Chapter 6

Current and Direct

Current Circuits

+
+
+
+
+
A
I

FIGURE 6. 1 Charges in motion

through an area A. The time rate at
which charge flows through the area
is defined as the current I. The direc-
tion of the current is the direction in
which positive charges flow when free
to do so.
 ∆x

vd
A
q

vd ∆t

FIGURE 6.2 A section of a uniform

conductor of cross-sectional area A.
The mobile charge carriers move with
an average speed vd along the wire,
and the displacement they experience
in this direction in a time interval t is
x vd t. If we choose t to be the
time interval during which the charges
are displaced, on the average, by the
length of the cylinder, the number of
carriers in the section of length x is
nAvd t, where n is the number of
carriers per unit volume.
 vd

Figure 6.3
A schematic representation of the
zigzag motion of a charge carrier in a
conductor. The changes in direction
are due to collisions with atoms in the
conductor. Note that the net motion
of electrons is opposite the direction
of the electric field. Because of the
acceleration of the charge carriers
due to the electric force, the paths are
actually parabolic. The drift speed,
however, is much smaller than the
average speed, so the parabolic shape
is not visible on this scale.
 A I
Vb E Va

F I G U R E 6.4 A uniform conductor of

length and cross-sectional area A. A
potential difference Vb Va is maintai-
ned across the conductor so that an
:
electric field E exists in the conductor,
and this field produces a current I that is
proportional to the potential difference.

I I

Slope = 1
R

V V

(a) (b)
F I G U R E 6.5 (a) The current –potential difference curve for an ohmic
material. The curve is linear, and the slope is equal to the inverse of the
resistance of the conductor. (b) A nonlinear current – potential
difference curve for a semiconducting diode. This device does not obey
Ohm’s law.
 (SuperStock)
F I G U R E 6.6 The colored bands on a resistor
represent a code for determining resistance. The
first two colors give the first two digits in the
resistance value. The third color represents the
power of ten for the multiplier of the resistance
value. The last color is the tolerance of the
resistance value. As an example, the four colors
on the circled resistors are red ( 2), black ( 0),
orange ( 103), and gold ( 5%), and so the
resistance value is 20 103 20 k with a
tolerance value of 5% 1 k . (The values for
the colors come from Table 6.2.)
 ρ

0 T

ρ0
0 T

FIGURE 6.7 Resistivity versus

temp-erature for a normal metal,
such as copper. The curve is linear
over a wide range of temperatures,
and increases with increasing
tempera-ture. As T approaches
absolute zero (inset), the resistivity
approaches a finite value 0 .

R (Ω)
0.15

0.10

0.05

Tc

0.00
4.0 4.2 4.4
T (K)

F I G U R E 6.8 Resistance versus temperature for a sample of mercury. The

graph follows that of a normal metal above the critical temperature Tc . The
resistance drops to zero at Tc , which is 4.2 K for mercury.
 I

b c
+
∆V R
a d

Figure 6.9
A circuit consisting of a resistor of
resistance R and a battery having a
potential difference V across its
terminals. Positive charge flows in the
clockwise direction.
 30 W

e f

60 W

c d

a b
∆V
F I G U R E 6.10 (Quick Quiz 6.4
and Thinking Physics 6.2) Two
lightbulbs connected across the
same potential difference.
 Battery
+

Resistor

FIGURE 6.11 A circuit

consisting of a resistor connected
to the terminals of a battery.

ε r
a b

I I

d R c

(a)

V ε r R

ε Ir
IR

a b c d

(b)

Figure 6.12
(a) Circuit diagram of a source of emf
(in this case, a battery) with internal
resistance r, connected to an external
resistor of resistance R. (b) Graphical
representation showing how the pote-
ntial changes as the circuit in (a) is
traversed clockwise.
 R1 R2

I 1 = I2 = I R eq = R 1 + R 2
R1 R2
a b c a c
+

I I
I

∆V ∆V
Battery

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 6.13
(a) A series connection of two lightbulbs with resistances R 1 and R 2 . (b) The circuit diagram for the two-resistor circuit. The
current in R 1 is the same as that in R 2 . (c) The resistors are replaced with a single resistor having an equivalent resistance
R eq R 1 R 2.
R1

R2
Figure 6.14
∆V 1 = ∆V 2 = ∆V
1 = 1 + 1
R1 R eq R1 R2 (a) A parallel connection of two
lightbulbs with resistances R 1 and
R 2. (b) The circuit diagram for
I1
+ R2 the two-resistor circuit. The
a b
potential difference across R 1 is
I2 I
I the same as that across R 2. (c)
∆V ∆V The resistors are replaced with a
Battery single resistor having an
(a) (b) (c) equivalent resistance given by
Equation 6.29.
 A B

C D

F I G U R E 6.15(Thinking Physics
6.4) What happens to the lightbulbs if
one fails?

100-W filament

75-W filament

S1

120 V
S2

FIGURE 6.1 6
(Thinking Physics 6.5) A
three-way lightbulb.

6.0 Ω

I1
8.0 Ω 4.0 Ω
(a) b
a I c
I2

3.0 Ω

12.0 Ω 2.0 Ω
(b)
a b c

14.0 Ω
(c)
a c

F I G U R E 6. 17 (Example 6.7) The

four resistors shown in (a) can be
reduced in steps to an equivalent 14.0-
resistor shown in (c).
 I
a

I1 I2 I3

18.0 V
3.00 Ω 6.00 Ω 9.00 Ω

b
F I G U R E 6.18 (Example6.8)
Three resistors connected in
parallel. The voltage across
each resistor is 18.0 V.
 14.0 V
e f

4.0 Ω
I2
I1
b c
10.0 V 6.0 Ω I3

a d
2.0 Ω

F I G U R E 6.19 A circuit that

cannot be simplified by using the
rules for series and parallel resistors.
 I2
I1

I3

(a)

Flow in
Flow out

(b)

FIGURE 6.20 (a) A

schematic dia- gram illustra-
ting Kirchhoff’s junction
rule. Conservation of charge
requires that the sum of the
currents at a junc -tion must
equal zero. Therefore, in
this case, I1 I 2 I 3 0.
(b) A mec- hanical analog of
the junction rule. Water
does not accumulate at the
junction, so the amount of
water flowing out of the
branches on the right must
equal the amount flowing
into the single branch on
the left.

I
(a)
a b
∆V = –IR

I
(b)
a b
∆V = +IR

ε
(c)
a b
∆V = + ε

ε
+
(d)
a b
∆V = – ε

F I G U R E 6.21 Rules for deter-

mining the potential differences
across a resistor and a battery. (The
battery is assumed to have no internal
resistance.) Each circuit element is
traversed from a to b.
 Resistor

Capacitor R R Figure 6.22

(a) A capacitor in series with a
+ q resistor, switch, and battery.
C I (b) Circuit diagram represen-
+q
Switch ting this system at time t < 0,
before the switch is closed. (c)
S S
Battery ε ε Circuit diagram at time . t > 0,
(a) (b) t < 0 (c) t > 0 after the switch has been
closed.
 q

Cε

0.632C ε

=RC
t

(a)

I0 I0 = ε
R

0.368I0

(b)
FIGURE 6.23 (a) Plot of
capacitor charge versus time for the
circuit shown in Figure 6.25. After a
time interval equal to one time
constant has passed, the charge is
63.2% of the maximum value C . The
charge approaches its maximum value
as t approaches infinity. (b) Plot of
current versus time for the RC circuit
shown in Figure 6.25. The current has
its maximum value
I0 /R at t 0 and decays to zero
exponentially as t approaches infinity.
After a time interval equal to one time
constant has passed, the current is
36.8% of its initial value.
 –Q
C R
+Q

S
t<0
(a)

–q
C R I
+q

S
t>0
(b)
Figure 6.24
(a) A charged capacitor connected to
a resistor and a switch, which is open
for t 0. (b) After the switch is closed
at t 0, a current that decreases in
magnitude with time is set up in the
direction shown and the charge on
the capacitor decreases exponentially
with time.

[6.35]

ε C L

FIGURE 6.25 (Thinking

Physics 6.6) The RC circuit in a
roadway construction flasher. When
the switch is closed, the charge on
the capacitor increases until the
voltage across the capacitor (and
across the flash lamp) is high
enough for the lamp to flash,
discharging the capacitor.
 C

Switch
Battery
Figure Q6.15

(Courtesy of Henry Leap and Jim Lehman)

Figure Q6.18

A B C

ε S

Figure Q6.21
 7.00 Ω
4.00 Ω 9.00 Ω

10.0 Ω

a b
Figure P6.25

1.00 MΩ

50.0 V

Figure P6.26
 100 Ω

a 100 Ω b

100 Ω
Figure P6.27

2.00 Ω

3.00 Ω 1.00 Ω
18.0 V

4.00 Ω
Figure P6.28

R 2 = 2R

R1 = R

R 4 = 3R

ε
I
R 3 = 4R

Figure P6.29

7.00 Ω 15.0 V

I1
5.00 Ω
A

I2

2.00 Ω ε

Figure P6.31
3.00 Ω

5.00 Ω
1.00 Ω

8.00 Ω 1.00 Ω
+
12.0 V
+
4.00 V

Figure P6.32 Problems 6.35, 6.36, and 6.37.

 R 2R
b c d

+ +
ε 2ε
4R 3R

a e
Figure P6.35

0.01 Ω 1.00 Ω
0.06
Starter
+ +
12 V 10 V

Live Dead
battery battery

Figure P6.36

50.0 kΩ

10.0 V 10.0 µ F
S

100 kΩ
Figure P6.38

1.00 Ω 8.00 Ω
1.00 µF
10.0 V

4.00 Ω 2.00 Ω

Figure P6.40
 –
+ +
+ + +
– + +
+ + –
F I G U R E 6.1 (Quick Quiz 6.1) Four groups of
(a) (b) (c) (d) charges move through a region.

R1 R1

R2 A R2 A

(a) (b)
F I G U R E 6.2 (Quick Quiz 6.6) What happens
when the switch is opened?

R2 R2

R1 R1

A A

(a) (b)

F I G U R E 6.3 (Quick Quiz 6.7) What happens

when the switch is closed?