Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits

Answers and Solutions

1. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Guided Example 21.2. The disk drive in a portable CD player is
connected to a battery that supplies it with a current of 0.22 A.
Strategy: Multiply the number of electrons by the magnitude of the fundamental charge, 1.60×10−19 C, to find the
amount of charge that passes through the CD player. Because we know both the current, I, and the amount of
charge, we can use the definition of current, to find the time required for the charge to flow.

Solution: 1. Calculate the amount of charge:

2. Solve the definition of

current for the time elapsed:

Insight: A current of 0.22 A corresponds to 1.4 trillion electrons passing a point in the circuit every microsecond!

2. Picture the Problem: A certain amount of charge passes a point in a circuit in a measured amount of time.
Strategy: Calculate the current by using its definition,

Solution: Calculate the current:

Insight: 3600 C of charge corresponds to 2.3×1022 electrons.

3. Picture the Problem: A certain amount of charge produces a measured current as it passes a point in a circuit.
Strategy: Solve the definition of current, for the time required for the charge to pass through the bulb.

Solution: Calculate the time elapsed:

Insight: A current of 0.18 A corresponds to1.1 trillion electrons passing through the bulb every microsecond!

4. Picture the Problem: A voltage drives a measured amount of current through a known resistance.
Strategy: Use Ohm’s law, to find the voltage required to drive the current through the resistor.

Solution: Calculate the voltage:

Insight: If you connected this resistor across the terminals of a household 120-V outlet, only 0.48 A of current would
flow through it.

5. Picture the Problem: A wire conducts current when a potential difference is applied between the two ends.
Strategy: Ohm’s law gives the relationship between potential difference, current, and resistance for any circuit element.
In this problem we can solve Ohm’s law for the resistance R of the wire.

Solution: Solve Ohm’s law for R:

Insight: This is a large resistance for a wire. Even if it were made of steel, which has a high resistivity, and was
0.50 mm thick, it would have to be over 100 m long to offer of resistance.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

6. Picture the Problem: A wire is connected across the terminals of a battery.

Strategy: Draw a circuit with a battery connected across the two ends of a wire. Recall that
the current flows out of the positive terminal of the battery and into the negative terminal.
Solution: A simple circuit is depicted at right.
Insight: By convention, the direction of the current arrow is given in terms of a positive test
charge. In typical circuits the charges that flow are actually negatively charged electrons. As
a result, the flow of electrons and the current arrow point in opposite directions. Therefore,
while the current flows clockwise in this diagram, the electrons flow counterclockwise.

7. If a wire’s resistance is increased, the current through a wire will decrease if the potential difference across the wire
remains the same.

8. As a wire is heated, its resistivity tends to increase. Therefore, if the wire’s physical dimensions remain the same, its
resistance will also increase as its temperature is increased.

9. A negatively charged electron flows from a region of low electric potential (near the negative terminal of the battery) to
a region of high electric potential (near the positive terminal).

10. The flow of electrons and the direction of the current point in opposite directions. Therefore, while the electron falls
toward the ground, the current flows upward.

11. In order to forward bias a diode and cause it to conduct electric current, the positive terminal of a battery should be
attached to the p-type semiconductor, as in Figure 21.9 (a).

12. Picture the Problem: Two resistors have different voltages applied across them.
Strategy: Use Ohm’s law, to find the voltage required to drive the current through each resistor. Then
compare the two voltages.
Solution: 1. Calculate the voltage across resistor 1:

2. Calculate the voltage across resistor 2:

3. By comparing the two voltages we conclude that resistor 2 has the greater potential difference.
Insight: If resistor 2 were connected across the terminals of a household 120-V outlet, 24 A would flow through it.

13. Picture the Problem: A resistor conducts current when a potential difference is applied across it.
Strategy: Ohm’s law gives the relationships among potential difference, current, and resistance for any circuit element.
In this problem we can solve Ohm’s law for the current I that flows through the resistor.

Solution: Solve Ohm’s law for I:

Insight: In many circuits a convenient unit for the current is the milliampere, where 1.00 A = 1000 mA.

14. Picture the Problem: A voltage drives a measured amount of current through a known resistance.
Strategy: Use Ohm’s law, to find the voltage required to drive the current through the resistor.

Solution: Calculate the voltage:

Insight: If you connected this resistor across the terminals of a household 120-V outlet, only 0.86 A of current would
flow through it.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

15. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Active Example 21.3. A battery with an emf of 1.5 V delivers a
current of 0.44 A to a flashlightbulb.

Strategy: First solve the equation for the work done by a battery, to find the amount of charge that is
required to do 150 J of work. Then use the definition of current, to find the amount of time required for the
charge to flow.

Solution: 1. Calculate the amount of charge:

2. Solve the definition of current for the time elapsed:

Insight: A current of 0.44 A corresponds to 2.8 trillion electrons passing a point in the circuit every microsecond!

16. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Guided Example 21.5. A
circuit consists of three resistors, R1 = 250.0 R2 = 150.0 and R3 = 350
that are connected in series to a 24.0-V battery.

Strategy: First add the three resistances to find the total resistance of the circuit,
and then divide by 3 to find the resistance R of each of three identical resistors that
replace the original ones. Then use Ohm’s law to find the potential difference across
each resistor when 0.0320 A of current flows through it.

Solution: 1. Calculate the total

resistance and divide by three:

2. Apply Ohm’s law,

to find the voltage:
Insight: Notice that if the three resistors are identical, they each have one-third of the total voltage across them. By
contrast, in the original arrangement the voltage drops were

17. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in series with a battery, as
indicated in the diagram at the right, with R1 = 12 R2 = 25 and R3 = 62
Strategy: First find the current that flows through the circuit by using the given
potential difference across the 12- resistor. Then use the current, which is the
same for every resistor in a series circuit, to find the potential difference across the
other two resistors by using Ohm’s law.

Solution: 1. Solve Ohm’s law for the current I:

2. (a) Use Ohm’s law to find :

3. (b) Repeat to find :

Insight: The sum of the voltages is which must be the emf of the battery. You can also solve
this question with ratios, because the current is the same throughout and

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

18. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in series with a battery, as
indicated in the diagram at the right.

Strategy: First find the equivalent resistance of the circuit by adding the individual
resistances together because they are connected in series. Then apply Ohm’s law to
find the current flowing through the circuit. Because the same current flows through
each resistor, Ohm’s law can be applied again to find the potential difference across
each resistor.
Solution: 1. (a) Apply Ohm’s law
with the equivalent resistance to find I:

2. (b) Combine the expression from

step 1 with Ohm’s law to find :

3. Repeat to find :

4. Repeat to find :
Insight: The sum of the potential drops is so that the net around the whole circuit is zero.

19. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Guided Example 21.6. A
circuit consists of three resistors, R1 = 250.0 R2 = 150.0 and R3 = 350
that are connected in parallel with a 24.0-V battery.
Strategy: The currents through each of the three resistors are known from Guided
Example 21.6. If R3 is increased to 525 the current in that branch of the circuit
will be reduced, but the currents through the other two resistors will be unaffected
because the potential difference across each resistor remains unchanged. Use this
fact to answer the conceptual question, and then use Ohm’s law to find the current
through R3. Add that current to the other two currents to find the current supplied by
the battery.
Solution: 1. (a) The current through R3 will be reduced when its resistance is increased, but the currents through the
other two resistors will be unaffected. We conclude that the current supplied by the battery will decrease if R3 is
increased to 525
2. (b) Find the current I3 through R3:

3. Add the three currents to find the

total current supplied by the battery:
Insight: The total current supplied by the battery dropped by 0.023 A (from 0.325 A to 0.302 A), the same amount by
which the current through R3 dropped (from 0.0686 A to 0.0457 A) when its resistance is increased to 525

20. Picture the Problem: A number of identical resistors are connected in parallel.

Strategy: The resistances of resistors connected in parallel combine according to so that N

identical resistors would have an equivalent resistance given by

Solution: Set and solve for N:

Insight: If only five resistors were connected in parallel, the equivalent resistance would be 13 The six resistors
produce an equivalent resistance of 10.8 just under the maximum allowed equivalent resistance of 11

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

21. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in parallel with a battery as
indicated in the diagram at the right.
Strategy: First determine the equivalent resistance of the circuit by combining the

resistances of the three resistors according to . The known

current and equivalent resistance will then yield the emf of the battery by using
Ohm’s law.

Solution: 1. Determine

2. Apply Ohm’s law to find

Insight: Note that for this parallel circuit the voltages are all the same, but the currents are different and sum to 1.8 A.

22. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Guided Example

21.7. In the circuit shown in the diagram below, the emf of the battery is 900 
12 V, the two lower resistors have a resistance of 450 and the upper 450  450 
resistor is 900
Strategy: Increasing the resistance of the upper resistor will reduce the
flow of current in that branch, and will reduce the total flow of current
from the battery. The current supplied by the battery is given by Ohm’s
law, where Req is the equivalent resistance of the three resistors.
To find Req we first note that the lower two resistors are in series, giving a
net resistance of 2R = 900 Next, the upper 900- resistor is in parallel
with the pair of resistors having resistance 900 Calculating the
equivalent resistance of this combination yields the desired Req.
Solution: 1. (a) The current through the upper resistor will be reduced when its resistance is increased, but the current
through the other two resistors will be unaffected. We conclude that the current supplied by the battery will decrease if
the upper resistor is increased to 900
2. (b) The two lower resistors in series act like a
single resistor of 2 × 450 = 900 Therefore
the equivalent resistance of the circuit is due to
two 900- resistors in parallel:
3. Apply Ohm’s law to find the total
current supplied by the battery:
Insight: The total current supplied by the battery dropped by 0.013 A (from 0.040 A to 0.027 A), the same amount by
which the current through the upper resistor dropped (from 0.027 A to 0.013 A) when its resistance doubled.

23. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in the manner indicated by the
diagram at right, where R = 25
Strategy: Use the rules concerning resistors in series and in parallel to determine
the equivalent resistance of the circuit. Begin by finding the equivalent resistance of
the 55- resistor connected in parallel with R, and then add the equivalent
resistance of the pair to 12 to find for the entire circuit.
Solution: Find for the circuit if R = 25 :

Insight: Note that the effective resistance of the 55- and 25- resistors, when connected in parallel, is 17 less
than either of the two resistors. When resistors are added in parallel, more current flows for the same voltage, which
means the effective resistance of the parallel combination is smaller than any of the resistances.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

24. Picture the Problem: A hobbyist repairing a radio connects three resistors of
known values in order to produce a certain effective resistance.
Strategy: The configuration of resistors can be determined with logical reasoning.
Connecting all three of the resistors in series would make , higher than
the 150- desired effective resistance. Connecting the three in parallel would make
smaller than the desired resistance. We could connect two resistors in
series, then connect the pair in parallel with the third resistor. The three possible
arrangements produce values of 63 70 and 96 all too small. Therefore, we must connect two resistors in
parallel and then place that pair in series with the third resistor. The three possible arrangements yield values of
144 150 and 263
Solution: 1. Connect the 220- and 79- resistors in parallel. Then connect this pair in series with the 92- resistor.

2. Check that the solution produces the correct :

Insight: One of the three possible configurations, the one with the two smaller resistances in parallel and connected in
series with the 220- resistor, can be ruled out because the effective resistance would always be greater than 220 .

25. When resistors are connected in series, the equivalent resistance is simply the sum of the individual resistances.
Therefore, if one of four resistors that are connected in series is replaced with a zero resistance wire, the equivalent
resistance of the entire circuit will decrease.

26. The more resistors that are connected in parallel, the smaller the equivalent resistance of the circuit. Therefore, the
equivalent resistance of a circuit will decrease when a third identical resistor is added in parallel with two identical
resistors that are connected in parallel.

27. (a) The resistors in a series circuit all have the same current but different potential differences across them. (b) The
resistors in a parallel circuit all have the same potential difference across them but different currents.

28. Car headlights are connected in parallel. If they were connected in series, both headlights would go out if one headlight
were to burn out and break the circuit. The fact that a car can have only one working headlight indicates that they are
connected in parallel.

29. Picture the Problem: Two resistors are connected in series with a battery as shown
in the diagram at right.
Strategy: The current will be the same through the two resistors and their
resistances will add because they are connected in series. Use the equivalent
resistance of the circuit together with Ohm’s law to determine the emf of the battery.
Solution: Apply Ohm’s law to find :

Insight: Verify for yourself that if the two resistors were instead connected in parallel, and that 0.72 A flows through the
89- resistor, the emf of the battery that is connected across the pair would be only 64 V.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

30. Picture the Problem: Two resistors are connected in parallel with a battery as
shown in the diagram at right.
Strategy: The potential difference will be the same across the two resistors and

their resistances will add according to because they are connected in

parallel. Use the equivalent resistance of the circuit together with Ohm’s law to
determine the current supplied by the battery.

Solution: 1. Find the equivalent

resistance of the two resistors:

Solution: Apply Ohm’s law to find I:

Insight: You can also solve this problem by independently finding the current is 0.037 A through the 210- resistor and
0.059 A through the 130- resistor, drawing a total of 0.096 A from the battery.

31. Picture the Problem: A 12-V battery is connected to a 12- resistor and a 36- resistor, but we are not told whether
the resistors are connected in series or in parallel. The current that flows through the battery is 0.25 A.
Strategy: First use Ohm’s law to calculate the equivalent resistance of the circuit. If the equivalent resistance is the sum
of the two resistances, they are connected in series. If the equivalent resistance is smaller than the value of either
resistor, they are connected in parallel.

Solution: 1. (a) Use Ohm’s law to find Req:

2. (b) The equivalent resistance of 48 is equal to the sum of the 12 and 36 resistors. We conclude that the
resistors are connected in series.
Insight: If the two resistors had been connected in parallel, their equivalent resistance would have been 9.0 and they
would have drawn 1.33 A of current from the 12-V battery.

32. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected as shown in the circuit at right:
Strategy: The top two resistors are connected in series with each other, and their
resistances add. That pair of resistors is connected in parallel with the bottom resistor,

and the resistances combine according to

Solution: Replace the 35- and 82- resistors

with an equivalent 117 and then add that
value in parallel with the 45- resistor.
Insight: The equivalent resistance is smaller than the smallest (35 resistor in the group!

33. Picture the Problem: A flashlight delivers electrical power to a bulb at a certain voltage.
Strategy: The power delivered to the bulb is given by Solve this equation for the voltage of the battery.

Solution: Solve the power equation for V:

Insight: If the battery voltage were doubled, but the resistance of the flashlightbulb remained the same, both the voltage
and the current would double, and the power delivered would increase by a factor of 4.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

34. Picture the Problem: A battery delivers electrical current to an engine starter.
Strategy: The power delivered to the starter is given by
Solution: Calculate the power delivered:
Insight: If the battery voltage were doubled, but the resistance of the starter motor remained the same, both the voltage
and the current would double, and the power delivered would increase by a factor of 4.

35. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Guided Example 21.10. A battery with an emf of 15 V is
connected to a 570- resistor.
Strategy: The resistor dissipates power (energy per time) for 65 s. The power can be found using or
We’ll use the last equation because the voltage and resistance are given.

Solution: 1. Calculate the power dissipated in the resistor:

2. Multiply the power by the time to find the energy dissipated:

Insight: By increasing the battery voltage by 25% (from 12 V to 15 V), the power delivered to the resistor was
increased by 56% (from 0.25 W to 0.39 W) because the power is proportional to the square of the voltage.

36. Picture the Problem: A portable CD player consumes electric power by drawing current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: The power consumed by the CD player is the current it draws times the voltage at which it operates.

Solution: Calculate the power delivered to the player:

Insight: Power consumed at this rate will drain two AA alkaline batteries (2850-mA·h) in about 260 h.

37. Picture the Problem: An electric heater converts electric power to heat energy.
Strategy: The power can be found using or We’ll use the last equation because the
voltage and power are given, and resistance is requested.

Solution: Solve for the resistance:

Insight: In order to create a heating element that consumes more power at the same voltage, you must fabricate it with a
lower resistance.

38. Picture the Problem: This is a follow-up question to Guided Example 21.12. When
a goose is cooked using a voltage of 220 V and a current of 20 A, the process
requires 17.6 kWh and 4.00 h of cooking time. The voltage is reduced to 110 V and
the current to 10 A before cooking a second goose.
Strategy: The power dissipated by the electric heater will decrease by a factor of 4
because and both the current and the voltage have been reduced by a factor
of 2. Therefore, if the same 17.6 kWh of energy is required to cook the goose, it will
take four times longer to cook.
Solution: Because the power has been reduced by a factor of 4, it will take four times longer to cook the goose, or
16.0 h.
Insight: The power has been reduced from 4.4 kW to 1.1 kW, but because the oven must be kept on for 16.0 h, the same
amount of energy (17.6 kWh) is dissipated and it will still cost $1.50 to cook the goose at $0.085 per kilowatt-hour.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

39. Picture the Problem: A reading lamp consumes electric power by drawing current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: The power consumed by the lamp is given by First find the power P consumed and then determine
the energy consumed by operating the lamp for an hour. The cost is then the energy consumed multiplied
by the cost per kilowatt-hour.
Solution: 1. Calculate the power delivered to the lamp:

2. Multiply P by to find

3. Multiply by the cost per kilowatt-hour:

Insight: If you fell asleep reading and left the lamp on for the entire 10-h night, it would cost you only $0.23.

40. Picture the Problem: A battery charger consumes electric power by drawing current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: The power consumed by the battery charger is given by First find the power P consumed and then
determine the electrical energy dissipated by operating the charger for 120 min (or 2.0 h). The cost per
kilowatt-hour is then the total cost divided by the energy consumed.
Solution: 1. Calculate the power delivered to the battery:

2. Multiply P by to find

3. Divide the total cost by in kilowatt-hours:

Insight: At this cost you could operate the charger for 77 h and charge almost 39 batteries for $1.00.

41. Electric power can be calculated by using any one of three equations: or

42. The kilowatt hour is a unit for measuring electrical energy. It is equivalent to 3.6×10 6 J.

43. When an amount of charge moves across a potential difference there is a change in electrical potential energy.

44. The electric power dissipated by a light is inversely proportional to its resistance R, according to the equation
Therefore, if light A has four times the power rating of light B when operating at the same voltage, then the
resistance R of light A is less than the resistance of light B. In fact, light A has one-fourth the resistance of light B.

45. Picture the Problem: An electric heater with a resistance if 25 is connected to a 120-V outlet.
Strategy: The resistor dissipates power (energy per time). The power can be found using or
We’ll use the last equation because the voltage and resistance are given.

Solution: Calculate the power dissipated in the heater:

Insight: In order to create a heating element that consumes more power at the same voltage, you must fabricate it with a
lower resistance.

46. Picture the Problem: A measured amount of current flows through a known resistance.
Strategy: The power can be found using or We’ll use the middle equation because the
current and resistance are given.
Solution: Calculate the power dissipated by the resistor:
Insight: More power will be dissipated if the resistance is greater but the same current flows through it.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

47. Picture the Problem: A voltage source creates a measured amount of current through a resistor.
Strategy: The power can be found using or We’ll use the first equation because the
current and voltage are given.
Solution: Calculate the power dissipated by the resistor:
Insight: Doubling the voltage would also double the amount of current that flows, so that the power dissipated would
increase by a factor of four.

48. Picture the Problem: A lightbulb consumes electric power by drawing current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: Use to find the current drawn by the lightbulb given its power rating and operating voltage. We can
then use either or to find the resistance of the filament.

Solution: 1. (a) Solve for I:

2. (b) Solve for R:

Insight: If the voltage were increased to 120 V the lightbulb would draw of
current and would dissipate of electrical power.

49. No. Assuming you were electrically neutral before you combed your hair, there will be as much positive charge on your
hair as negative charge on your comb, and the two identical charges moving in the same direction and at the same speed
will produce no current.

50. Yes. The comb will acquire a negative charge, and the dog’s back will be positively charged. If the dog sits still and you
walk across the room with the negatively charged comb, a current will be produced that is opposite to the direction you
walk.

51. Picture the Problem: Several different combinations of batteries and resistors create different currents.
Strategy: The current in each situation can be found by using Ohm’s law, together with the ratio

Solution: Calculate the current by

dividing the voltage by the resistance,
and then substituting

Insight: If the resistance in each case remained constant, doubling the voltage would also double the amount of current
that flows, so that the power dissipated would increase by a factor of 4.

52. As an electron begins to move after the switch is closed, it exerts a force on its neighbors. This causes them to move in
the same general direction and, in turn, to exert a force on their neighbors, and so on. This influence moves through the
wire at nearly the speed of light.

53. By convention, the direction of the current in an electric circuit is the direction in which a positive test charge would
move. A positive test charge will flow from the positive terminal of the battery to the negative terminal. Note, however,
that in typical circuits the charges that flow are actually negatively charged electrons. As a result, the flow of electrons
and the current arrow point in opposite directions.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

54. Picture the Problem: An ammeter measures a tiny amount of electric current.
Strategy: The current of 12 pA equals 12×10−12 coulombs of charge per second. Divide by the charge on an electron to
find the number of electrons per second that the ammeter detects.
Solution: Divide the current
by the charge on an electron:
Insight: If a single electron were to flow through a circuit each second the current would be 1.60×10 −19 A or 160 zA!

55. Picture the Problem: A certain amount of charge produces a measured current as it passes a point in a circuit.
Strategy: Solve the definition of current, for the time required for the charge to pass a given point.

Solution: Calculate the time elapsed:

Insight: A current of 0.15 A corresponds to 940 billion electrons flowing past the point every microsecond!

56. Picture the Problem: A certain amount of charge produces a measured current as it passes a point in a circuit.
Strategy: Solve the definition of current, for the time required for the charge to pass a given point.

Solution: Calculate the time elapsed:

Insight: A current of 1.1 A corresponds to 6.9 trillion electrons passing through the wire every microsecond!

57. Picture the Problem: A battery does a measured amount of work as a certain amount of charge passes through it.

Strategy: Solve the equation for the work done by a battery, for the emf, or voltage, of the battery.

Solution: Solve for the emf

Insight: A 9.0-V battery does 9.0 J of work to move 1.0 C of charge from one terminal to the other.

58. Picture the Problem: A battery with a known terminal voltage does a measured amount of work as it moves charge
from one terminal to the other.

Strategy: Solve the equation for the work done by a battery, for the charge that passes through it.

Solution: Solve for the charge

Insight: A 12-V battery does 12 J of work to move 1.0 C of charge from one terminal to the other.

59. Picture the Problem: A voltage drives a measured amount of current through a known resistance.
Strategy: Use Ohm’s law, to find the voltage required to drive the current through the resistor.

Solution: Calculate the voltage:

Insight: If you connected this resistor across the terminals of a household 120-V outlet, only 0.86 A of current would
flow through it.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

60. Picture the Problem: A resistor conducts current when a potential difference is applied across it.
Strategy: Ohm’s law gives the relationships among potential difference, current, and resistance for any circuit element.
In this problem we can solve Ohm’s law for the current I that flows through the resistor.

Solution: Solve Ohm’s law for I:

Insight: In many circuits a convenient unit for the current is the milliampere, where 1.00 A = 1000 mA.

61. Picture the Problem: A resistor conducts current when a potential difference is applied across it.
Strategy: Ohm’s law gives the relationships among potential difference, current, and resistance for any circuit element.
In this problem we can solve Ohm’s law for the resistance R of the resistor.

Solution: Solve Ohm’s law for R:

Insight: If you connected this resistor across the terminals of a household 120-V outlet, 4.0 A of current would flow
through it.

62. Picture the Problem: A battery for a pacemaker is designed to supply a certain number of coulombs of charge.
Strategy: Use the definition of current to determine the time required for the specified average current to deliver the
given amount of charge.

Solution: 1. (a) Find from equation 21-1:

Solution: Solve for :

Insight: The long lifetime of the battery is helpful in order to minimize the frequency of invasive surgery required to
replace the batteries. A major risk, however, is the toxicity of the chemicals used to make the battery.

63. Picture the Problem: A battery delivers a measured amount of charge to a lightbulb in a certain amount of time.

Strategy: Use the definition of current, to find the current, and then use to find the work done
by the battery.

Solution: 1. (a) Calculate the current:

2. (b) Calculate the work done by the battery:

Insight: A current of 0.21 A corresponds to 1.3 trillion electrons passing through the battery every microsecond!

64. Picture the Problem: A car battery does work on the charge that passes through it.

Strategy: The work done by a battery is as illustrated in Active Example 21.3. Use this relationship to
determine the amount of charge that passes through the automotive battery.

Solution: 1. (a) Solve for :

2. (b) If the battery emf is doubled to 24 V, yet it still does 260 J of work on the charge that pass through it, the amount
of charge required will decrease by a factor of 2.
Insight: The amount of energy given to the charges (and hence delivered to the circuit) is the energy per charge
(voltage) multiplied by the amount of charge.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

65. Picture the Problem: A human finger has an intrinsic electrical resistance. The application of an electric potential will
drive a current through the finger.
Strategy: Use the definition of resistivity, together with an estimate that the finger is a cylinder of radius
1.0 cm and length 10 cm, to estimate the electrical resistance of the finger. Then use Ohm’s law to find the potential
difference required to drive a 15 mA current through the finger.
Solution: 1. (a) Use the resistivity
of the finger to estimate R:

2. (b) Use Ohm’s law to estimate V:

Insight: An important factor in determining how much current will actually flow through your finger if you attach it to
a battery using electrical wires is the resistance of your skin, which strongly depends on whether the skin is wet or dry.

66. Yes. When resistors are connected in parallel, the equivalent resistance is less than the value of the smallest resistor. If
four resistors with resistance R are connected in parallel, the equivalent resistance of the group is R/4.

67. Resistors connected in series have the same current flowing through them.

68. Resistors connected in parallel have the same potential difference across their terminals.

69. Picture the Problem: A dozen identical lightbulbs are connected to a given battery.
Strategy: Use the characteristics of series and parallel circuits to answer the question.
Solution: 1. (a) In a parallel circuit the full potential difference is placed across each lightbulb, driving a large current
through each. In a series circuit only a fraction of the full emf is placed across each bulb. With more current flowing and
with a larger potential difference across each bulb, more power will be dissipated and the lights will be brighter
if they are connected in parallel.
2. (b) The best explanation is A. When connected in parallel, each bulb experiences the maximum emf and dissipates
the maximum power. Statements B and C are both correct about the equivalent resistance, but incorrect about the power
dissipated by each.
Insight: Let’s try a numerical example. Suppose the dozen lights each have a resistance of 100 and are connected to a
120-V source of emf. In a parallel circuit there is a 120-V potential difference across each bulb and they produce
of heat and light. In a series circuit there is only across
each bulb and the power output of each is

70. Picture the Problem: A fuse is a small strip of metal that burns through when the current in it exceeds a certain value,
thus producing an open circuit.
Strategy: Use the characteristics of series and parallel circuits to answer the question.
Solution: 1. (a) The same current must flow through each element in a series circuit. Therefore, the fuse should be
connected in series with the circuit it protects. Then, if the fuse burns out, no current will flow in the circuit.
2. (b) The best explanation is C. With a fuse connected in series, the current in the circuit drops to zero as soon as the
fuse burns through. Statements A and B are false because an open circuit (blown fuse) in one branch of a parallel circuit
will not prevent current from flowing in other branches.
Insight: Although household circuits are wired in parallel so that the same voltage appears across each outlet, a fuse or
circuit breaker is connected in series with the power source to shut down the entire circuit if too much current flows.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

71. Picture the Problem: A circuit consists of three resistors, , connected in series to a battery.
Strategy: Use Ohm’s law and the characteristics of series circuits to answer the question.
Solution: 1. (a) The same current must flow through each element in a series circuit, so that I1 = I2 = I3 .
2. (b) The potential difference across each circuit element is With the same current I flowing through each
element, the potential difference V is largest for the largest resistor. We conclude that V1 < V2 < V3 .
Insight: Because we can also conclude that the circuit element with the largest resistance will also dissipate
the greatest amount of power.

72. Picture the Problem: Two resistors are connected in parallel, and then connected in parallel with a third resistor.
Strategy: Use the characteristics of parallel circuits to answer the question.
Solution: 1. (a) The equivalent resistance of the circuit will decrease when the third resistor is connected in parallel.
2. (b) The best explanation is C. The third resistor gives yet another path for current to flow in the circuit, which means
that the equivalent resistance is less. Statement A is false, and statement B is true only for series circuits.
Insight: It seems counter-intuitive that adding a resistor to a circuit will lower its equivalent resistance, but the effect is
to create a new path for the current to flow, allowing more current for the same voltage.

73. Picture the Problem: Five resistors of resistance R are combined in both
parallel and series in order to produce an equivalent resistance of 2R for
the entire circuit.
Strategy: Use the characteristics of series and parallel circuits to answer
the question.
Solution: The configuration of resistors can be determined with logical
reasoning. Connecting all five of the resistors in series would make
Connecting the five in parallel would make If
instead two resistors are connected in parallel to form a resistance of
and another two are also connected in parallel to make another resistance
of then if these two pairs are connected in series, the four resistors will have an equivalent resistance of R. If these
are connected in series with the fifth resistor, the equivalent resistance of the entire circuit will be 2R. A schematic
diagram of such an arrangement is shown at right.
Insight: If three resistors are connected in parallel they will form a resistance of The best you could do from here
is to add the other two resistors in series to get a resistance of 2.33R.

74. Picture the Problem: Four lightbulbs are connected together with a battery in a circuit of unknown arrangement.
Strategy: Study the chart provided with the problem statement to find clues about how the bulbs must be connected.

Solution: First note that bulb C is always on unless it is removed, and when it is
removed, all other bulbs go out. We conclude it must be connected in series with
the battery. Secondly, we note that bulbs B and D mirror each other; when one is
off, the other is off, and when one is on, the other is on as well. We conclude that
B and D must be connected in series. Finally, we see that removing A has no effect
on the other lamps, so it must be connected in parallel with B and D but in series
with C. The subsequent circuit diagram is indicated at right.

Insight: Brightness information was not included in this problem, but removing bulb A would in fact have the effect of
dimming bulb C slightly and brightening bulbs B and D slightly. This is because A draws extra current and lowers the
effective resistance of the portion of the circuit that is past bulb C. Removing it will increase the effective resistance of
the circuit, reducing the current through C and decreasing the voltage drop across C. That in turn would increase the
voltage drop across B and D, slightly brightening them.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

75. Picture the Problem: Two systems of two resistors each, one connected in series, the other in
parallel, are evaluated for their equivalent resistances.
Strategy: Determine the equivalent resistance of the circuit in each system by summing the
resistances that are connected in series, and by combining the resistances of the parallel resistors

according to

Solution: 1. Determine for system A

by summing the resistances:
2. Find for system B by adding
the inverses of the resistances:
Insight: If a battery were connected across the terminals we would find that in system A the current through the
resistors would be the same, whereas in system B the potential difference across the resistors would be the same.

76. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in series with a battery as
indicated in the diagram at right.
Strategy: First write an expression for the equivalent resistance of the series circuit
by adding them together and then apply Ohm’s law, to find the unknown
resistance R.

Solution: 1. Combine Ohm’s

law with the equivalent resistance:

2. Solve the expression for R:

Insight: You can use the given current to find that the potential difference across each resistor is 1.8 V (11
8.5 V (53 and 14 V (86

77. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in parallel with a battery as
indicated in the diagram at right.

Strategy: First write an expression for the equivalent resistance of the circuit using

equation according to and then apply Ohm’s law to

find the unknown resistance R.

Solution: 1. (a) Combine Ohm’s

law with the equivalent resistance:

2. Solve the expression for R:

Insight: You can apply Ohm’s law and the given voltage to find that the current through each resistor is 0.55 A (22
0.18 A (67 and 0.16 A (77

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

78. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in series with a battery, as
indicated in the diagram at the right.

Strategy: First find the equivalent resistance of the series circuit by adding them
together, and then apply Ohm’s law to find the current flowing through the circuit.
Because the same current flows through each resistor, Ohm’s law can be applied
again to find the potential difference across each resistor.

Solution: 1. (a) Apply Ohm’s law with

the equivalent resistance to find I:

2. (b) Combine the current from

step 1 with Ohm’s law to find :

3. Repeat to find :

4. Repeat to find :

Insight: The sum of the potential drops is not quite 12.0 V because of a rounding issue. If
you take the current to be 12/475 A instead of 0.025 A, you’ll find that is closer to 6.1 V, not 6.0 V.

79. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in parallel with a battery, as
indicated in the diagram at the right.

Strategy: First determine the equivalent resistance of the circuit by combining the

resistances of the three resistors according to The equivalent

resistance can then be used with Ohm’s law to calculate the amount of current
supplied by the battery. Because each resistor has the same potential difference
across it, Ohm’s law can be applied again to find the current through each resistor.

Solution: 1. (a) Determine

2. Apply Ohm’s law to find I:

3. (b) Now apply Ohm’s law to to find

4. Repeat step 3 to find

5. Repeat step 3 to find

Insight: Note that for this parallel circuit the voltages are all the same, but the currents are different and sum to 0.27 A.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

80. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected as shown in the circuit at the right:

Strategy: The two resistors at the top are connected in series with each other, and their
resistances add. That pair of resistors is connected in parallel with the bottom resistor, and
the resistances combine according to

Solution: Calculate Req by combining

the series and parallel portions:

Insight: The equivalent resistance is about half the resistance of each branch, where Rtop = 80 and Rbottom = 82

81. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected together in the manner indicated by the
diagram at the right, and a 9.0-V battery is connected across terminals A and B.
Strategy: The voltage across each of the two branches is 9.0 V, so we can use Ohm’s law to
determine the current through each branch.

Solution: 1. Apply Ohm’s law to the lower branch:

2. Apply Ohm’s law to the upper branch:

Insight: To two significant figures the same current flows through each resistor because the upper and lower branches
of the circuit have nearly the same resistance (80 and 82 respectively).

82. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in the manner indicated by the
diagram at right, where R is given as 62
Strategy: First calculate the equivalent resistance of the 75- resistor connected in
parallel with R = 62 and then add the equivalent resistance of that pair to 24 to
find for the entire circuit.
Solution: 1. Calculate the equivalent
resistance of the 75- resistor connected
in parallel with the 62- resistor:
2. Add the resistances that are connected in series:

Insight: If a 12-V battery were connected across A and B, a 210-mA current would flow through the 24- resistor.

83. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in the manner indicated by the I1
diagram at right, and a 12-V battery is connected to terminals A and B.
Strategy: Use the rules concerning resistors in series and in parallel to determine
the equivalent resistance of the circuit. Begin by finding the equivalent resistance of
the 75- resistor connected in parallel with R = 62 and then add the equivalent
I3
resistance of the pair to 24 to find for the entire circuit. Apply Ohm’s law to
I2
the entire circuit in order to find the current through the 24- resistor.
Ohm’s law applied to the 24- resistor by itself gives the potential difference across the resistor, which can be
subtracted from the 12-V potential across A and B to give the voltage across the two resistors connected in parallel.
Ohm’s law can then be applied to each of those resistors in order to find the individual currents.

Solution: 1. (a) Find for the circuit if R = 62 :

2. Apply Ohm’s law to find

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

3. Find across the parallel resistors:

4. Apply Ohm’s law to the 75- resistor to find :

5. Repeat for the 62- resistor:

6. (b) Increasing R causes the resistance of the parallel path and of the entire circuit to increase, which in turn reduces
the total current Because R is now larger, will get a proportionately larger share of the total current and a
smaller share. As an extreme example, suppose R increases to infinity. Then and
because no current can pass through R. Thus, the currents through the 24- resistor and R decreases, and the current
through the 75- resistor increases.
Insight: Another way to accomplish step 5 is to realize that must be the difference between and or
The two values would match exactly if the rules of significant digits were ignored.

84. Picture the Problem: Three resistors are connected in the manner indicated by the
diagram at right.
Strategy: Use the rules concerning resistors in series and in parallel to write an
expression for the equivalent resistance of the circuit in terms of R, and then solve
the expression for R. Begin by finding the equivalent resistance of the 75- resistor
connected in parallel with R, then add the equivalent resistance of the pair in series
with the 24- resistor to find for the entire circuit.

Solution: 1. Add the resistors in

parallel and in series to find an
expression for :

2. Solve the expression for R:

Insight: The 31- and 75- resistor pair combine to make an effective resistance of 22 which adds to 24 to make
an effective resistance of 46 for the entire circuit.

85. Picture the Problem: A number of lightbulbs are connected in parallel across a given potential difference.
Strategy: Because the lightbulbs are connected in parallel, the total current drawn in the circuit is the sum of the
currents drawn by each bulb. Find the current drawn by each lightbulb by using its power rating together with
and then divide the total allowed current by the current per bulb to find the number of bulbs N.

Solution: 1. Use to find :

2. Find N using the total allowed current:

3. Adding a third bulb will cause the circuit current to exceed 2.1 A, so only two bulbs can be connected in parallel.
Insight: If the voltage were increased to 125 V, each 65-W lightbulb would only draw 0.52 A and four bulbs could be
connected before the circuit current would exceed 2.1 A.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

86. Picture the Problem: Six resistors are connected in the manner indicated by the
diagram at the right.
Strategy: Use the rules concerning resistors in series and in parallel to write an
expression for the equivalent resistance of the entire circuit. Begin by finding the
equivalent resistance of the three uppermost resistors (4.8 3.3 and 8.1
then add their equivalent resistance to the 6.3- resistor. The equivalent resistance
of those four can then be added to the 1.5- and 2.5- resistors according to
because the three are connected in parallel.

Solution: 1. Add the uppermost

three resistors in parallel:

2. Add the parallel combination

in series with the 6.3- resistor:

3. Add Rright to the other two

resistors in parallel:

Insight: The equivalent resistance of the entire circuit is less than the smallest resistor (1.5 in the network.

87. Picture the Problem: Six resistors are connected in the manner indicated
in the diagram, and a 9.0-V battery is connected to terminals A and B.
Strategy: The voltage drops across resistors 1, 2, and are each 9.0 V.
Ohm’s law can then be used to find the current through the 1.5-
resistor. The fact that there will be a potential drop across resistors 4, 5,
and 6 is the key to answering the conceptual question.

Solution: 1. (a) Use Ohm’s law to find

2. (b) There is a potential drop across resistors 4, 5, and 6 (1.8 V in this case), resulting in a potential difference across
the 6.3- resistor that is less than the 9.0 V that is across the 1.5- resistor.
Insight: A detailed analysis shows that I2 = 3.6 A, I3 = 1.1 A, I4 = 0.38 A, I5 = 0.55 A, and I6 = 0.22 A. The total current
in the circuit is , which is consistent with the equivalent resistance of 0.84 (found in Problem
86) if you apply Ohm’s law to the entire circuit:

88. Picture the Problem: Light A has five times the power rating of light B when operated at the same voltage.
Strategy: Use the expression to answer the conceptual question.
Solution: Note that the power is inversely proportional to the resistance. It follows that the ratio of the resistance of
light A to the resistance of light B is

Insight: The solution can also be presented as a ratio:

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

89. Picture the Problem: Bulb A has three times the power output of bulb B when operated at the same voltage.
Strategy: Use the expression to answer the conceptual question.
Solution: Because current is proportional to power according to the current in bulb A is three times greater
than the current in bulb B.

Insight: The solution can also be presented as a ratio:

90. Picture the Problem: Bulb A has two times the power output of bulb B when the same current flows through each.
Strategy: Use the expression to answer the conceptual question.
Solution: The ratio of the potential difference across bulb A to that across bulb B is 2 because voltage is directly
proportional to the power output according to

Insight: The solution can also be presented as a ratio:

91. The power dissipated in a resistor is equal to where I is the current through the resistor and V is the potential
difference across it. When resistors are connected in parallel with a battery there is a larger potential difference across
them and a larger current through them than when they are connected in series with the same battery. Therefore, the
power dissipated when the resistors are connected in parallel is greater than the power dissipated when the resistors are
connected in series.

92. Picture the Problem: Several different combinations of currents and resistances dissipate different amounts of power.
Strategy: The power in each situation can be found by using together with the relation
Solution: Calculate the power by
multiplying the square of the current
with the resistance, and then
substituting

Insight: The potential difference across each system is and if we let then the voltage for system A
is Likewise, we can find that and

93. Picture the Problem: Several different combinations of voltages and resistances dissipate different amounts of power.
Strategy: The power in each situation can be found by using together with the relation
Solution: Calculate the power by
dividing the square of the voltage by
the resistance, and then substituting

Insight: The current through each system is and if we let then the current through system A is
Likewise, we can find that and

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

94. Picture the Problem: Two resistors, R1 = R and R2 = 2R, are connected in series to a battery.
Strategy: Recall the characteristics of circuits containing resistors connected in series.
Solution: If the two resistors are connected in series, they have the same current flowing through them. Therefore, we
can compare the power they dissipate by considering the relation We conclude that resistor R2 dissipates
twice as much power as does R1.
Insight: In a series circuit the largest resistor has the same current but the largest potential drop across it, and it
dissipates the greatest amount of power

95. Picture the Problem: Two resistors, R1 = R and R2 = 2R, are connected in parallel with a battery.
Strategy: Recall the characteristics of circuits containing resistors connected in parallel.
Solution: If the two resistors are connected in parallel, they have the same potential difference across them. Therefore,
we can compare the power they dissipate by considering the relation We conclude that in this case resistor
R1 dissipates twice as much power as does R2.
Insight: The fact that in the parallel circuit the smaller resistor dissipates more power than the larger one may seem
counterintuitive at first, until you realize that the smaller resistor allows more current to flow through its branch.

96. Picture the Problem: A battery produces power by delivering current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: The power produced by the generator is the current it delivers multiplied by the voltage at which it delivers it,
Solve this equation for the current produced.

Solution: Solve for I:

Insight: If a different battery with an output voltage of 240 V were used instead, it could produce the same power while
supplying only 16 A.

97. Picture the Problem: A battery dissipates a measured amount of power in a resistor.
Strategy: The power can be found using or We’ll use the last equation because the
resistance and power are given, and we need to calculate the voltage.

Solution: Solve for V:

Insight: Doubling the voltage would also double the amount of current that flows, so that the power dissipated would
increase by a factor of 4.

98. Picture the Problem: A resistor dissipates a measured amount of power when a known current flows through it.
Strategy: The power can be found using or We’ll use the middle equation because the
current and power are given, and we need to calculate the resistance.

Solution: Solve for R:

Insight: Doubling the voltage would also double the amount of current that flows, so that the power dissipated would
increase by a factor of 4.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

99. Picture the Problem: A 12-V battery is connected across terminals A and B that are
depicted in the diagram at right. The battery voltage drives electric current through
all six resistors.

Strategy: First find the equivalent resistance of the six resistors by combining them
according to the rules for series and parallel resistors. Then use the power formula
to find the power dissipated by the entire circuit.

Solution: 1. Add the uppermost

three resistors in parallel:

2. Add the parallel combination

in series with the 6.3- resistor:

3. Add Rright to the other two

resistors in parallel:

4. Calculate the power dissipated

by the entire circuit:

Insight: The 1.5- resistor has the greatest amount of current flowing through it, and the maximum potential
difference, so that it dissipates the largest amount of power: or 56% of the total
power dissipated by the entire circuit.

100. Picture the Problem: A 120-W lightbulb consumes electric power for a period of 25 min.
Strategy: The electrical energy that is converted by heat and light by the lamp is given by If the power is
converted to units of kilowatts, and the time is converted to units of hours, then the energy converted by the bulb will be
given in kWh, making it a simple matter to calculate the cost at a rate of $0.086/kWh.
Solution: 1. Multiply P by to find

3. Multiply by the cost per kilowatt-hour:

Insight: If you fell asleep reading and left the lamp on for the entire 10-h night, it would cost you only $0.10. Here is an
interesting comparison: 0.050 kWh is the same as 1.8×105 J or 43 nutritional Calories, about the same as a cup of coffee
with one and a half creamers added. However, the coffee might cost you $1.50, whereas an equivalent amount of
electrical energy costs you less than half a penny!

101. Picture the Problem: A portable CD player consumes electrical power as it operates.
Strategy: The power consumed by the CD player equals the amount of current it draws multiplied by the electrical
potential at which the current is delivered. The result can then be used to determine the energy it consumes in 35 s.
Solution: 1. Find P from

2. Calculate the energy consumed in 35 s:

Insight: Size AA alkaline batteries rated at 2800 mA·h would operate this player for about 370 h before needing to be
replaced.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

102. Picture the Problem: A battery with an emf of 15 V is connected to a 94- resistor.
Strategy: The resistor dissipates power (energy per time). The power can be found using or
We’ll use the last equation because the voltage and resistance are given. Then use to find the
energy that is dissipated by the resistor in a given amount of time.
Solution: 1. Calculate the power dissipated in the resistor:

2. Calculate the energy dissipated in the resistor. The

time elapsed is 6 min × 60 s/min = 360 s:

Insight: If the resistor were an immersion heater for a cup of tea, the 860 J would warm 237 g (1 cup) of tea from
25.0°C to 25.9°C in 6.0 min. You’ll need a more powerful heater unless you are a very patient person.

103. Picture the Problem: A small heater consumes electric power by drawing current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: The power consumed by the small heater is given by First find the power P consumed and then
determine the electrical energy dissipated by operating the heater for 60 min (or 1.0 h). The cost per
kilowatt-hour is then the total cost divided by the energy consumed.
Solution: 1. Calculate the power delivered to the heater:

2. Multiply P by to find

3. Divide the total cost by in kilowatt-hours:

Insight: At this cost you could continuously operate the heater for 26 h for $1.00.

104. Picture the Problem: Two resistors, R1 = 45 and R2 = 65 are connected to separate circuits.

Strategy: The power can be found using or We’ll use the last equation for the 45-
resistor because the voltage and resistance are given, and the middle equation for the 65- resistor because current and
resistance are given. Then for each resistor use to find the energy dissipated.

Solution: 1. (a) Use and

to find the rate at which each
resistor dissipates energy.
2. By comparing the two powers we find that the 65- resistor dissipates more energy per time.

3. (b) Calculate for each resistor:

Insight: In a series circuit the largest resistor has the same current but the largest potential drop across it, and it
dissipates the greatest amount of power

105. Picture the Problem: A lightbulb consumes electric power by drawing current at a certain voltage.
Strategy: Use to find the current drawn by the lightbulb given its power rating and operating voltage. We can
then use either or to find the resistance of the filament.

Solution: 1. (a) Solve for I:

2. (b) Solve for R:

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

3. (c) Form a ratio of the power ratings:

4. The power rating of a bulb with half the resistance would be greater than 65 W by a factor of 2, or 130 W.

Insight: Note that we used to form the ratio in part (c) instead of because the voltage across each
lamp will be the same but the current drawn by each will be different.

106. Picture the Problem: Two different rating schemes measure the energy stored in a car battery.
Strategy: The two rating schemes each measure the amount of current the battery can supply at a specified voltage for a
period of time. Find the power produced by the battery by multiplying the current by the voltage and then the energy
delivered by multiplying the power by the time elapsed.
Solution: 1. Find the energy delivered
under the first rating scheme:
2. Repeat for the second rating scheme:
3. The 155-min reserve capacity rating represents the greater amount of energy delivered by the battery.
Insight: During the cold cranking test the battery pours out a huge amount of current, but for a short period of time. It
requires 12 times more energy to sustain the much lower current for over 2.5 h!

107. Picture the Problem: Consider the circuit with three lights shown at right.
Strategy: Recall the characteristics of circuits containing resistors connected in
series.
Solution: 1. (a) Light 2 goes out when the switch is closed, because the potential
difference across its terminals is now zero. Its intensity will therefore decrease
when the switch is closed.
2. (b) The current in the circuit increases when the switch is closed, due to the
decrease in equivalent resistance from 3R to 2R. It follows that the power
dissipated in lightbulbs 1 and 3 increases, resulting in an increase in the intensity of
light for these bulbs.
Insight: Lightbulb 2 turns off when the switch is closed because the switch “shorts out” the lamp. From a physical
perspective, the closed switch allows the current to bypass lightbulb 2 along a path that has zero resistance.

108. Picture the Problem: Consider the circuit with three lights shown at right.
Strategy: Recall the characteristics of circuits with resistors connected in series.
Solution: 1. (a) When the switch is closed, light 2 is shorted out and the equivalent
resistance of the circuit drops from 3R to 2R. It follows that the current supplied by
the battery will increase when the switch is closed.
2. (b) The best explanation is C. Closing the switch shorts out light 2, decreases the
total resistance of the circuit, and increases the current.. Statements A and B are
both false.
Insight: Regarding statement B, while it is true that the lightbulb remains connected to the battery as before, the new
connection created by the switch makes all the difference, because it effectively removes light 2 from the circuit.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

109. Picture the Problem: Consider the circuit with three lights shown at right.

Strategy: Recall the characteristics of circuits with resistors connected in parallel.

Solution: 1. (a) Light 3 turns on when the switch is closed, so its intensity will
increase when the switch is closed.
2. (b) The intensities of lights 1 and 2 stay the same when the switch is closed. After all, they still have the same
potential difference and the same resistance. Therefore, it is clear from that they will continue to dissipate
the same amount of power.
Insight: Household circuits are arranged in parallel like this one because any device can be turned off or on without
affecting the other devices connected to the same circuit.

110. Picture the Problem: Consider the circuit with three lights shown at right.
Strategy: Recall the characteristics of circuits with resistors connected in parallel.
Solution: 1. (a) When the switch is closed in the circuit, the battery has an
additional path through which it can send current, in addition to the two paths that
were already available to it. Therefore, the current supplied by the battery to this
circuit will increase when the switch is closed.
2. (b) The best explanation is A. The current increases because three lights are drawing current from the battery when
the switch is closed, rather than just two. Statement B ignores the new current flow, and statement C erroneously
concludes that adding a resistor will increase the resistance of the circuit, when it will actually decrease the resistance.
Insight: Adding a lightbulb to the circuit by closing the switch will decrease the equivalent resistance of the circuit
because an additional pathway will increase the total current drawn from the battery while the voltage remains constant.

111. Picture the Problem: Your car carries an electric charge, and constitutes an electric current as long as it is moving.
Strategy: Divide the charge on your car by the time it takes to make the journey in order to find the current.

Solution: Calculate the current:

Insight: This approach is a little artificial, because the calculated current changes depending on how much time the trip
takes, but the actual current depends on how fast the car is moving. The definition of electric current presupposes a
continuous flow of charge, so that the amount of current created by a single moving point charge is ill-defined.

112. Picture the Problem: Consider the two circuits shown at right.

Strategy: Recall the characteristics of semiconductor diodes.

Solution: In circuit A the diode is forward biased and will act like a short circuit,
offering a nearly zero resistance path for the current. This effectively removes the
right-hand resistor from the circuit, and circuit A has an equivalent resistance of 2R.
In circuit B the diode is reverse biased and offers nearly infinite resistance. Because
it does not contribute a pathway to the circuit, the equivalent resistance of circuit B
is 3R. Circuit A thus has a lower resistance than circuit B, but the voltage is the
same in each case. Therefore, the current in circuit A is greater than the current in
circuit B.

Insight: A transistor is a device that effectively allows you switch between high
resistance and low resistance by using a separate electrical signal. If the right-hand
resistor were a lightbulb, a transistor in the location of the diode could turn the bulb
either on or off by means of a separate signal.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

113. Picture the Problem: Consider the two circuits shown at right.
Strategy: Recall the characteristics of semiconductor diodes.
Solution: In circuit A the diode is forward biased and will act like a short circuit,
offering a nearly zero resistance path for the current. This effectively includes the
right-hand resistor as a parallel branch in the circuit, and circuit A has an equivalent
resistance of 0.40R. In circuit B the diode is reverse biased and offers nearly infinite
resistance. This effectively removes the right-hand resistor from the circuit, and the
equivalent resistance of circuit B is 0.67R. Circuit A thus has a lower resistance than
circuit B, but the voltage is the same in each case. Therefore, the current through the
battery in circuit A is greater than the current in circuit B.
Insight: A transistor is a device that effectively allows you switch between high
resistance and low resistance by using a separate electrical signal. If the right-hand
resistor were a lightbulb, a transistor in the location of the diode could turn the bulb
either on or off by means of a separate signal.

114. Picture the Problem: The resistivity of a tungsten filament increases as it heats up.
Strategy: Assume that the voltage across the filament remains constant but that its resistance increases.
Solution: 1. (a) Assuming constant voltage, the appropriate expression for power consumption is . We
conclude that the power consumption of the lightbulb will decrease as it heats up.
2. (b) The best explanation is A. The voltage is unchanged, and therefore an increase in resistance implies a reduced
power, as we can see from P = V2/R. Statements B and C each ignore the decrease in current as resistance increases.
Insight: If the resistance decreased with temperature, there would be the danger of runaway current, where more
current produces more heating which lowers the resistance and allows more current to flow. Fluorescent lightbulbs
exhibit this kind of behavior and must be accompanied by a ballast that controls the current through the bulb.

115. Picture the Problem: Three resistors of values R, and are connected in series with each other and a battery.
Strategy: Use to determine which resistor dissipates the most power in the series circuit because the current is
the same through each resistor.
Solution: Because the largest resistance, 2R, dissipates the most power.
Insight: In the series circuit the 2R resistor also has the greatest potential difference across it.

116. Picture the Problem: Three resistors of values R, and are connected in parallel with a battery.
Strategy: Use to determine which resistor dissipates the most power in the parallel circuit because the
voltage across each resistor is the same.

Solution: Because the smallest resistance, dissipates the most power.

Insight: In the parallel circuit the resistor has the greatest current through it.

117. Picture the Problem: Two electric space heaters, each with a power rating of 500 W when connected to a voltage V,
are connected in series to the same voltage.
Strategy: Use the expression to answer the conceptual question.
Solution: 1. (a) If two heaters, each with resistance R, are connected in series, the equivalent resistance is now 2R. The
heaters are connected to the same potential difference, however, and therefore they draw half the original current. From
P = I2R we can see that each heater now dissipates one-quarter the power of the single heater, for a total power
consumption of one-half the original value. We conclude that the power consumed by the two heaters connected in
series is less than 1000 W.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

2. (b) The best explanation is B. The voltage is the same, but the resistance is doubled by connecting the heaters in
series. Therefore, the power consumed (P = V2/R) is less than 1000 W. Statement A ignores the change in resistance and
statement C erroneously claims the power depends upon the resistance squared.
Insight: Connecting the heaters in series also reduces by half the potential difference across each heater. Using
we can see that the power dissipated by each heater is one-fourth the original value, or 125 W, for a total
power consumption of 250 W.

118. Picture the Problem: You are asked to connect three resistors of known values in
order to produce a certain effective resistance.
Strategy: The configuration of resistors can be determined with logical reasoning.
Connecting all three of the resistors in series would make , higher
than the 255 desired effective resistance. Connecting the three in parallel would
make smaller than the desired resistance. We could connect two
resistors in parallel and then place that pair in series with the third resistor. The
three possible arrangements yield values of 376 527 and 629 all too large. Therefore, we must connect
two resistors in series, then connect the pair in parallel with the third resistor. The three possible arrangements produce
values of 126 255 and 270

Solution: 1. Connect the 146 and 521 resistors in series. Then connect this pair in parallel with the 413 resistor.

2. Check the solution produces the correct :

Insight: One of the three possible configurations, the one with the two larger resistances in series and connected in
parallel with the 146- resistor, can be ruled out because the effective resistance would always be less than 146

119. Picture the Problem: Three resistors and a diode are connected in a circuit as
depicted at right, where = 12 V and R = 55
Strategy: The diode is forward biased and will have essentially zero resistance.
This reduces the potential difference across the right-hand resistor to zero and
prevents any current from flowing through it, effectively removing that resistor
from the circuit. The equivalent resistance of the circuit is therefore 2R, and Ohm’s
law can be used to find the current supplied by the battery.
Solution: 1. Calculate for the circuit:
2. Solve for the current in the circuit:

Insight: If the diode were instead connected reverse biased, no current would flow through the diode and the equivalent
resistance of the circuit would be 3R, reducing the current to 0.073 A.

120. Picture the Problem: Four resistors and a diode are connected in a circuit
as depicted at right, where = 24 V and R = 62

Strategy: The diode is forward biased and will have essentially zero
resistance. This includes the right-hand resistor as a parallel branch to the
circuit. Use this fact to find the equivalent resistance of the circuit, and
then use Ohm’s law to find the current supplied by the battery.

Solution: 1. Calculate for the circuit:

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

2. Solve for the current in the circuit:

Insight: If the diode were instead connected reverse biased, no current would flow through the right hand resistor and
the equivalent resistance of the circuit would be 0.67R, reducing the current to 0.58 A.

121. Picture the Problem: Three terminals of a three-way lightbulb are connected to the two
filaments in the manner indicated by the diagram at right.
Strategy: Use together with the given information to find the resistances R1 and
R2 and the power dissipated when 120 V is connected across terminals B and C.

Solution: 1. (a) Solve for R1:

2. (b) Find the equivalent resistance of R1 and R2:

3. Solve the expression from step 2 for R2:

4. (c) Find the power dissipated by R2:

Insight: Note that when 120 V is connected across the smallest resistance (96 the largest amount of power is
dissipated (150 W).

122. Picture the Problem: Two resistors are connected in series with each other and with a
battery.
Strategy: The same current must pass through both resistors because they are connected in
series. We can use the given voltage and current together with Ohm’s law in order to find the
value of R1. The voltage across R2 must be the difference between the emf and the voltage
across R1, allowing us to use Ohm’s law again to calculate R2.

Solution: 1. Apply Ohm’s law to calculate R1:

2. Apply Ohm’s law to calculate R2:

Insight: The larger resistor has a much larger voltage drop across it (9.3 V) than does the smaller resistor (2.7 V). This
arrangement of resistors and a battery is often called a voltage divider, because an adjustment of the relative values of R1
and R2 can produce a voltage anywhere between zero and at the point midway between the two resistors. Hence is
“divided” at that point.

123. Picture the Problem: An electric heating coil raises the temperature of the water in which it is immersed.
Strategy: Use to find the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of the known mass of water
by the specified amount, recalling that Divide this energy by the time required to heat the water
in order to find the electrical power required to operate the heater. Finally, solve for the voltage at which the
heater operates.
Solution: 1. Solve for Q:
2. Divide Q by to find P:

3. Solve for V:

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

Insight: If the heating element operated at 120 V but had the same resistance, it would dissipate only 58 W and it would
require 56 min to increase the temperature of the same amount of water (4.6 L or 1.2 gal) by 10°C.

124. Picture the Problem: Two resistors are connected in series with each other and with a battery, and the potential
difference across one of them is measured. Then the same two resistors are connected in parallel with each other and
with a battery, and the current passing through one of them is measured.
Strategy: Use Ohm’s law to write two equations, one for the series configuration and one for the parallel configuration.
Combine the two equations algebraically in order to find the two resistances
Solution: 1. Write Ohm’s law for the series case:

2. Write Ohm’s law for when it is

connected in parallel with the battery:

3. Substitute the expression for I from step 1

into the equation for the voltage drop across :

Insight: While the method described here can be used to determine an unknown resistance, it depends upon the ability
to accurately measure current. A circuit called the Wheatstone Bridge may be more accurate because it determines an
unknown resistance by measuring a potential difference, which can be easier than measuring a current.

125. Answers will vary. Students should research how common types of superconductors (such as niobium metal or cuprate
ceramic) and semiconductors (such as silicon or gallium arsenide) are manufactured and used in practical applications.
For instance, silicon is used as a semiconductor to fabricate a flash memory drive, and niobium metal is used to make
superconducting coils for magnetic resonance imaging instruments at local hospitals.

126. The amount of energy added to a known amount of water can be determined by measuring the temperature of the water.
The specific heat of water is known to be c = 4186 J/(kg·°C), and thus allows you to calculate the heat Q
added with a measurement of m and If you simultaneously measure the voltage, current, and elapsed time for an
electrical heating element, you can calculate the amount of electrical energy that is converted to thermal energy by
using By comparing the two measurments of Q you can confirm that the power equations are
correct.

127. Picture the Problem: A simple circuit is used to find the electrical
resistance of a person and his footwear.
Strategy: The same electrical current that flows through R also flows through
the person and his shoes because they are connected in series. The current
creates a voltage drop across R according to Ohm’s law.
Solution: Solve Ohm’s
Law for the current
flowing through R. The calculated
answer is choice A.
Insight: This apparatus will allow a current of 50.0 µA to pass through the
person if the person had zero resistance, so it is designed to ensure the current
never exceeds 150 µA.

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Chapter 21: Electric Current and Electric Circuits Pearson Physics by James S. Walker

128. Picture the Problem: A simple circuit is used to find the electrical
resistance of a person and his footwear.
Strategy: The electrical current that flows through R, the person, and his shoes
creates a voltage drop across R according to Ohm’s law. The resistance Rps of
the person and his shoes is connected in series with R. Use these principles to
find the resistance of the person and his shoes.
Solution: 1. Write Ohm’s
law for the circuit:

2. Solve for Rps, inserting

the current determined in
the previous problem. The calculated
answer is choice A.

Insight: The person’s shoes are well within the ANSI specifications of 0.1×107 to 100×107

129. Picture the Problem: A simple circuit is used to find the electrical
resistance of a person and her footwear.
Strategy: The electrical current that flows through R, the person, and her shoes
creates a voltage drop across R according to Ohm’s law. The resistance Rps of
the person and her shoes is connected in series with R. Use these principles to
find the current through the person and the reading on the voltmeter.
Solution: 1. Solve Ohm’s
law for the current:

2. Use Ohm’s law again to

find the voltage drop across R. The
calculated answer is choice B.
Insight: The higher resistance of this person’s shoes reduces the current and the reading on the voltmeter when
compared to the previous two questions.

130. Picture the Problem: A simple circuit is used to find the electrical
resistance of a person and his or her footwear. In this case the shoes are wet.
Strategy: The wet shoes will produce a lower resistance Rps for the person and
his or her shoes. Use Ohm’s law to answer the question.
Solution: The moisture on the person’s shoes will reduce their electrical
resistance and thereby increase the current flowing through the circuit. The
larger current I will produce a larger voltage drop IR across the resistor, so we
expect the reading on the voltmeter to increase.
Insight: The voltmeter is essentially reading the current through the person, not
the resistance of his shoes. The lower the current, the higher the shoe’s
resistance, and the better the protection against the potentially lethal effects of
an electrical shock.

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