JIT TERM 3: PHYSICAL SCIENCES

CURRENT ELECTRICITY

CHARGE

The unit of charge is the Coulomb and is the quantity of charge on 6,25 x 10 18 electrons.

Electrical charges may be positive or negative. A positive charge is caused by a

deficiency of electrons while a negative charge is caused by an excess of electrons.

ELECTRICAL SYMBOLS

A Ammeter V Voltmeter Lamp Resistor

Rheostat (variable resistor) cell Switch

ENERGY SOURCES
Electrical energy is provided by sources such as a cell, battery or dynamo. A battery is a
combination of cells.

Cells can be connected in series or parallel.

The emf (electromotive force) of a cell is the maximum quantity of electrical energy that
can be supplied per coulomb of charge when no current is flowing through the cell. The
symbol for emf is E.

Series:
Cells are connected in series when their terminals are connected in a positive to negative
sequence:

The total emf of a battery of cells connected in series is equal to the algebraic sum of the
emf’s of the individual cells.

ET = E1 + E2 + E3 + ……………. .

NB: The advantage of connecting cells in series is that the total emf is increased thus
producing a stronger current.

Parallel:
Cells are connected in parallel when their positive and negative terminals are connected
as in the sketch below:

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The total emf of a battery of cells connected in parallel is equal to the emf of a single cell,
provided that all the cells have the same emf.

NB:The advantages of connecting cells in parallel are that the cells last longer and the
resistance of the battery in the circuit is decreased thus reducing the internal energy lost.

ET = E1 = E2 = E3 = ………. .

Examples:

Each of the cells has an emf of 2 V. Calculate the emf of the following batteries:

8V

2V

6V

SIMPLE CIRCUIT

A simple circuit consists of a cell,

conducting wires, resistor and
switch.

POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE

The potential difference between two points in a circuit is the energy required to move one
coulomb of charge between the points.

W
V=
Q , where V = potential difference (V), W = work done (J) and Q = charge (C).

Example 1:

Calculate the potential difference between two points if 20 J of work are required to move
a charge of 2 C.

W 20
V= = =2 V
Q 2

Example 2:

Calculate the work done in moving a charge of 5 C through a potential difference of 2 V.

W = QV = 5 x 2 = 10 J
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CURRENT

An electric current is the rate of flow of charge (positive or negative) from one point to
another in an electrical circuit.

Conventional current is the flow of positive charge and its direction is from the positive
terminal to the negative terminal of a cell.

Since a current in a metal is conducted by negative electrons, the electron current flows
from negative to positive. However, current direction in metals is always based on the
direction that a positive charge would take and is therefore the direction of a conventional
current, i.e. from positive to negative.

Current strength is the rate at which charge passes a given point in a conductor. The unit
of current strength is the ampere (A). (The use of the abbreviation “amp” is incorrect.)

Q
I=
t where I is the current strength (A), Q = charge (C) and t = time (s).

Example 1:

Calculate the current strength when 5 C of charge passes a given point in 2 s.

Q 5
I = = =2 , 5 A
t 2

Example 2:

Calculate the quantity of charge passing a point in a circuit when a current of 5 A flows for
10 s.

Q = It = 5 x 10 = 50 C

The formula Q = It can be used to define a Coulomb.

A coulomb is the quantity of charge that passes through a conductor when a current of one
ampere flows for one second.

CONDUCTION IN A METAL

In a metal, the atoms are packed closely in a

crystal lattice. The outermost electrons of
the metal atoms are held loosely and can
escape the attractive forces of their nuclei to
form positively charged metal ions. These
electrons are called free
(delocalized) electrons and move around at
random.

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If a potential difference is applied across the ends of the conductor, an electric field is set
up in the conductor. Negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positive terminal
while the metal ions remain stationary because they are held in a crystal lattice. The
movement of electrons is impeded by collisions with the positive metallic ions causing
resistance. Every electron that leaves a conductor at the positive terminal is replaced by
another from the negative terminal. The overall charge of a conductor is therefore neutral.

RESISTANCE

The resistance of a conductor is a measure of how much difficulty charges experience in

passing through the conductor. A good conductor has a low resistance and a poor
conductor has a high resistance. Resistance is caused by collisions between electrons
and metal atoms that interfere with the flow of charge.

The following factors affect the resistance of a conductor:

(1) type of metal used.

(2) length of the conductor.
(3) thickness (or cross-sectional area).
(4) temperature.

Resistance is defined as the ratio of potential difference across the ends of a conductor
and current strength.

V
R=
I where R = resistance (), V = potential difference (V) and I = current strength (A).

An ohm is the resistance of a conductor when a potential difference of one volt causes a
current of one ampere to flow through it.

Example:

Calculate the resistance of a conductor when a current of 2 A flows when the potential
across its ends is 10 V.

V 10
R= = =5 Ω
I 2

OHM’S LAW

Ohm’s Law states that current strength is directly proportional to the potential difference
between the ends of a given resistor provided that temperature remains constant.

Mathematical statement: For a given resistor, V  I at constant temperature.

Mathematical formula: V = IR

Experiment to verify Ohm’s Law

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Set up the apparatus as show in the accompanying diagram.
Vary the potential difference across the resistor by moving the rheostat and take five
readings of potential difference and current.
Precaution: Keep the temperature of the resistor constant.
Tabulate your results as follows:

Potential V
Current (A)
difference (V) I ()
1 1,0 0,5 2
2 2,0 1,0 2
3 3,0 1,5 2
4 4,0 2,0 2
5 5,0 2,5 2

Plot a graph of V against I.

5 
Potential difference

V = RI + 0

4 y = mx + c

3  The gradient of the graph is equal to R.

The y-intercept is at 0.
2 
(V)

1 
0 0,5 1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5
Current (A)

Resistors connected in series

Resistors connected in series act as potential dividers.

V = v1 + v2 + v3  IR = Ir1 + Ir2 + Ir3  R = r1 + r2 + r3 (Divide by the common factor I.)

The total resistance of a combination of resistors connected in series is equal to the

algebraic sum of the component resistors.

R = r1 + r2 + r3 + ……. .

Example:

2 3 9

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R = r1 + r2 + r3 = 2 + 3 + 9 = 14 

In the accompanying diagrams, a cell with an emf of 10 V and negligible internal

resistance is connected in parallel with a 2  resistor and a rheostat. The resistance of
the rheostat is adjusted to illustrate how the potential difference across resistors can be
varied.

The resistance of the rheostat is increased from 3  in Diagram 1 to 8  in Diagram 2

causing a different division in potential difference across the resistors.

V 10 V 10
I = = =2 A I = = =1 A
R = r 1 + r2 R 5 R = r 1 + r2 R 10
=2+3=5Ω = 2 + 8 = 10 Ω

V1 = IR = 2 x 2 = 4 V V2 = IR = 2 x 3 = 6 V V1 = IR = 1 x 2 = 2 V V2 = IR = 1 x 8
=8V

OR
r 2 r 3 r 2 r 8
v= V = ×10=4 V v= V = ×10=6 V v= V = ×10=2 V v= V = ×10=8 V
R 5 R 5 R 10 R 10

The above calculations show how the division of potential difference increases across the
rheostat as the resistance is increased

Resistors connected in parallel

Resistors connected in parallel act as current dividers.

V V V V 1 1 1 1
= + + = + +
I = i 1 + i2 + i3  R r 1 r 2 r 3  R r 1 r 2 r 3
(Divide by the common factor, V.)

The reciprocal of the total resistance is equal to the sum of the reciprocals of the
resistances of the component resistors.

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Example:

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1+2+6 9
= + + = + + = = ∴ R = 0,67 Ω
R r1 r2 r3 6 3 1 6 6

Consider the following combination of resistors connected in parallel that act as current
dividers.

The current flowing through resistors connected in parallel will be inversely proportional to
their resistances, i.e. the greater the resistance the smaller the current.
The ratio of the resistances is 2 : 1 (total 3). Two-thirds of the current will therefore flow
down one resistor and the remaining one-third down the other resistor. The larger current
will flow down the resistor having the smaller resistance.

2
×3=2 A
1  resistor: 3
1
×3=1 A
2  resistor: 3

METERS

An ammeter measures the strength of an electric current. It has a low resistance and is
connected in series in a circuit.

A voltmeter measures the potential difference between two points in a circuit. It has a high
resistance and is connected in parallel across the two points.

POWER

Power is the rate at which work is done.

W
P=
t , where P = power in watts (W), W = work in joules (J) and t = time (s).

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Example 1:

Calculate the power when 100 J of electrical energy is used in 2 seconds.

W 100
P= = =50 W
t 2

Example 2:

Calculate the electrical energy used when a 100 W electric bulb burns for 2 minutes.

W = Pt = 100 x 2 x 60 = 12 000 J

Other formulae for power and work:

W = QV = VIt (Substituting the formulae W = QV and Q = It)

W VIt
P= = =VI
t t

R¿
V
2
I=V¿ ¿
P=VI =V ×
V
R
=
R (Substituting ¿)
P = VI = IR x I = I2R (Substituting V = IR)

W = Pt = I2Rt

V
2

t
W = Pt = R

Electricity Cost

Solve circuit problems involving the concepts of power and electrical energy.

 Deduce that the kilowatt hour (kWh) refers to the use of 1 kilowatt of electricity for 1
hour.
 Calculate the cost of electricity usage given the power specifications of the
appliances used, the duration and the cost of 1 kWh.
 ESKOM or local municipality charges a tariff per kWh used. To calculate the cost of
electricity, we multiply the kilowatt-hour (energy units) reading on the meter by the
unit price per kilowatt-hour.
 Energy units (E)= power(P) x time(t)
 Where: energy units are measured in kWh, Power in kW and Time in hours
 Cost = E x price per kWh

NB: price per kWh must be in Rands (R)

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Examples
1. A heater marked 2000W/ 3000W is switched on for 4 hours. For the first hour, it is on
the highest setting, and for the last 3 hours, it is on lowest setting.
1.1) How much energy does it transfer to the room in kWh? (9kWh)
1.2) What is the cost of heating the room if the electricity costs 70c per kWh? (R6.30)
2. The reading on the electricity meter shows that 30kWh of energy have been supplied to
a house during one day.
2.1) What is the average power consumption (per hour) of the house in this time?
(1,25 kW)
2.2) Electricity is charged at 70c per kWh. How much will the electricity bill be for that
day? (R21,00)

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