Question

A battery of emf 10 V and internal resistance 3 Ω is connected to a resistor. If the current in the circuit is 0.5 A, what is the resistance of the resistor? What is the terminal voltage of the battery when the circuit is closed?

Answer 1

Emf of the battery, E = 10 V

Internal resistance of the battery, r = 3 Ω

Current in the circuit, I = 0.5 A

Resistance of the resistor = R

The relation for current using Ohm’s law is,

I = `"E"/("R" + "r")`

R + r = `"E"/"I"`

= `10/0.5`

= 20 Ω

∴ R = 20 − 3 = 17 Ω

Terminal voltage of the resistor = V

According to Ohm’s law,

V = IR

= 0.5 × 17

= 8.5 V

Therefore, the resistance of the resistor is 17 Ω and the terminal voltage is 8.5 V.