Professional Documents
Culture Documents
D.C. circuits
Learn the standard circuit; PSU, switch, ammeter, device, and variable resistor in series; voltmeter across (or in
parallel with) the device.
Emf; energy transferred per unit charge, from internal to electrical, around a complete circuit.
Note the difference to pd.
Kirchhoff 1: the algebraic sum of the currents at a junction is zero. (Due to the conservation of charge).
Kirchhoff 2: the algebraic sum of the emfs is equal to the algebraic sum of the IR terms (pds) in a complete
circuit loop (Due to the conservation of energy).
Recall and use: Resistors in series; R = R1 + R2 + … Resistors in parallel: 1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + …
Potential dividers: provide a supply of variable voltage from a single supply: note the circuit diagram.
Applications: the use of a thermistor to provide a pd dependent on temperature, and LDR to provide a pd
dependent on light intensity. Note the circuit diagrams.
Quantum Physics
Recall the experiment to demonstrate the photoelectric effect: negatively-charged GLE, zinc plate and UV
lamp, etc.
It shows that e.m. waves can be regarded as particles. Photon energy =hf. One photon can release one electron
from the metal surface if the photon energy is at least equal to the work function. The number of photons
released per second (current), depends on the beam intensity (number of photons), but the max KE of the
released electrons depends on the photon energy. Einstein’s equation:- hf = Φ + ½mv2max
Threshold frequency; the minimum frequency required to release an electron from the surface.
Electron volt: (eV); the energy acquired by an electron, moving through a pd of one volt.