Section 4 Electricity

AQA Physics Answers to practice questions

Question Answer Marks Guidance
1 (a) Calculation: 1 Whilst the current is small the
up to 0.50 A the lamp has a constant resistance filament does not heat up
of 2.0 Ω sufficiently for its resistance to
when I = 0.50 A, V = I R = 0.50 × 2.0 = 1.0 V change. The current/voltage
characteristic for a constant
Graph to show : 2 resistance is a straight line
• straight line from the origin to the point (1.0 V, through the origin. As the current
0.50 A) increases further the filament
• smooth curve of decreasing slope from this temperature increases, causing
point to the point (12 V, 2.0 A) the resistance to increase. Equal
increases in voltage then cause
progressively smaller increases in
current, so the gradient of the
graph decreases.
1 (b) Graph to show : 3 This is yet another test of your
• current is zero between the origin and about knowledge of the shape of these
+0.6 V characteristic curves. A diode
• steep rise in current beyond +0.6 V (with conducts in one direction only
voltage not greatly exceeding 1 V) and conducts increasingly well
• current is zero for all negative voltages once the positive voltage is
greater than about 0.6 V.
2 (a) A circuit consisting of two resistors in series with 1
a source of fixed pd.
2 (b) Pd across R = 5.0 – 1.8 V = 3.2 V 1

Thermistor resistance = (1.8 V / 3.2 V) × 2.2 kΩ 1

= 1.2 kΩ
2 (c) The resistance of T increases when its 1
temperature is increased.

As a result, the pd across T increases so the pd 1

across R falls. Therefore the output pd
decreases when the temperature of the
thermistor is raised.
2 (d) The output pd is 3.0 V when the thermistor pd is 1
2.0 V (= 5.0 – 3.0 V).

For this output pd , the ratio of the resistance of 1

R needs to be 1.8 kΩ (= 3.0 / 2.0 × the
o
resistance of the thermistor at 25 C.

R needs to be replaced by a variable resistor 1

that can be adjusted to 1.8 kΩ.
3 (a) V 2.5 1 These ought to be two very easy
R = I = 0.25 marks. When a lamp is working
= 10 Ω 1 normally it should be operating at
its specified voltage and current.
3 (b) ε 6.0 1 Since the lamp is working
current I = R = R + 10 = 0.25 A normally, the current in it (and in
total
gives (R + 10) = 24 and R = 14 Ω 1 all this series circuit) must be
0.25 A.

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 Section 4 Electricity
AQA Physics Answers to practice questions
Question Answer Marks Guidance
3 (c) 1 1 1 5 1 The first step is to find the
Rpar = 15 + 10 ( = 30 ) resistance of the parallel
gives Rpar = 6.0 Ω 1 combination of L and the 15 Ω
resistor. The 8.4 Ω resistor is
Rtotal = 8.4 + 6.0 = 14.4 Ω 1 connected in series with this
parallel combination.
3 (d) total resistance of the first circuit is 24 Ω 1 You are asked to ‘explain’, but
and that of second circuit is 14.4 Ω you also have to decide which
2
V 1 circuit to choose. It is really only
power P = I V = R possible to come to this
each circuit has the same voltage applied 1 conclusion once you have
across it, so the circuit with the greater thought through what is
resistance – the first circuit – dissipates the happening in these circuits, and
lower total power how you can work out an answer.
You could calculate the actual
powers involved (1.5 W and 2.5
W respectively) but that would be
going beyond what is actually
expected.
4 (a) ρL 1 The resistivity equation with ρ as
R= A subject is given in the Data
–6
1.1 × 10 × 3.0 1 Booklet. For the first mark you
= 1.7 × 10
–8
have to rearrange the equation so
= 194 Ω 1 that R is the subject. Because
you are asked to show that R1 is
“about 190 Ω”, you should quote
all 3 significant figures in the
answer.
2 2
4 (b) V 240 1 Alternatively, you could work out
power P = R = 194 V
1 the current from I = R , and then
= 300 W
2
apply P = I V (or P = I R) to find
the power.

4 (c) (i) power output of R2 1 Since the total power is now 3×

= 2 × power output of R1 that from R1 alone, R2 must
1 1 dissipate 2× the power from R1.
resistance of R2 = 2 × resistance of R1 R1 and R2 are connected in
length of wire in R2 1 parallel and therefore have the
1 same pd across them. The power
= 2 of length of wire in R1 = 1.5 m V
2
dissipated = R , and this is
1
proportional to R because V is
constant. For the final step, note
that R is proportional to L.
4 (c) (ii) total power output with both elements switched 1 You could use other methods to
on is 900 W work this out (such as finding the
P 900 1 current in each resistor and then
using P = I V, I = V = 240 = 3.8 A adding the two values).
5 (a) (i) total emf in circuit = 22 − 10 = 12 V 1 In order to charge the car battery,
the power supply has to drive
charge through it. The two emfs
in the circuit are therefore
opposing each other.

© Oxford University Press 2015 This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.
[Link]/acknowledgements
 Section 4 Electricity
AQA Physics Answers to practice questions
Question Answer Marks Guidance
5 (a) (ii) ε ε 12 1 You are told that the initial
from I = R , Rtotal = I = 0.25 charging current is 0.25 A. It is
total
= 48 Ω 1 important to realise that, even
though the emf of the car battery
total internal resistance = 0.75 + 0.15 1 is negative, its internal resistance
= 0.90 Ω is still added to that of the power
∴ resistance of R = 48 − 0.90 = 47.1 Ω supply when finding the total
circuit resistance.
5 (b) charge Q = I t = 0.25 × 8.0 × 3600 1 The charge must be in C, so the
= 7200 C time must be in s.

© Oxford University Press 2015 This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.
[Link]/acknowledgements