A current (I) flows through a uniform wire of diameter (d) when the me...
I = neAvd
so, drift velocity will be
vd = I / neA
here
A = πr2
so,
vd = I / nerπ2
now,
if the radius is doubled
vd' = I / neπr'2 = I / neπ(2r)2
thus, we get
vd' = (1/4).(I / nerπ2)
or
vd' = vd/4
A current (I) flows through a uniform wire of diameter (d) when the me...
Explanation:
The current through a wire is given by:
I = nAev
where n is the number density of free electrons, A is the cross-sectional area of the wire, e is the charge of an electron, and v is the drift velocity of the electrons.
Since the wire is uniform, the number density of free electrons and the charge of an electron are constant. Therefore, we can write:
I ∝ A v
1. Current through a wire of diameter d:
Let the current through a wire of diameter d be I1. Then, we can write:
I1 = nπd²/4 ev
2. Current through a wire of diameter d/2:
Let the current through a wire of diameter d/2 be I2. The cross-sectional area of the wire is π(d/2)²/4 = πd²/16. Therefore, we can write:
I2 = nπd²/16 e(V2)
where V2 is the drift velocity of the electrons in the wire of diameter d/2.
3. Equating the currents:
Since the same current flows through both wires, we can equate I1 and I2:
I1 = I2
nπd²/4 ev = nπd²/16 e(V2)
Canceling out the common factors, we get:
V2 = 4V
Therefore, the mean drift velocity of electrons in the wire of diameter d/2 is 4 times the mean drift velocity of electrons in the wire of diameter d.