CURRENT ELECTRICITY 3

CURRENT-
In layman language we can define current as flow of electrons. To be more specific we can
say that current is total amount of negative charge that passes through any cross
sectional area in unit time . Here unit time maybe 1 second , 1 minute or 1 hour . We
choose one second as the unit of time. Now definition of current will be total amount of
negative charge passing through any cross-section area in one second.

I= dq or i = dq
dt dt

Current is of two type -

- Instantaneous current = dq/dt = current at any point of time

- Average current= q/t = ne/t [q=ne)

If the type of current is not specified by default we can assume that current to be
instantaneous current . Direction of current is assumed to be that in which positive charge
moves.

In the SI system, the unit of current is ampere (A).

1 A= 1 C/s
Conventional current
Electric current through a conductor is said to be 1 A if one
coulomb of charge flows through any cross-section of conductor
in one second .

Smaller units of electric current are milliampere (1 mA=l0·3

) ampere), micro ampere, (1 micro A= 10-6 A).

Note-
In any volume of wire, there are equal amount of positive and
Electronic current
negative charges. The wire is electrically neutral and does not
produce electric field.

)
NATURE OF CURRENT
Electric current has both magnitude as well as direction, yet it is a scalar quantity. It happens
because the law of simple algebra are used to add current and the law of vector algebra are
not applicable in the addition of electric current.
For example, suppose the currents of SA and 2A flows through two mutually perpendicular
wires AO and BO meet at the junction O and then flow along wire OC. Here the current in
wire OC is 7A which is scalar addition of 2A and SA currents and not S.3A which is the result
from vector addition.
Formula to find out magnitude of resultant vector-■ R = ✓A2 + B2 + 2ABCos0
A

7A
>---..---c
0

POINTS TO REMEMBER-

The current is the same for all cross-sections of a conductor of non-uniform cross-
section. Similar to the water flow, charge flows faster where the conductor is smaller in
cross-section and slower where the conductor is larger in cross-section, so that charge
rate remains unchanged.

In a conductor, normally current flow or charge flow is due to flow of free electrons.

Charge is quantised (Can have only certain discrete values). The charge on any body will
be some integral multiple of e i.e.

Q=tne

Where, n = 1,2,3 ...

ELECTRIC CURRENT IN CONDUCTORS

Conductors contain free electrons which flows from lower potential to higher
potential .Lower potential being the negative terminal and high potential being the positive
terminal of the battery. These free electron shows random motion when circuit is not
connected with source of EMF (battery).
The random motion of free electrons inside a conductor, often referred to as thermal
motion, is indeed a result of the temperature difference. When a conductor is at a
nonzero temperature, its constituent particles, including free electrons, possess
thermal energy. This energy causes the particles to vibrate and move randomly within
the material. For any imaginary plane passing through the conductor, the number of
electrons crossing the plane in one direction is equal to the number of electrons
crossing it in the other direction. Therefore, net current is zero from any section.In the
context of electric current, this thermal motion plays a significant role. When a potential
difference (voltage) is applied across a conductor, it creates an electric field inside the
conductor. The free electrons, being negatively charged, experience a force in the
direction opposite to the electric field and start to drift. However, due to their thermal
motion, they also move randomly in all directions.
So, while the net drift of electrons constitutes the electric current, their random thermal
motion affects the overall conductivity and behavior of the material, especially at
higher temperatures.

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f

E ..., +-0 +-0

+-0
J +-0 +-0

: V-:
+ - +
A
V --

MOTE

when a constant potential difference, Vis applied between the ends of the conductor as
shown in the figure and electric field Eis produced inside the conductor. The conduction
electrons within the conductor are then subjected to a force -eE and move overall in the
direction of increasing potential .

A conduction electron accelerate through a very small distance (about sx10-a m) and then
collide with fixed ions or atoms of the conductor.

Each collision transfers some of the electron's kinetic energy to the ions or atoms.

The magnitude of the drift velocity is of the order of 104 mis or about 109 times smaller
than the average speed of the electrons of their random or thermal motion .
 Free electrons inside a solid conductor can have two motions :
(1) Random or thermal motion (speed pf the order of 105 m/s)
(2) Drift motion (speed of the order of 10·4 m/s)
Net current due to random or thermal motion is zero from any section, whereas net
current due to drift motion is non zero .
In the absence of any electric field or a potential difference across the conductor, free
electrons have only random motion. Hence , net current from any section is zero.
In the presence of an electric field or a potential difference across the conductor, free
electrons have both motions, random and drift. Therefore current is non zero due to
drift motion.
Drift motion of free electrons is opposite to the electric field. Therefore, direction of
current is in the direction of electric field from higher potential to lower potential.

Drift means Rsi¼1 I in hindi and shift in english .

Drift velocity is defined as "Average velocity I

1-~
with which the free electrons get drifted \
towards the positive end of the conductor
under the influence of an external electric
field."
Free electrons inside the wire gain Some
velocity through acceleration and the velocity
gained through acceleration is lost when
electrons strike the atoms or the positive ions
present inside the wire. At each, collision the
electron starts a fresh with the random thermal
velocity. As a result, electron acquires a small
velocity called drift velocity .

Let assume that there are N number of free electrons present inside a conductor. Flow of
free electrons is so oriented that the average thermal velocities of total number of free
electrons in a conductor is zero .
 ➔ ➔ ➔
µ1 µ2 . .. ...•.... µ N be the random velocities of N free electrons then
' '

➔
µ=

Thus there is no net flow of charge in any direction .

Force acting on the free electron in the conductor

... ... I
F = - eE I _ __,
\
Negative sign shows that the direction of the
force is opposite to the electric field.

If m is the mass of each electron, then acceleration produced in the electron is given by

... ➔

a=
F - eE
m m

Due to this acceleration, the free electrons, apart from its thermal velocity , aquires additional
velocity component in a direction opposite to the direction of electric field. However, the gain in
the velocity of the electron due to electric field is very small and is lost in the next collision with
atom or ion of the conductor . So the acceleration of electron is not proportional to the external
electric field applied . Also the positive ions experience force due to electric field but they can't
move as they are heavy and tightly bound in the metal .

If an electron having random thermal velocity U1 accelerate for time T1 before it suffers next
collision, then it attain velocity.

similarly, the velocities acquired by other electrons in the conductor will be.