A current is of 1mA is flowing through a copper wire, how many eloctons will pass a given point in 1 second?
To determine the number of electrons passing a given point in 1 second, we need to understand the relationship between electric current and the charge of an electron.
The electric current is defined as the rate at which charge flows through a conductor. It is given by the equation:
I = Q/t
Where:
I is the electric current (in amperes),
Q is the charge (in coulombs), and
t is the time (in seconds).
In this case, the electric current, I, is given as 1mA, which is 0.001 amperes. We want to find the number of electrons passing through the given point in 1 second, so t = 1 second.
To find the charge, Q, we can rearrange the formula as:
Q = I * t
Substituting the given values:
Q = 0.001 A * 1 s
Q = 0.001 C
Now, we know that one electron carries a charge of approximately 1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs. To find the number of electrons passing through the point, we can divide the total charge (Q) by the charge of one electron:
Number of electrons = Q / charge of one electron
Number of electrons = 0.001 C / (1.6 x 10^-19 C)
Using division, we get:
Number of electrons ≈ 6.25 x 10^15 electrons
Therefore, approximately 6.25 x 10^15 electrons will pass the given point in 1 second when a current of 1mA is flowing through the copper wire.