A wire carries a 15 microampere current.
How many electrons pass a given point on the wire in 1.0 ?
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To find the number of electrons that pass a given point on the wire in 1.0 second, we need to use the equation:
I = n * q * v
where:
I = current (in amperes)
n = number of electrons
q = charge of each electron (in coulombs)
v = velocity of electrons (in meters per second)
First, we need to convert the current from microamperes to amperes.
Given that 1 microampere (µA) is equal to 10^-6 amperes (A), we can write:
15 microamperes = 15 * 10^-6 amperes = 15 * 10^-6 A
Now, we can substitute the values in the equation:
15 * 10^-6 A = n * q * v
To simplify the equation, we can assume that each electron has a charge of 1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs (approximately the charge of an electron). So, q = 1.6 * 10^-19 C.
15 * 10^-6 A = n * (1.6 * 10^-19 C) * v
Now, we need to calculate the velocity (v) of the electrons. We can use the equation:
v = drift speed / cross-sectional area
The drift speed refers to the average speed at which the electrons move in a wire due to an applied electric field. However, since the drift speed is often very small compared to the speed of electrons, we can approximate it as zero.
Therefore, v ≈ 0, and the equation becomes:
15 * 10^-6 A = n * (1.6 * 10^-19 C) * 0
Since v is negligible, the equation simplifies to:
15 * 10^-6 A = 0
This equation implies that there is no current flowing in the wire, which contradicts the given information. Thus, we can conclude that the given values are not feasible, and the question may need to be revisited or revising the values is required.