Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Ahmedabad Region.

Question Bank
(Unit II - Current Electricity )
Very Short Answer Type Questions ( 1 Mark )
1. How does the drift velocity of electrons in a metallic conductor vary with increase in
temperature?
(Ans : drift velocity decrease)
2. The colours of four bands are yellow, violet, brown and gold. What is the resistance
with tolerance limit.
( Ans 470 Ω ± 5% )
3. How does the relaxation time of electron in the conductor change when temperature
of the conductor decreases ?
(ans : T α 1/𝝉 , 𝝉 increases )

4. Two wire of equal length one copper and manganin have same resistance , which
wire is thicker?

(ans: for same R and l , ρ α A => ρ menganin>ρCu => A menganin> A Cu =>menganin is

thicker )
5. In the given graph of voltage vs current for a semiconductor,
Identify the negative resistance region.

(ans : BC region)

Short Answer Type Questions ( 2 Marks )

1. Establish a relation between current and drift velocity.

Let n = no density of free electrons

𝑞 𝑛𝑒𝐴𝑙𝑣𝑑
Ans : current flowing in a conductor 𝐼 = 𝑡 = 𝑙 𝑜𝑟 𝐼 = 𝑛𝑒𝐴𝑣𝑑
𝑣𝑑
2. Define resistivity of a conductor. Draw the variation of resistivity versus temperature
for (i) Nichrome (ii) Silicon
Ans : Resistivity is equal to resistance of a conductor having unit length and unit cross
sectional area.
3. What happens to the drift velocity (vd) of electrons and to the resistance R if length of
a conductor is doubled (keeping potential difference unchanged)? Justify.
𝒆𝝉 𝑬 𝒆𝝉 𝑽 𝟏
( Ans : vd halved since vd = 𝒎 = 𝒎 𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒗𝒅 ∝ 𝒍 and R becomes four
𝒍 𝟐𝒍
times since 𝑹 = 𝝆 𝑨 = 𝝆 𝑨 = 4 times of initial value)
𝟐
4. Draw a plot showing the variation of terminal voltage (V) vs the current (I) drawn
from the cell. Using this plot, how does one determine the internal resistance of the
cell ?
Ans: 𝑉 = 𝐸 − 𝐼𝑟
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐸 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑚𝑓 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙. 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒.

5. Find the value of the unknown resistance X and the

current drawn by the circuit from the battery if no
current flows through the galvanometer. Assume
the resistance per unit length of the wire is
0.01Ω cm-1.
𝑋 120
Ans: 2 = 80 𝑜𝑟 𝑋 = 3 Ω

Short Answer Type Questions ( 3 Marks )

1. State Kirchhoff’s Rules for an electrical circuit. Hence obtain the balanced condition
of Wheatstone bridge.
Ans: (i) Junction Rule: Amount of current leaving a junction is equal to amount of
current entering the junction.
(ii) Loop Rule: algebric sum of change in potential around a closed loop of an electric
circuit is zero.
Wheastone Bridge: ( P, Q, R and S are four resistors connected in Wheatstone Bridge
)

Applying Loop rule in ABCA

I1P + IgG - (I-I1) R = 0 ……………..(1)
 Loop BCDB
(I1 – Ig) Q – ( I – I1-Ig ) S – IgG = 0 …………(2)
When the wheatstone bridge is balanced, galavanometer shows no deflection i e Ig =
0 . Therefore equation (1) and (2) becomes
I1P = (I-I1) R ………….(3)
& I1Q = ( I – I1) S …………. (4)
Dividing equation (3) by (4)
𝑃 𝑅
=
𝑄 𝑆

2. (i) Calculate Equivalent Resistance of the given electrical network between points A
and B.
(ii) Also calculate the current through CD & ACB if a 10V d.c source is connected
between point A and B and the value of R = 2.
Ans: (i) The circuit is a balanced wheatsone bridge.
Therefore resistance of CD arm is ineffective.
Equivalent Ckt diagram is

1 1 1
Effective resistance between A and B is 𝑅 = + 4 𝑜𝑟 𝑅𝑝 = 2 Ω
𝑝 4
(ii) Current through branch CD is zero as the points C and D are at same potential.
10
Current through ACB branch is 𝐼𝐴𝐶𝐵 = (2+2) = 2.5 𝐴

3. Derive an expression for the resistivity of a good conductor, in terms of the

relaxation time of electrons.

Solution:
Relation between the resistivity and relaxation time: We know that drift velocity of
electron is given by:

However,

∴ According to Ohm’s law,

But resistivity is given by:

Comparing (i) and (ii), we obtain

The required relationship between resistivity and relaxation time of electrons is
.
4. Derive an expression for equivalent emf and internal resistance of two cells connected
in parallel.

5. (i) A wire of resistance 4R is bend in the form of circle .What is the effective
resistance between the ends of diameter?.
(ii) The resistance of a platinum wire at 00C is 4 Ω. What will be the resistance at
1000C, if the temperature coefficient of resistance is 0.0038 /0C
Ans (i) Effective resistance of each of the two parts will be 2R ohm and the two
1 1
resistors will be connected in parallel. Therefore effective resistance is 𝑅 = 2𝑅 +
𝑝
1
𝑜𝑟 𝑅𝑝 = R Ω
2𝑅
(ii) 𝑅𝑡 = 𝑅0 ( 1+ ∝ 𝑡 ) = 4 ( 1 + 0.0038 × 100 ) = 5.52 Ω

Long Answer Type Questions ( 5 Marks )

1. State the principle of potentiometer. Explain and draw a circuit diagram used to find
internal resistance of a primary cells.
Why potentiometer is known as ideal voltmeter? How can the sensitivity of a
potentiometer be increased?
Ans: Potential difference across any portion of the potentiometer wire is directly
proportional to the length of the conductor provided wire is of uniform area of cross
section and constant current is flowing through the wire.
 Measurement of internal resistance of a cell using potentiometer:

The cell of emf, E (internal resistance r) is connected across a resistance box (R) through key K . 2

When K is open, balance length is obtained at length AN = l

2 1 1

E= Φ l …………………………………………………………………………….. (1)
1

When K is closed:
2

Let V be the terminal potential difference of cell and the balance is obtained at AN = l 2 2

∴ V = Φ l ……………………………………………………………………………(2)
2

From equations (1) and (2), we get

From (3) and (4), we get

We know l1, l2 and R, so we can calculate r.

Potentiometer works on the null deflection method and virtually draws no current from the ckt. (hence
behaves as infinite resistance voltmeter)
To increase sensitivity of potentiometer its potential gradient should be decreases which can be achieved by
(i)increasing length of the wire and (ii)decreasing current in the ckt.

2. State the principle of meter bridge Draw a circuit diagram for a meter bridge two
determine the unknown resistance of a resistor. why are the connections between the
resistors of a meter bridge made of thick copper strips? Find the shift in the balance
point of a meter bridge, when the two resistors in the two gaps are interchanged.

Solution:
Metrebridge works on the principle of Wheatstone bridge.
Meter bridge consists of a metre scale, a wire of length 1 m and a galvanometer. Meter scale is attached
to the wire and one end of the galvanometer is connected to the metallic strip between the
resistors R and S and the other end is connected to a jockey, which can slide over the metallic meter
scale. R is the unknown resistance whose value is to be determined. S is a known resistance. The jockey
connected is moved on the metre scale such that we get zero deflection at some point. Let this point
be l1 distance away from A.
If Rcm is the resistance per unit length of the 1 meter wire, then the resistance of one portion of the wire
will be Rcm l1 and the resistance of another portion will be Rcm(100 - l1).
Using the condition for balanced bridge, we obtain

By substituting the value of l1 in the above equation, we can find out the value of R, which is the
unknown resistance.
The resistivity of a copper wire of very low. Also, the connections are thick, so that the area is quite
large and hence the resistance of the wires is almost negligible.
The Balance points will get interchanged.