Chapter 27
Current And Resistance
Sec 27.1: Electric Current
Electric current is the rate of flow of charge through
some region of space
The SI unit of current is the ampere (A)
1 A=1C/s
The symbol for electric current is I Q
Average Electric Current : I avg =
t
dQ
Instantaneous Electric Current: I
dt
The charges passing through the area could be positive
or negative or both
It is conventional to assign to the current the same
direction as the flow of positive charges
Direction of Current
The direction of current flow is
opposite the direction of the flow of
electrons
It is common to refer to any moving
charge as a charge carrier
Iavg = nqvdA
The zigzag black lines represent the
motion of a charge carrier in a
conductor
The net drift speed is small
The sharp changes in direction are due
to collisions
The net motion of electrons is opposite
the direction of the electric field
Motion of Charge Carriers, final
The electric field set up by the battery exerts forces
on the conduction electrons in the wire
These forces cause the electrons to move in the wire
and create a current
The battery does not supply the electrons, it only
establishes the electric field
Sec 27.2: Resistance
J is the current density of a conductor
It is defined as the current per unit area
J = I / A = nqvd
This expression is valid only if the current density is uniform and
A is perpendicular to the direction of the current
J has SI units of A/m2
The current density is in the direction of the positive
charge carriers
For some materials, the current density is directly
proportional to the field
The constant of proportionality, σ, is called the conductivity
of the conductor
Ohm’s law states that for many materials, the ratio of the
current density to the electric field is a constant σ that is
independent of the electric field producing the current
Most metals obey Ohm’s law
Mathematically, J=σE
Materials that obey Ohm’s law are said to be ohmic
Materials that do not obey Ohm’s law are said to be
nonohmic
In a conductor, the voltage applied across the ends of the
conductor is proportional to the current through the
conductor V
R
I
The constant of proportionality is called the resistance of
the conductor
SI units of resistance are ohms (Ω), 1 Ω = 1 V / A
Resistance in a circuit arises due to collisions between the
electrons carrying the current with the fixed atoms inside the
conductor
Resistivity
The inverse of the conductivity is the resistivity:
ρ =1/σ
Resistivity has SI units of ohm-meters (Ω . m)
Resistance is also related to resistivity: R=ρ
A
Every ohmic material has a characteristic resistivity that
depends on the properties of the material and on
temperature
Resistivity is a property of substances
The resistance of a material depends on its geometry and its
resistivity
Resistance is a property of an object
An ideal conductor would have zero resistivity
An ideal insulator would have infinite resistivity
An ohmic device
The resistance is constant over a
wide range of voltages
The relationship between current
and voltage is linear
The slope is related to the
resistance
Nonohmic materials are those
whose resistance changes with
voltage or current
The current-voltage relationship
is nonlinear
A junction diode is a common
example of a nonohmic device
Resistor Values
Values of resistors
are commonly
marked by colored
bands
Resistivity Values
Sec 27.4: Resistance and Temperature
Over a limited temperature range, the resistivity of a
conductor varies approximately linearly with the
temperature
ρ = ρ o [1 + α ( T − T o )]
ρo is the resistivity at some reference temperature To
To is usually taken to be 20° C
α is the temperature coefficient of resistivity
SI units of α are oC-1
Since the resistance of a conductor with a uniform cross-
sectional area is proportional to the resistivity, you can
find the effect of temperature on resistance
R = Ro[1 + α(T - To)]
Resistivity and Temperature, Graphical
View
For some metals, the resistivity is nearly
proportional to the temperature
A nonlinear region always exists at very
low temperatures
The resistivity usually reaches some finite
value as the temperature approaches
absolute zero
Semiconductors are materials that
exhibit a decrease in resistivity with an
increase in temperature
α is negative
There is an increase in the density of
charge carriers at higher temperatures
Sec 27.6: Electrical Power
As a charge moves from a to b, the
electric potential energy of the system
increases by QV
The chemical energy in the battery
must decrease by this same amount
As the charge moves through the
resistor (c to d), the system loses this
electric potential energy during
collisions of the electrons with the
atoms of the resistor
This energy is transformed into internal
energy in the resistor
Corresponds to the increased
vibrational motion of the atoms in
the resistor
The resistor is normally in contact with the air, so its
increased temperature will result in a transfer of energy by
heat into the air, also emits thermal radiation
After some time interval, the resistor reaches a constant
temperature
The power is the rate at which the energy is delivered to the
resistor
The power is given by the equation: =IV
Applying Ohm’s Law, alternative expressions can be found:
( V )
2
= I V = I 2
R=
R
Units: I is in A, R is in Ω, V is in V, and is in W