Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 26 - Current and Resistance - Questions - Page 765: 9a

Answer

We can rank the three sections according to the radius: $C \gt B \gt A$

Work Step by Step

The current $i$ flowing in the wire is constant throughout the wire. We can write an expression for the current: $i = ne~v_d~A$ $ne$ is the carrier charge density which is an intrinsic property of copper $v_d$ is the drift speed $A$ is the cross-sectional area of the wire We can write an expression for the cross-sectional area: $A = \frac{i}{ne~v_d}$ From this expression, we can see that if the drift speed $v_d$ has a larger value, the area must have a smaller value, and in turn, the radius must have a smaller value. We can rank the three sections according to the radius: $C \gt B \gt A$
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