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VICPhysicsQuick questions
Unit 1: What ideas explain the physical world?
Quick questions on Electric current, potential difference and Ohm's law (VCE Physics Unit 1)
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is filament lamp?Show answer
As current flows, the filament heats up and its resistance rises. I-V graph curves so that the slope decreases at higher $V$.
What is semiconductor diode?Show answer
Zero current below the threshold voltage (about $0.7$ V for silicon). Near-vertical above. Strongly direction-dependent (only conducts one way).
What is thermistor?Show answer
A semiconductor whose resistance falls steeply with temperature. Used in temperature sensors. The I-V curve is concave up.
What is calling drift velocity "current"?Show answer
Electron drift velocity in a wire is typically fractions of a millimetre per second. Current is the rate of charge flow.
What is forgetting direction in diodes?Show answer
A diode conducts only in one direction. Reversing the voltage usually drops the current to near zero.
What is mixing units of charge and current?Show answer
Ampere-second is coulomb; ampere-hour is $3600$ C.
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