Why does the current stay the same in a circuit?
- Physics Stack Exchange Why does the current stay the same in a circuit? I was informed that in a circuit, the current will stay the same, and this is why the lightbulbs will light up (because in order for the current to stay the same, the drift speed of the electrons need to get faster).
How does a current flow in a circuit?
Electrons in every part of the circuit begin to drift under the influence of this electric field and a current begins to flow in the circuit immediately. You have to note here that if the potential difference you're applying is constant as with a D.C battery the electric field remains constant, and thus the current remains constant.
What happens if current increases or decreases?
If this is the case, then current must remain the same, for if it increases, electrons will pile up, and if it decreases, there will be large gaps between the different electrons causing the circuit to slow down and eventually the circuit will terminate. This is proved in the scientific equation ∑ I I N = ∑ I O U T .
How does increasing the resistance in a circuit affect the current?
How do you think increasing the resistance in a circuit will affect the current in the wire. It will decrease the current. Is the current the same throughout, or does it change? It is the same. What is the mathematical relationship between voltage, resistance, and current. Test your equation with other combinations of the equation.
Why do electrons need to drift faster through tungsten filament?
Why does tungsten heat up?
Why is there a bigger voltage drop through thinner resistors?
How does an incandescent light bulb work?
What does a greater electric field mean?
How does a parallel circuit work?
What does current mean in a series?
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Is current the same throughout a circuit?
The same current flows through each part of a series circuit." In a series circuit, the amperage at any point in the circuit is the same. This will help in calculating circuit values using Ohm's Law.
Is the current same everywhere?
The current is the same everywhere in a series circuit. It does not matter where you put the ammeter, it will give you the same reading.
Is the current always the same?
The reason that current stays the same throughout a series circuit is the conservation of charge. As you noted, current is the flow rate of charge.
Does current flow both ways?
Charge carriers can move arbitrarily, but current density is the net movement of all charge carriers at a given point. So current will only ever point in one direction at a time at any location.
Where is current the same?
SERIES VS. PARALLEL CIRCUITS Current is the same in each device since there is only a single pathway for the charge to flow. Resistance in the circuit is the sum of all the individual resistances of each device. As the number of resistors increases, the total current decreases.
Does current change over time?
The short answer is, no. Current is the same throughout in a series circuit. The resistor in series changes the current, however.
Is current constant in a circuit?
Answer and Explanation: The current can be constant in a circuit only if such circuit does not present any branches. Due to the law of conservation of charge, if the charge has a single pathway to travel in, the current along all the circuit line will be constant.
Does current equal charge over time?
The current is simply the ratio of the quantity of charge and time. Note that the equation above uses the symbol I to represent the quantity current.
Is current the same everywhere in parallel?
In parallel circuits the current splits up so each branch has a different effective resistance (in each of the separate branches one can use the series rule again). Due to this, the current isn't the same everywhere in a parallel circuit.
In which type of circuit is the current the same everywhere?
series circuitFor a series circuit with no branching locations, the current is everywhere the same. The current at the battery location is the same as the current at each resistor location.
Is the current the same in every resistor?
Since there is only one path for the charges to flow through, the current is the same through each resistor. The equivalent resistance of a set of resistors in a series connection is equal to the algebraic sum of the individual resistances.
Current in parallel circuits - Series and parallel circuits - National ...
In National 4 Physics examine the current and voltage in series and parallel circuits to formulate rules and determine unknown values.
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Learn how electric circuits and how to measure current and potential difference with BBC Bitesize KS3 Science.
Why do electrons need to drift faster through tungsten filament?
Now, just like in the way water in a single pipe with two sections of different radii flows with a faster velocity through the thinner sections of the pipe, if we make the tungsten filament super-duper thin, electrons will need to "flow" (drift) faster through the filament that's thinner than the rest of the circuit in order for there to not be charge buildup anywhere on the circuit. The thinner we make it, the greater the velocity electrons will have when going through it!
Why does tungsten heat up?
This makes the tungsten atoms start vibrating really rapidly, which heats up the tungsten filament to extremely high temperatures (hence why it was important to make sure to use tungsten, or another metal with a high melting point).
Why is there a bigger voltage drop through thinner resistors?
Sidetrack, but this is why there's a bigger voltage drop through thinner resistors. In order for electrons to not build up within the circuit, they must flow faster through the thin parts, and in order for them to flow (drift) faster through the thinner parts, there must be a greater electric field pushing them through the thin resistors. A greater electric field means a greater voltage drop!
How does an incandescent light bulb work?
Inside of a glass bulb, there's a really thin tungsten filament, and when a current flows through it, it emits light. I'll explain why:
What does a greater electric field mean?
A greater electric field means a greater voltage drop! Now, since electrons are moving super quickly through the thin tungsten filament, they're also smashing more frequently into the atoms of the tungsten filament as compared to the atoms of other parts of the circuit.
How does a parallel circuit work?
In a parallel circuit a path might split into two, so the incoming current can be split and smaller portions take each path - in total the sum must be zero at any point, so now the current along each path is not necessarily the same. This is how current flow can be controlled. Share. Improve this answer.
What does current mean in a series?
But, by the very definition of current (the amount of charge that flows through a cross-sectional area of a metal per second), that means the current must be the same everywhere in the (series) circuit! Otherwise, electrons would pile up.
