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Chapter 18: Q4Q (page 755)

State your own theoretical and experimental objections to the following statement: In a circuit with two thick-filament bulbs in series, the bulb farther from the negative terminal of the battery will be dimmer, because some of the electron current is used up in the first bulb. Cite relevant experiments.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The two bulbs will glow equally brightly since the current through them is the same.

Step by step solution

01

Given data

Two bulbs are in series in a circuit.

02

Current in a circuit

The current in a circuit where all loads and batteries are connected in series, is equal everywhere.

03

Determination of the glow of the two bulbs

Experimentally it can be checked by connecting two bulbs in a series that they glow equally brightly. Theoretically since the same number of electrons are passing per unit time through the two bulbs in series after steady state is reached, the current through both of them is the same. Hence the glow will not be affected. Electrons don't get used up when they pass through a load. The two bulbs will glow equally brightly.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

At a typical drift speed of 5×10-5m/s, an electron traveling at that speed would take about to travel through one of your connecting wires. Why, then, does the bulb light immediately when the connecting wire is attached to the battery?

Inside a chemical battery it is not actually individual electrons that are transported from the + end to the – end. At the + end of the battery an “acceptor” molecule picks up an electron entering the battery, and at the – end a different “donor” molecule gives up an electron, which leaves the battery. Ions rather than electrons move between the two ends to support the charge inside the battery.

When the supplies of acceptor and donor molecules are used up in a chemical battery, the battery is dead because it can no longer accept or electron. The electron current in electron per second times the number of seconds of battery life, is equal to the number of donor molecules in the battery.

A flashlight battery contains approximately half a mole of donor molecules. The electron current through a thick filament bulb powered by two flashlight batteries in series is about 0.3 A. About how many hours will the batteries keep this bulb lit?

Criticize the statement below on theoretical and experimental grounds. Be specific and precise. Refer to your own experiments, or describe any new experiments you perform: “A flashlight battery always puts out the same amount of current, no matter what is connected to it.”

Why does the brightness of a bulb not change noticeably when you use longer copper wires to connect it to the battery? (1) Very little energy is dissipated in the thick connecting wires. (2) The electric field in connecting wires is very small, so emf≈EbulbLbulb. (3) Electric field in the connecting wires is zero, so emf≈EbulbLbulb. (4) Current in the connecting wires is smaller than current in the bulb. (5) All the current is used up in the bulb, so the connecting wires don’t matter.

Question:In figure 18.102 suppose that VC-VF=8 V and VD-VE=4.5 V.

(a) What is the potential difference VC-VD?

(b) If the element between the battery C and D is a battery, is the + end of the battery at C or D?
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