If the current carried by a conductor is doubled, what...

Name: Problem 16, Chapter 27: Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics
Uploaded: 2020-07-30T19:19:10-08:00
Duration: 2 min 30 s
Channel: Vidhi Bhatt
Description: If the current carried by a conductor is doubled, what happens to (a) the charge carrier density, (b) the current density, (c) the electron drift velocity, and (d) the average time interval between collisions? Explain your answers.

If the current carried by a conductor is doubled, what happens to (a) the charge carrier density, (b) the current density, (c) the electron drift velocity, and (d) the average time interval between collisions? Explain your answers.

Key Concepts

Electric Current

Electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor. It is usually defined as the amount of charge passing a given point per unit time and is central to understanding how energy is transferred in electrical circuits.

Current Density

Current density is a measure of the electric current per unit cross-sectional area of a conductor. It characterizes how concentrated the electrical current is within a given area and directly relates to the microscopic motion of charge carriers within the material.

Charge Carrier Density

Charge carrier density refers to the number of charge carriers per unit volume in a material. It is an intrinsic property of the conductor and typically remains constant for a given material under normal conditions, regardless of changes in the carried current.

Electron Drift Velocity

Electron drift velocity is the average velocity attained by charge carriers, such as electrons, due to an applied electric field. It is directly related to both the current and the current density, and changes in the current can proportionally affect the drift velocity while assuming other material properties remain constant.

Average Time Interval Between Collisions

The average time interval between collisions, also known as the mean free time or relaxation time, describes the average time a charge carrier moves freely between successive collisions with atoms or impurities in the conductor. This parameter is mainly dependent on the material's properties and temperature, and is generally unaffected by changes in the macroscopic current.

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