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Equation:

b) State the units of charge and current.

Property Current Charge

Symbol
Unit

c) State the elementary unit of charge.

d) Calculate the net charge of a particle / ion.

State the net charge of:

Lithium atom

Lithium 1+ ion

e) State Kirchhoff’s First Law

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Kirchhoff’s
First Law
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Show an example of a circuit with Kirchhoff’s First Law being shown to apply.
4.1.2: Mean Drift Velocity
(a) Define mean drift velocity.

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Drift
Velocity
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(b) Calculate current from drift velocity.

(c) Describe conductors, semi-conductors and insulators in terms of charge carrier density.

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Conductor
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Semi-
Conductor
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Insulator
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4.2.1: Circuit Symbols

(a) Identify components from their circuit symbols.

Draw the circuit symbols for the following components:

Cell Ammeter

Power Fixed
Pack Resistor

Filament Thermisto
Bulb r

Variable
LDR
Resistor

Diode LED

Switch Voltmeter
(b) Draw and interpret circuit diagrams using the symbols.

Draw a circuit with a power source in series with a variable resistor which is in series with a parallel section of an
LDR and a fixed resistor.

Draw a circuit with a cell, 3 lightbulbs (2 in parallel with each other) and switches to control the whole circuit and
each of the parallel bulbs individually.

4.2.2 E.M.F and P.D.

(a) Define potential difference and state its unit.

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Potential
Difference
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(b) Define E.M.F and voltage and state their units.

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Electromotiv
e Force
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Voltage
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(c) Describe the difference between E.M.F and P.D in terms of energy transfer.
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(d) Calculate the work done by a component in a circuit.

(e) Calculate the velocity of a charge in a uniform electric field in a vacuum.

(i) State and re-arrange an equation using conservation of energy to calculate the velocity of electrons in
accelerated by an electric field in a vacuum.

(ii) Explain why drift velocity in a circuit is considerably less than this velocity.

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4.2.3 Resistance
(a) Define and calculate resistance.

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Resistance
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Equation:

(b) State Ohm’s Law.

Ohm’s Law
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(c) (i) Sketch I-V characteristics of resistors, filament bulbs, thermistors, diodes and LEDs.
(d) (ii) Describe an experiment to investigate the I-V characteristics of a component.

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(e) Describe the key features of an LDR.

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4.2.4 Resistivity
(a) (i) Calculate the resistivity of a material.

(a) (ii) Describe an experiment to determine resistivity of a metal.

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(b) Describe how resistivity varies with temperature.

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(c) Describe the key features of a thermistor.

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4.2.5 Power
(a) Calculate the power dissipated by a component.

(b) Calculate the work done by a component using power.

(c) Calculate the cost of running components using the unit of kilowatt hours for energy.
4.3.1 Series and Parallel Circuits.
(a) State Kirchhoff’s Second Law.

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Kirchhoff’s
Second Law
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(b) Apply Kirchhoff’s First and Second Laws to a circuit.

Design a question and show a worked solution that requires the use of Kirchhoff’s First and Second Laws in a
circuit.

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Solution:

(c) Calculate the total resistance of resistors in series.

(d) Calculate the total resistance of resistors in parallel.

(e) Apply the resistance rules to model circuits with multiple components.

Design a question and show a worked solution that requires the use of resistor combination laws in a circuit.

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Solution:

(f) Apply circuitry laws to circuits with multiple E.M.F sources.

Describe how to combine EMF source in the following combinations:

EMF source in series: ……………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………….

Identical EMF sources in parallel: ………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………….

Different EMF sources in parallel: ………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………….

4.3.2 Internal Resistance

(a) Define internal resistance.

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Internal
Resistance
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(b) Define terminal P.D.

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Terminal
P.D.
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(c) (i) Calculate terminal P.D.

(d) (ii) Describe an experiment to measure E.M.F and Internal Resistance.

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4.3.3 Potential Dividers
(a) Describe a potential divider circuit.

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(b) Describe the impact of having semi-conductors in potential divider circuits.

(i) Sketch a potential divider with a thermistor and a fixed resistor with an ammeter and a voltmeter to
measure P.D across the fixed resistor.

(ii) Describe the impact on the ammeter and voltmeter readings of the temperature of the thermistor
increasing (you can assume the temperature of the resistor remains fixed)

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(c) (i) Prove the potential divider equation using Ohm’s Law.
(d) (ii) Describe how a potential divider circuit can be used as a sensor circuit.

(i) Draw a circuit that will increase the brightness of a bulb with light intensity decreases.

(ii) Explain how the circuit works.

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