Question of 42
Q.(i) What do you understand by the drift velocity of electrons? [1 mark]
(ii) Mention two limitations of Ohm's law. [2 marks]
OR
Using Kirchhoff's laws, establish the principle of the Wheatstone bridge.
Tripura TbseHigher Secondary (+2 Stage) Examination 2023Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Drift velocity is the slow net drift superposed on electrons' fast random thermal motion, caused by an applied field; Ohm's law, despite being extremely useful, does not hold universally — it fails for devices with a non-linear V–I relationship and for conductors whose physical state (like temperature) changes appreciably with current.
- Drift velocity: In a conductor, free electrons are always in random thermal motion (very high speed, but with zero net average velocity in the absence of a field). When an electric field E is applied across the conductor, each electron experiences a force (−eE) between collisions with the lattice ions, giving it a small net velocity component opposite to E (since the electron's charge is negative). This small average velocity, superimposed on the much larger random thermal motion, and which is responsible for the net conventional current, is called the drift velocity, vd. It is typically very small (of the order of mm/s), even though electrons' actual (thermal) speeds are of the order of 10⁵–10⁶ m/s.
- Two limitations of Ohm's law:
- Ohm's law is not obeyed by devices (called non-ohmic conductors) whose V–I graph is not a straight line through the origin — for example, a p-n junction diode, transistor, or thermistor. Current does not stay proportional to voltage in such devices; the relationship can even depend on the sign/polarity of V. …
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