A high potential is applied
between the electrodes of a
hydrogen discharge tube so
that the gas is ionised.
Electrons move towards the
anode and protons towards the cathode. In each second,
5x10^18 electrons and 2x10^18
protons traverse a cross
section of the tube. What is the
current flowing in the discharge
tube? (Take charge of each electron
and proton = 1.6x10^-19C)?
a proton moving one way is the same current direction as an electron moving the opposite way so add absolute values
7 * 10^18 particles/second * 1.6*10^-19 coulombs/particle
To find the current flowing in the discharge tube, we need to calculate the total charge passing through a cross section of the tube per second.
The charge of each electron and proton is given as 1.6x10^-19C.
First, let's calculate the total charge carried by the electrons per second:
Charge carried by each electron = 1.6x10^-19C
Number of electrons per second = 5x10^18
Total charge carried by electrons per second = (1.6x10^-19C/electron) * (5x10^18 electrons) = 8x10^-1C
Next, let's calculate the total charge carried by the protons per second:
Charge carried by each proton = 1.6x10^-19C
Number of protons per second = 2x10^18
Total charge carried by protons per second = (1.6x10^-19C/proton) * (2x10^18 protons) = 3.2x10^-1C
The total charge passing through a cross section of the tube per second is the sum of the charges carried by electrons and protons:
Total charge passing through the cross section per second = 8x10^-1C + 3.2x10^-1C = 1.12C
Finally, the current flowing in the discharge tube can be calculated using the formula:
Current (I) = Total charge passing through the cross section per second / Time (t)
Since the question does not provide a specific time, we cannot determine the exact current. To calculate the current, we would need to know the time duration for which the charge is passing through the tube.
To find the current flowing in the discharge tube, we need to determine the total charge passing through the cross-section of the tube per second.
Given:
Number of electrons passing through the cross-section per second = 5x10^18 electrons
Number of protons passing through the cross-section per second = 2x10^18 protons
Charge of each electron/proton = 1.6x10^-19 C
To calculate the total charge passing through the cross-section per second, we can use the following steps:
1. Calculate the total charge carried by electrons:
Total charge carried by electrons = (Number of electrons) * (Charge of each electron)
Total charge carried by electrons = (5x10^18) * (1.6x10^-19 C)
2. Calculate the total charge carried by protons:
Total charge carried by protons = (Number of protons) * (Charge of each proton)
Total charge carried by protons = (2x10^18) * (1.6x10^-19 C)
3. Find the total charge passing through the cross-section per second:
Total charge passing through the cross-section per second = Total charge carried by electrons + Total charge carried by protons
Now, we can proceed with the calculations:
Total charge carried by electrons = (5x10^18) * (1.6x10^-19 C)
= 8x10^-1 = 0.8 C
Total charge carried by protons = (2x10^18) * (1.6x10^-19 C)
= 3.2x10^-1 = 0.32 C
Total charge passing through the cross-section per second = 0.8 C + 0.32 C
= 1.12 C
The current flowing in the discharge tube can be calculated using the formula:
Current (I) = Total charge passing through the cross-section per second / Time (t)
Since the time is not given, we can assume it to be 1 second for this calculation. Therefore:
Current (I) = 1.12 C / 1 s
= 1.12 A
Hence, the current flowing in the discharge tube is 1.12 Amperes.