DC CIRCUITS: BASIC PRINCIPLES 0.003 + 10-4 L2 ohm-cm.

PROBLEMS A. 0.0852 ohm C. 0.0806 ohm

1. REE Board Exam March 1998 B. 0.0915 ohm D. 0.0902 ohm
The substation bus bar is made up of 2
inches round-copper bars 20 ft long. What 5. EE Board Exam April 1992
is the resistance of each bar if A coil has 6,000 turns of wire and a
resistivity is 1.724 x 10-6 ohm-cm. resistance of 380 ohms. The coil is rewound
A. 7.21 x 10-5 Ω C. 5.185 x 10-5 Ω with the same quantity (weight) of wire,
B. 13.8 x 10-6 Ω D. 2.96 x 10-5 Ω but has 13,400 turns. How many ohms will
2. REE October 1997 the new coil have?
Determine the resistance of a busbar made A. 1895 ohms C. 1792 ohms
of copper if the length is 10 meters long B. 1825 ohms D. 1905 ohms
and the cross section is a 4 x 4 cm2. Use
1.7241 micro ohm-cm as the resistivity. 6. EE Board Exam April 1992
A. 2.121 x 10-4 Ω C. 3.431 x 10-5 Ω A copper wire of unknown length has a
B. 4.312 x 10-4 Ω D. 1.078 x 10-4 Ω resistance of 0.80 ohm. By successive
3. EE Board Exam October 1991 passes through drawing dies, the length of
One turn of a copper bar is produced by the wire is increased by 2 ½ times its
cutting copper washer along a radius and original value. Assuming that resistivity
spreading the ends. The washer is cut from remains unchanged during the drawing
soft drawn copper having a resistivity at process, determine the new value of its
20°C of 1.732 x 10-6 ohm-cm. The washer is resistance.
0.125 inch thick and has inside diameter A. 4 ohms C. 5 ohms B. 3 ohms D. 6 ohms
and outside diameter of 1 inch and 9 inches
respectively. Calculate the exact 7. REE Board Exam October 1998
resistance between the two ends of the turn A one-meter rod of 2-cm diameter is drawn
to direct current, taking into account the until its resistance is 100 times the
non-uniform current distribution. Assume initial resistance. Its length afterwards
the contact along the ends of the turn to is?
be perfect over the entire cross section. A. 10 m C. 12.5 m B. 100 m D. 5 m
A. 12.74 x 10-6 Ω C. 17.22 x 10-6 Ω
B. 15.53 x 10-6 Ω D. 14.83 x 10-6 Ω 8. EE Board Exam April 1993
4. EE Board Exam October 1990 A kilometer of wire having a diameter of
Determine the resistance of a conductor 11.7 mm and a resistance of 0.031 ohm is
0.10 m long, with a uniform diameter of 1.0 drawn down so that its diameter is 5.0 mm.
cm and having a resistivity which varies What does its resistance become?
as a function of length L measured from the A. 0.85 ohm C. 0.93 ohm
one end of the conductor according to ρ = B. 0.78 ohm D. 0.81 ohm

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 1

9. EE Board Exam April 1995 14. EE Board Exam October 1992
A certain wire has a resistance R. The The insulation resistance of a kilometer
resistance of another wire identical with of the cable having a diameter of 2 cm and
the first except for having twice its an insulation thickness of 2 cm is 600 ohms.
diameter is If the thickness of the insulation is
A. 4R C. 2R increased to 3 cm, find the insulation
B. R/2 D. R/4 resistance of the cable.
A. 725 ohms C. 757 ohms
10. REE Board Exam October 1996 B. 850 ohms D. 828 ohms
What is the size in square millimeter (mm2)
is the cable of 250 MCM size? 15. EE Board Exam April 1989
A. 118.656 mm2 C. 112.565 mm2 It is required that a loading of 3 kW be
B. 126.675 mm2 D. 132.348 mm2 maintained in a heating element at an
initial temperature of 20°C, a voltage of
11. REE Board Exam September 2001 220 V is necessary for the purpose. After
The resistance of a copper wire at 30°C is the element has settled down to steady
50 ohms. If the temperature coefficient of state, it is found that a voltage of 240
copper at 0°C is 0.00427, what is the volts is necessary to maintain the 3 kW
resistance at 100°C? loading. The element resistance
A. 72.26 ohms C. 63.24 ohms temperature coefficient is 0.0006 per
B. 54.25 ohms D. 58.15 ohms degree centigrade at 20°C. Calculate the
final temperature of the heating element.
12. REE Board Exam March 1998 A. 345.43°C C. 336.84°C
The resistance of a wire is 126.48 Ω at B. 326.42°C D. 318.48°C
100°C and 100 Ω at 30°C. Determine the
temperature coefficient of copper at 0°C. 16. REE Board Exam October 1999
A. 0.00427/°C C. 0.0256/°C How long must a current of 5 A pass through
B. 0.00615/°C D. 0.365/°C a 10-ohm resistor until a charge of 12000
coulomb passes through?
13. EE Board Exam October 1991 A. 1 min C. 3 min
Two heating elements which is 500 ohms and B. 2 min D. 4 min
250 ohms are connected in series with
temperature coefficients of 0.001 and 0.003 17. REE Board Exam October 1999
ohms per °C, respectively at 20°C. What is the power required to transfer
Calculate the effective temperature 97,000 coulombs of charge through a
coefficient of the combination. potential rise of 50 volts in one hour?
A. 0.00215 C. 0.00712 A. 0.5 kW C. 1.3 kW
B. 0.00626 D. 0.00167 B. 0.9 kW D. 2.8 kW

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 2

18. REE Board Exam April 2001 the resistivity of copper is 10.37 Ω-CM/ft,
A round wire has 250 MCM. Find its diameter what is the resistance of the bar?
in inches. A. 81.4 μΩ C. 814 μΩ
A. ½ C. 0.16 B. 8.14 μΩ D. 0.814 μΩ
B. ¼ D. 0.08
24. REE Board Exam April 2001
19. REE Board Exam September 2003 The resistance of the field winding of a
In the American wire gauge, as the number DC machine is 0.25 Ω at 25°C. When
of gauge increases, the diameter of wire operating at full-load, the temperature of
____ the winding is 75°C. The temperature
A. increases B. decreases coefficient of resistance of copper is
C. does not change D. become twice 0.00427 per °C at 0°C. Find the resistance
of the field winding at full-load.
20. REE Board Exam September 2003 A. 0.298 Ω C. 0.512 Ω
In cgs system, what is the unit of emf B. 0.315 Ω D. 0.271 Ω
where I is in ab-ampere and P is in erg per
second? 25. REE Board Exam October 2000
A. millivolt C. abvolt A coil of copper has resistance of 5.46 Ω
B. kilovolt D. volt at 75°C. What will be its resistance at
25°C?
21. REE Board Exam September 2002 A. 4.58 Ω C. 5.02 Ω
One (1) kW is equal to ____ hp. B. 4.84 Ω D. 4.35 Ω
A. 0.746 C. 550
B. 1.34 D. 1.5 26. REE Board Exam April 2001
A certain generator generates 1,500,000
22. REE Board Exam October 1998 joules per minute. What is the output in
Two copper conductors have equal length. kW?
The cross-sectional area of one conductor A. 50 C. 25
is three times that of the other. If the B. 500 D. 125
resistance of the conductor having smaller
cross-sectional area is 20 Ω, what is the 27. ECE BOARD NOV 2001
resistance of the other? _____ is anything that has weight had
A. 20/3 Ω C. 180 Ω occupies space. It may be solid, liquid or
B. 60 Ω D. 20/9 Ω gas.
A. Amalgam C. Matter
23. REE Board Exam October 2000 B. Alloy D. Compound
A copper bar has a length of 20 ft., width
of 4 inches and thickness of 0.5 inch. If

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 3

28. ECE Board Exam April 2000 second.
It is defined as anything that occupies A. 10 joules C. 16.6 joules
space and has weight. B. 100 joules D. 166 joules
A. atom C. molecule
B. compound D. matter 35. ECE Board Exam November 2001
One of the following is the best conductor
29. ECE Board Exam November 1999 of electricity.
The lightest kind of atom or element A. Air C. Carbon
A. hydrogen C. titanium B. Copper D. Silicon
B. helium D. oxygen
36. ECE Board Exam November 1999
30. ECE Board Exam November 1998 What is the basic unit for measuring
In order to have a good conductor material, current flow?
such material shall have _____ valence A. coulomb C. volt
electrons. B. ampere D. atomic weight
A. one C. more than ten
B. five D. twenty-one 37. ECE Board Exam November 1995
______ has a unit of electron volt
31. ECE Board Exam November 1997 A. Energy C. Current
Electric power refers to _____ B. Potential difference D. Charge
A. volt ampere C. volt coulomb
B. watt second D. joule 38. ECE Board Exam November 2001
The motion of charged particles especially
32. ECE Board Exam November 1995 colloidal particles through a relative
What composes all matter whether a liquid, stationary liquid under the influence of
solid or gas? an applied electric provided.
A. electrons C. protons A. hysteresis C. electrophoresis
B. atoms D. neutrons B. electrolysis [Link]

33. ECE Board Exam November 2001 39. ECE Board Exam April 2001
What is a physical combination of compounds What is a symbol that represents a quantity
or elements NOT chemically combined that or a single object?
can be separated by physical means? A. unit C. item
A. substance C. mixture B. number D. base
B. atom D. molecule
40. ECE Board Exam April 2000
34. ECE Board Exam April 1998 Determine which of the following has the
Determine the equivalent work of 166 watt- least number of electrons found at the

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 4

outer shell. B. dielectric D. conductor
A. semi-insulator C. semiconductor
B. insulator D. conductor 46. ECE Board Exam November 2001
A chemical combination of elements can be
41. ECE Board Exam April 2001 separated by chemical means but not by
The term describes a material whose physical means. It is created by chemically
resistance remains relatively constant combining two or more elements.
with changes in temperature A. molecules C. matter
A. positive temperature coefficient B. compound D. mixture
B. negative temperature coefficient
C. neutral temperature coefficient 47. ECE Board Exam April 2000
D. zero temperature coefficient A substance which cannot be reduced to a
simpler substance by chemical means
42. ECE Board Exam November 1998 A. atom C. matter
Resulting effect when electron is made to B. molecule D. element
move
A. dynamic electricity C. lines of force 48. ECE Board Exam November 2001
B. static electricity D. magnetic lines Calculate the equivalent power in watt of
100 joules per second.
43. ECE Board Exam November 1997 A. 1.66 watts C. 16.66 watts
One of the following characteristics of a B. 100 watts D. 1,000 watts
resistive material which do not change its
resistive value with respect to time is its 49. ECE Board Exam April 2001
_____ It is a neutral particle that has no
A. fidelity C. stability electrical charge.
B. sensitivity D. selectivity A. atom C. electron
B. proton D. neutron
44. ECE Board Exam November 2001
What do you call the element that conducts 50. ECE Board Exam November 1999
electricity very readily? Which material has more free electrons?
A. semi-conductors C. insulators A. mica C. conductor
B. conductors D. dielectric B. insulator D. dielectric

45. ECE Board Exam April 2001 51. ECE Board Exam November 2001
Which of the following material is referred The new and preferred term for conductance
to as a medium whereby electrons can move or mho
easily from atom to atom? A. Siemens C. Seaman
A. insulator C. mica B. She-man D. ROM

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 5

52. ECE Board Exam April 2001 D. potential energy
Represents the current flow produced by one
volt working across one ohm of resistance. 57. ECE Board Exam November 1996
A. resistance Electric charge of neutron is the same as
B. ampere ______.
C. voltage A. atom C. current
D. electromotive force B. electron D. proton

53. ECE Board Exam November 1995 58. ECE Board Exam April 1998
When an atom gains an additional _____, it Ion is _____.
results to a negative ion. A. free electron
A. atom C. proton B. nucleus without protons
B. neutron D. electron C. proton
D. an atom with unbalanced charges
54. ECE Board Exam November 1999
The definite discrete amount of energy 59. ECE Board Exam November 1997
required to move an electron from a lower An insulating element or material has
shell to higher shell. capability of _____.
A. quantum A. storing voltage
B. positive energy B. preventing short circuit between two
C. negative energy conducting wires
D. quanta C. conducting large current
D. storing high current
55. ECE Board Exam November 1999
What will happen to an atom if an electron 60. ECE Board Exam April 1998
is either taken out or taken into the same What is the value of a resistor with colors
atom? from left: Orange, Blue, Gold and Silver?
A. becomes a negative ion A. 34 ohms + /-10%
B. becomes an ion B. 36 ohms +/-10%
C. becomes a positive ion C. 3.4 ohms +/-10%
D. nothing will happen D. 3.6 0hms +/-10%

56. ECE Board Exam April 1999 61. ECE Board Exam April 2001
The energy in an electron that is called A three-terminal resistor with one or more
the energy of motion sliding contacts which functions as an
A. electromotive force adjustable voltage divider
B. kinematics A. Rheostat C. Potentiometer
C. kinetic energy B. Bleeder resistor D. Voltage divider

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 6

62. ECE Board Exam November 2000 The ability to do work
A resistor which is used to draw a fixed A. energy C. potential
amount of current B. kinetic D. voltage
A. potentiometer C. fixed resistor
B. bleeder resistor D. rheostat 68. ECE Board Exam November 2001
Which type of variable resistor should you
63. ECE Board Exam November 2001 use for controlling large amount of current?
Find the value of a resistor with the A. Potentiometer C. Variac
following color codes: Orange, Yellow, Red, B. Adjustable wirewound D. Rheostat
Red
A. 34 k ohms +/-5% 69. ECE Board Exam April 2000
B. 3.4 ohms +/-2% What does the fourth loop of an electronic
C. 3.4 k ohms +/-10% resistor color code represent?
D. 34 k ohms +/-20% A. Multiplier
B. Temperature
64. ECE Board Exam November 1996 C. First digit of the equivalent value
Electric energy refers to ______. D. Tolerance
A. Joules divided by time C. Watt
B. Volt-ampere D. Volt-coulomb 70. ECE Board Exam November 2000
Ten micro-microfarads is equivalent to
65. ECE Board Exam April 2001 _____
What is the resistance of an open fuse A. 100 picofarads
circuit? B. 100 nanofarad
A. at least 1000 ohms C. 1000 milli microfarad
B. infinity D. 10.0 picofarads
C. zero
D. 100 ohms at standard temperature 71. ECE Board Exam November 1995
How much is the resistance of a germanium
66. ECE Board Exam April 1998 slag 10 cm long and cross sectional area
When should a fuse be replaced with a of 1 square cm?
higher rated unit? A. 55 k ohms C. 550 k ohms
A. when the fuse of the original value is B. 5.5 k ohms D. 550 ohms
small in size
B. when the original is not available 72. ECE Board Exam November 2001
C. never A variable resistor normally used as a
D. if it blows voltage divider
A. Carbon film resistor
67. ECE Board Exam November 2000 B. Potentiometer

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 7

C. Adjustable resistor 78. ECE Board Exam November 1995
D. Metal film resistor _____ is the term used to express the
amount of electrical energy in an
73. ECE Board Exam April 2001 electrostatic field.
Determine the equivalent horse power of A. Joule C. Volt
2.611 kilowatts. B. Coulomb D. Watt
A. 3.50 hp C. 2.25 hp
B. 2.50 hp D. 1.50 hp 79. ECE Board Exam November 1995
Which of the following statement is correct?
74. ECE Board Exam November 2000 A. Potentiometer has two terminals
Find the lowest resistance value of the B. Transistor has two terminals
following resistors. C. Typical power rating of a carbon-
A. White, black, black composition resistor ranged from 0.125 W
B. Violet, gray, yellow, silver to 2 W
C. Red, black, gold D. Open resistor has small resistance
D. Gray, gray, black
80. ECE Board Exam November 1996
75. ECE Board Exam November 1998 _____ is one factor that does not affect
If the bands on a resistor are yellow, resistance.
violet, red and gold, what is the A. Resistivity C. Length
resistance value? B. Cross sectional area D. Mass
A. 470 ohms 5%
B. 470 ohms 10% 81. ECE Board Exam November 1998
C. 47000 ohms 5% What is the value of a resistor having the
D. 4700 ohms 5% following
colored bands: Yellow-Gray-Red-Silver?
76. ECE Board Exam November 1997 A. 4800 ohms ±10%
Rust in electrical (wire) connections will B. 480 ohms ±10%
result to _____ C. 3800 ohms ±1%
A. Conductance C. Voltage D. 4.8 ohms ±1%
B. Resistance D. Inductance 82. ECE Board Exam November 1997
Find the value of resistor with the
77. ECE Board Exam November 1996 following color codes; Brown, White, Orange,
The area of a conductor whose diameter is Red
0.001 inch is equal to A. 190 ohms 10%
A. One micron C. One circular mil B. 19 k ohms 2%
B. One angstrom D. One steradian C. 1.9 k ohms 10%
D. 19 k ohms 20%

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 8

83. ECE Board Exam November 1998 88. ECE Board Exam April 1998
Resistor with colored bands in the body What happens to the resistance of a
A. Adjustable resistor conductor wire when its temperature is
B. Wire-wound resistor lowered?
C. Variable resistor A. Decreased C. Zero
D. Carbon composition resistor B. Steady D. Increased

84. ECE Board Exam November 1998 89. ECE Board Exam April 1998
If the bands on a resistor are red, red, Which of the following does not refer to
orange and silver, what is the resistance electric energy?
value? A. Joule C. Volt coulomb
A. 220 ohms 5% B. Watt second D. Volt ampere
B. 223 0hms 10%
C. 22,000 ohms 10% 90. ECE Board Exam March 1996
D. 2200 ohms 20% Which of the following statement is
incorrect?
85. ECE Board Exam November 1997 A. open transistor has three (3) terminals
What does the second strip of an electronic B. transistors have three (3) terminals
resistor color code represent? C. typical power rating of carbon-
A. Tolerance composition
B. Second digit of the value resistor ranged 0.001 W to 0.1 W
C. Temperature D. potentiometer has three (3) terminals
D. Multiplier
91. ECE Board Exam November 1997
86. ECE Board Exam November 2000 Term used in electronic measuring device
The energy in an electron that is called when a metal increases resistance due to
the energy of position heat produced by current flowing through
A. Kinetic energy them.
B. Kinematics A. positive resistance coefficient
C. Electromotive force B. positive temperature coefficient
D. Potential energy C. negative temperature coefficient
D. negative resistance coefficient
87. ECE Board Exam April 1999
If an electronic resistor does not have the 92. A 1 km cable consists of 12 identical
fourth color strip it means it has a strands of aluminum each 3 mm in diameter.
tolerance of _____. What is the resistance of the cable?
A. 5% C. 10% A. 0.34 ohm C. 0.44 ohm
B. 20% D. 1% B. 0.54 ohm D. 0.24 ohm

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 9

93. A piece of wire has a resistance of 0.5 the temperature coefficient of resistance
ohm. The length is doubled and the area is to be 0.000385 at 20°C.
increased four times. What is its A. 34.26 Ω C. 32.46 Ω
resistance? B. 36.42 Ω D. none of these
A. 0.75 ohm C. 0.25 ohm
B. 0.50 ohm D. 1 ohm 99. Determine the length of a copper wire
(ρ = 10.37 Ω-CM/ft) where diameter is 0.30
94. Copper wire of certain length and inch and resistance of
resistance is drawn out to four times its 0.5 Ω at 20°C.
length without changes in volume. What is A. 4,339 ft C. 6,125 ft
the resistance of the bar? B. 5.225 ft D. none of these
A. unchanged C. 16R
B. R/16 D. 4R [Link] electric water heater has a rating
of 1 kW, 230 V. The coil used as the heating
95. Current is simply _____. element is 10 m long and has a resistivity
A. Flow of electrons C. Radiation of 1.724 x 10-6 ohm-cm. Determine the
B. Flow of protons D. Emission required diameter of the wire in mils.
A. 2.43 mils C. 3.21 mils
96. The resistance of a coil of wire is 1 B. 2.52 mils D. 1.35 mils
kΩ at 20°C. If the coil is immersed into
oil, the resistance falls to 880 Ω. If the
wire has a temperature coefficient of 0.006
at 20°C, how much is the temperature of the
liquid?
A. 0°C C. 17.6°C
B. -20°C D. none of these

97. The copper field coils of a motor was

measured at 21°C and found to have a
resistance of 68 Ω. After the motor has run
for a given time, the resistance is found
to be 96 Ω. What is the hot temperature of
the winding?
A. 106.36°C C. 103.66°C
B. 166.30°C D. none of these

98. A wire has a resistance of 30 Ω at 20°C.

What will its resistance be at 60°C? Assume

ESSU-COE-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT – ENGR. RONNIE A. CADALIN 10