CURRENT

ELECTRICIT
Y
Electric Current, Potential Difference and Resistance,
Efficient use of Energy
Sources of Direct
Current

• In a cell, chemical energy

changes into electrical energy
when it sends current in a
circuit. A cell basically consists of
a vessel containing two
conducting rods, called the
electrodes, at some separation,
placed in a solution called the
electrolyte.
Kinds of Cells
• 1. Primary Cells: These cells provide current as a result of
irreversible chemical reaction. The cells are discarded after use
when the entire chemical energy in them has converted into
electrical energy. Thus, these are ‘use and throw’ type of cells and
cannot be recharged. Depending upon the material of electrodes
and electrolyte, we have different types of primary cells e.g. simple
voltaic cell, Leclanche cell, Daniel cell, dry cell, etc.
Kinds of Cells
• 2. Secondary cells or Accumulators:
• Secondary cells also provide current as a result of a
chemical reaction. In these cells, the chemical reaction is
reversible and so they can be recharged after use.
Sources of Direct Current

Direct current is a current of constant magnitude flowing

in one direction.

The magnitude of current given by a cell remains

constant for a sufficiently long time. When the cell gets
discharged, it stops giving current and becomes useless.
 Difference between primary cell and
secondary cell

Primary Cell Secondary Cell

1. Chemical reaction is irreversible. 1. Chemical reaction is reversible.
2. Chemical energy is converted into 2. Electrical energy converts into chemical
electrical energy when current is drawn energy when current is passed in it, while
from it. chemical energy converts into electrical
energy when current is drawn from it.
3. It can not be recharged. 3. It can be recharged.
4. Its internal resistance is high. 4. Its internal resistance is low.
5. It is capable of giving weak current only. 5. It can provide low as well as high current.
6. It is light and cheap. 6. It is heavy and costly.
Ex: Simple voltaic cell, Leclanche cell, Daniel Ex: Lead accumulator, Ni-Fe accumulator, Li-H
cell, Dry cell. battery.
ELECTRIC CURRENT

• Current is the rate of flow of charge across a cross-section normal to the

direction of flow of current.
• If charge Q flows through the cross-section of a conductor in time t, then,
Current, I =
• Current is a scalar quantity.
• If ‘n’ electrons pass through the cross section of a conductor in time t, then,
Total charge passed Q = ne
• And current in conductor, I =
Direction of Current

• Conventionally, the direction of current is

taken positive in the direction of flow of
positive charge. Therefore, conventionally,
the current will be negative in the
direction of flow of electrons. The rate of
flow of electrons in a direction is called
electronic current in that direction. The
conventional current is in a direction
opposite to the direction of motion of
electrons. The magnitude of conventional
current is the rate of flow of total charge
across the given cross-section.
Unit of Current

• I=
• unit of current =
• The S.I. unit of charge is coulomb and S.I. unit of time is second, so the S.I. unit of current
is coulomb per second which is called ‘ampere’.
• Thus current is 1 A, if the rate of flow of charge is 1 coulomb per second.
• 1 mA = 10-3 A
• 1 μA = 10-6 A
Symbols used in circuit diagrams
Symbols used in circuit diagrams
Simple Electric Circuit
Insulators

• The substances which do not

allow current to flow through
them, are called insulators. They
have almost no free electrons and
offer a very high resistance to the
flow of current. Some examples
of insulators are cotton, rubber,
plastic, wood, paper, glass,
leather, pure water, asbestos,
china clay, etc.
 Conductors

• The substances which allow current to

flow through them easily, are called
conductors. All metals such as copper,
aluminium, silver, iron, brass and steel are
conductors. They have a large number of
free electrons and they offer a very small
resistance to the flow of current. Human
body also allows current to flow through
it, so it is also a conductor. Impure water
and mercury are also conductors of
electricity.
Closed and
Open Circuits
• For an electric circuit to be
complete, each component of it
must pass current through it i.e.
it should be conducting. If there
is an insulator in the path (or if
the circuit is broken), the circuit
is incomplete (or open) and the
current will not flow through it.
 • When two charged conductors are joined
by a metallic wire, free electrons flow from
a conductor having higher concentration of
electrons to the conductor having lower
Flow of concentration of electrons. The movement
of electrons stops when concentration of
Electrons electrons in both becomes equal. This can
be understood by the following examples.
between
the
conductors
 Flow of
Electrons
between the
conductors
 • Inference: From the discussed examples, it is
clear that the flow of electrons between two
conductors joined by a metal wire can be
Flow of maintained for a long time, if it is somehow
made possible to maintain an excess of
Electrons electrons in one conductor and a deficit of
electrons in the other conductor. This is done
between in an electric cell.
the
conductors
Direction of the
Electric Current
 • A positively charged conductor A having a deficit
of electrons is joined by a metal wire to a
negatively charged conductor B having an excess
of electrons. The direction of flow of electrons is
from conductor B to conductor A i.e., from low
potential to high potential. In keeping with the
convention of flow from a higher to a lower level,
the electric current is said to flow from a body at
Direction of higher potential to a body at lower potential i.e.,
the Electric in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of
electrons. Thus , the direction of flow of
Current conventional current is opposite to the direction
of flow of electrons.
Potential
• We know that like charges repel and unlike charges attract,
therefore to create an excess or deficit of electrons at a point, some
work is to be done in moving the charges against the forces between
them. The force between the two charges is zero when they are at
infinite separation. Hence quantitatively, potential at a point is
measured in terms of work done in bringing a charge ‘q’ from
infinity to that point.
V=
• Potential is a scalar quantity. Its SI unit is joule/coulomb or volt(V).
Potential Difference
• The potential difference between two conductors is equal to the
work done in transferring a unit positive charge from one conductor
to the other conductor.
V1 – V2 =
• Potential difference is a scalar quantity.
• S.I. unit is joule/coulomb or volt.
• Potential difference between two points is said to be 1 volt if work
done in transferring 1 coulomb of charge from one point to the
other point is 1 joule.
Ohm’s Law
• Current flowing through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential
difference applied across its ends provided its temperature is constant.
• IαV
• V = IR; where R is the resistance of conductor.
• R=
• Resistance is a scalar quantity.
• S.I. unit is ohm (Ω)
• The resistance of a conductor is said to be 1 ohm if a current of 1 ampere flows
through it when the potential difference across its ends is 1 volt.
 • The obstruction offered to the flow of
current by a conductor is called its
electrical resistance.

Electrical • Cause of resistance:

Resistanc
e
Factors affecting the resistance of a conductor

MATERIAL OF LENGTH OF THICKNESS OF TEMPERATURE OF

CONDUCTOR CONDUCTOR CONDUCTOR, AND CONDUCTOR.
Dependence on the material of conductor

• Different materials have different concentration of free electrons and therefore

the resistance of a conductor depends on its material. Metals such as silver,
copper, aluminium, lead,etc. have the concentration of free electrons in the
decreasing order, so their identical wires offer resistance in the increasing order.
• The substances which have a large concentration of electrons, offer less
resistance therefore, they are called the good conductors of electricity. But the
substances such as rubber, glass, wood, etc. have negligible concentration of free
electrons. They offer very high resistance, so they are called the insulators of
electricity.
 • In a long conductor, the number of collisions
of free electrons with the positive ions will
be more as compared to a shorter one.
Dependence Therefore, a longer conductor offers more
resistance.
on the length Rαl
of conductor
• If the length of wire of same radius is
doubled what happens to its resistance?
 • In a thick conductor, electrons get a
larger area of cross section to flow as
compared to a thin conductor,
Dependence therefore a thick conductor offers a
less resistance.

on the • The resistance of a conductor is

inversely proportional to its area of

thickness of cross section ‘a’ normal to the

direction of flow of current i.e.,

conductor R α α 1/ π r2
• If the radius of wire of same length is
doubled what happens to its
resistance?
• If the radius of wire of same length is
tripled what happens to its resistance?
Dependence on the
temperature of conductor
• With the increase in temperature of a
conductor, the random motion of
electrons increases.
• As a result, the number of collisions of
electrons with the positive ions increases.
• Hence, the resistance of conductor
increases with an increase in its
temperature.
• The resistance of filament of a bulb is
more when it is glowing as compared to
that when it is not glowing.
Efficient Use of Energy

• The meaning of efficient use of energy is to reduce the cost

and amount of energy used to provide us the various
products and services. Energy efficiency can be achieved by
adopting more efficient ecofriendly technologies and
processes. This results in reduction of
• (i) the cost of energy
• (ii) the emission of greenhouse gases.
SOCIAL INITIATIVES