Physics 0625 · IGCSE
Electrical quantities
100 practice questions on Electrical quantities, with worked solutions and instant marking.
The table shows four different resistance wires. Each one is made from the same metal. Which wire has the least resistance?
Feb/March 2016
The table shows four different resistance wires. All four are made from the same metal. Which wire has the least resistance?
Feb/March 2016
State what the direction of an electric field means.
Feb/March 2016
Which particles travel in a metal to produce an electric current?
Feb/March 2017
The diagrams show four wires made of copper. Which wire has the largest resistance?
Feb/March 2017
What particles move through a metal to produce an electric current?
Feb/March 2017
The diagrams show four copper wires. Which wire has the largest resistance?
Feb/March 2017
Describe how charge moves in an electric circuit, referring to the particles involved and the terminals of the battery.
Feb/March 2017
A metal conductor is attached to a battery. Which statement describes the current in the metal conductor?
Feb/March 2018
A car headlamp has a current of $3.0\,\text{A}$ when it is connected to a $12\,\text{V}$ battery. What is the resistance of the lamp when it is illuminated?
Feb/March 2018
A metal conductor is attached to a battery. Which statement describes the current in the metal conductor?
Feb/March 2018
In an electric circuit, $40\,\text{C}$ of electric charge passes a point in $5.0\,\text{s}$. What is the current in the circuit?
Feb/March 2018
A resistor carries a current of $5.0\,\text{A}$. The potential difference (p.d.) across the resistor is $24\,\text{V}$. How much energy is transferred in the resistor in $1.0\,\text{minute}$?
Feb/March 2018
Describe and explain how the rod acquires a negative charge.
Feb/March 2018
Calculate the current in the lamp while it is working normally.
Feb/March 2018
Four wires are made from the same metal. Which wire would have the smallest resistance?
Feb/March 2019
A metal sphere is given a charge by induction. This happens in four stages, W, X, Y and Z. W: a charged rod is moved close to the sphere X: the sphere is connected to earth Y: the charged rod is moved away from the sphere Z: the earth connection is then removed What is the correct sequence for these four stages?
Feb/March 2019
Which electrical quantity is defined by the energy delivered in moving charge around one complete circuit?
Feb/March 2019
Fig. 10.1 illustrates the apparatus used in an electrostatics experiment. The equipment comprises: iron nail, aluminium clamp and stand, cotton thread, plastic stirrup and polythene strip.
Feb/March 2019
Fig. 9.1 gives current-potential difference (p.d.) graphs for both a resistor and a thermistor.
Feb/March 2019
A polythene rod gains a negative charge when it is rubbed against a cloth. Which statement accounts for this?
Feb/March 2020
The diagram shows the value indicated on an ammeter. What reading does it show?
Feb/March 2020
Which row shows conventional current and electron flow in a circuit that includes a cell?
Feb/March 2020
A student produces four resistors from separate lengths of wire. These wires have different diameters and different lengths. Each wire is made from the same material. Which wire would produce the resistor with the greatest resistance?
Feb/March 2020
Rod X, which is charged, is set on a balance and a second rod Y is then moved nearby, as shown. Which pair of charges would produce the change in the balance reading that is illustrated?
Feb/March 2021
Two uncharged metal spheres X and Y are placed on insulating stands so that they are in contact. A negatively charged plastic rod is then brought close to sphere X. While keeping them on an insulating stand, sphere Y is separated from sphere X. What signs do the charges induced on X and Y have, and how do their magnitudes compare?
Feb/March 2021
Which two alterations to a metal wire would both lower its resistance?
Feb/March 2021
A laboratory has a standard wire with a known resistance. It also has other wires made from the same material as the standard wire, but with different lengths and diameters. Which wire would certainly have a resistance lower than that of the standard wire?
Feb/March 2023
Which diagram illustrates the electric field pattern and direction surrounding a positive point charge?
Feb/March 2023
A laboratory contains a standard wire whose resistance is known. It also contains other wires, all made from the same material as the standard wire, but with different lengths and diameters. Which wire would certainly have a resistance lower than that of the standard wire?
Feb/March 2023
The graph illustrates how the current in a circuit component is related to the potential difference (p.d.) across it. It includes one straight part and one curved part. How does the resistance of the component change in these two parts as the current increases?
Feb/March 2023
State how friction between the cloth and the rod gives the plastic rod a positive charge.
Feb/March 2023
Fig. 9.1 depicts an electric kettle.
Feb/March 2023
A polythene rod is given a charge by rubbing. The polythene rod ends up negatively charged. Which statement is correct?
Feb/March 2024
Which unit is used for electromotive force (e.m.f.)?
Feb/March 2024
A charged rod X is set on a balance, and a second rod Y is moved near it, as illustrated. Which pair of charges would produce the change in the balance reading shown?
Feb/March 2024
State the unit of potential difference (p.d.).
Feb/March 2024
Nichrome wire P is $1.0\,\text{m}$ long and has a diameter of $1.0\,\text{mm}$. Nichrome wire Q is $2.0\,\text{m}$ long and has a diameter of $2.0\,\text{mm}$. Which statement gives the correct comparison of the resistance of Q with the resistance of P?
Feb/March 2024
A student is working with two resistors. One of them has a resistance of $2.0\,\Omega$, while the other has a resistance of $40\,\text{k}\Omega$. Which statement is correct?
Feb/March 2024
Why are electrical cables frequently made of copper?
Feb/March 2025
4 $2.0\,\text{V}$ cells are joined in series to make the battery shown. What is the total electromotive force (e.m.f.) of the battery?
Feb/March 2025
A positively charged isolated metal sphere is moved near a separate isolated metal sphere that has no net charge. What occurs to the charges on the neutral sphere as the positively charged sphere is brought nearer?
Feb/March 2025
A car headlamp has a potential difference (p.d.) of 12 V across it. The current through the lamp is 2.5 A. How much energy is transferred by the lamp in 1.0 hour?
Feb/March 2025
A negatively charged rod is moved close to a metal sphere. A positive charge appears on the part of the metal sphere nearest the negatively charged rod. Why does this happen?
Feb/March 2025
In terms of which quantities is the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of a cell defined?
Feb/March 2025
A copper wire measuring $80\,\text{cm}$ in length and having a cross-sectional area of $0.20\,\text{mm}^2$ is found to have resistance $R$. For a copper wire with cross-sectional area $0.40\,\text{mm}^2$, what length gives resistance $R$?
Feb/March 2025
The circuit diagram shows two meters X and Y, connected in the correct way. Which row shows the unit for the quantity measured by X and the unit for the quantity measured by Y?
May/June 2016
A polythene rod is rubbed using a cloth. Both the rod and the cloth become electrically charged because electrons transfer between them. The rod ends up with a negative charge. Which diagram shows the way the rod becomes negatively charged, and the final charge on the cloth?
May/June 2016
A wire has a given electrical resistance. Its diameter and length may be altered. Which pair of changes has to make the resistance of the wire increase?
May/June 2016
A flexible electrical cable has a central conductor surrounded by outer insulation. Which two materials would be suitable for making the cable?
May/June 2016
The diagram depicts a battery connected to two resistors. Four students each measure separately the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of the battery, the current in the resistors, and the potential difference (p.d.) across resistor $R$. Their readings are given in the table below. Which row contains values with the correct units?
May/June 2016
How would you define an electric field?
May/June 2016
The diagram shows a cell linked to a lamp. A charge of $4.0\,\text{C}$ passes through the lamp in $2.0\,\text{s}$. In which direction does the electron flow in the lamp, and what is the current in the lamp?
May/June 2016
The diagrams display four current-voltage graphs. Which two graphs show the characteristics of an ohmic resistor and a filament lamp?
May/June 2016
A resistor with resistance $R$ is connected to a battery of e.m.f. $V$. A current $I$ flows through the resistor. The resistor dissipates power $P$, and over a time $t$ the energy transferred is $E$. Which expression is correct?
May/June 2016
A wire has a fixed electrical resistance. The wire’s length and diameter can be altered. Which pair of changes must make the wire’s resistance increase?
May/June 2016
In each diagram, there are two charged metal plates. Which diagram indicates the pattern and direction of the electric field between the plates?
May/June 2016
The diagram depicts a battery linked to two resistors. Independently, four students measure the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of the battery, the current through the resistors, and the potential difference (p.d.) across resistor $R$. The table below presents their results. Which row contains values with the correct units?
May/June 2016
Fig. 9.1 illustrates a conducting ball oscillating back and forth between two charged plates. The diagram is labelled with an insulating thread, a clamp, a positive plate, a negative plate, a ball, a very high voltage supply, and a sensitive ammeter. The ball strikes each plate alternately and repeatedly.
May/June 2016
A lightning conductor safeguards a tall building and the people inside it from harm and damage due to lightning strikes. The underside of the thundercloud carries a negative charge.
May/June 2016
Which material conducts electricity?
May/June 2017
A student strokes a plastic rod using a cloth. The rod ends up with a positive charge. What has occurred to the rod?
May/June 2017
Which physical quantity is measured in coulombs?
May/June 2017
A cylinder made from conducting putty has length $l$, diameter $d$ and resistance $R$. The putty is then reshaped into a cylinder with diameter $2d$ while keeping the same volume. By which factor does the resistance of the putty cylinder decrease?
May/June 2017
During a lightning discharge between a cloud and the ground, the mean current is $1.5 \times 10^4\,\text{A}$. The lightning transfers $3.0 \times 10^8\,\text{J}$ of energy and has a duration of $2.0 \times 10^{-4}\,\text{s}$. What is the mean electromotive force (e.m.f.) between the cloud and the ground?
May/June 2017
What is the SI unit for charge?
May/June 2017
A lone metal sphere has a positive charge. It is then moved close to a second lone metal sphere that has no charge. What occurs to the charges on the uncharged sphere as the positively charged sphere is brought nearer?
May/June 2017
Which diagram shows the current-voltage ($I$-$V$) characteristic graph of a metallic conductor at constant temperature?
May/June 2017
Which material is able to conduct electricity?
May/June 2017
Each diagram shows a positive point charge. Which diagram shows the arrangement and direction of the electric field produced by the charge?
May/June 2017
What quantity has the same value as $1.0\,\text{V}$?
May/June 2017
Describe the movement of charge that makes an object become positively charged.
May/June 2017
A plastic rod is rubbed using a cloth. The rod ends up with a positive charge. What occurs to the plastic rod, and what charge does the cloth have?
May/June 2018
A student measures the potential difference across a device and the current through it. Which calculation would determine the device’s resistance?
May/June 2018
A student measures the potential difference across a device and the current through the device. Which calculation gives the device’s resistance?
May/June 2018
A lamp is first connected across one cell, and then across two cells. In each arrangement, the potential difference (p.d.) across the lamp and the current through it are measured. How does the lamp’s resistance change when the number of cells is increased from one to two?
May/June 2018
Which of the following statements about electric charges is correct?
May/June 2018
The diagrams display two measurements from the same ammeter. Reading 1 is obtained before the ammeter is linked into a circuit. Reading 2 gives the measurement when the ammeter is linked into a circuit. What is the current in the circuit?
May/June 2018
A student measures the potential difference across a device and the current through the device. Which calculation will give the resistance of the device?
May/June 2018
A rechargeable battery has an electromotive force (e.m.f.) of $6.0\,\text{V}$. What is meant by this?
May/June 2018
A water heater is joined to a $230\,\text{V}$ supply, and the current in the heater is $26\,\text{A}$. The water takes $20$ minutes to reach the temperature required. What amount of energy is delivered by the heater?
May/June 2018
Why do power losses in transmission cables decrease when the transmission voltage is raised?
May/June 2018
What is meant by the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of a cell?
May/June 2018
A student measures the current through a device and the potential difference across it. Which calculation gives the resistance of the device?
May/June 2018
A wire measures $40\text{ cm}$ in length and has a diameter of $2.0\text{ mm}$. It has a resistance of $0.30\,\Omega$. Which wire, made from the same material, has a resistance of $0.15\,\Omega$?
May/June 2018
A student measures the potential difference across a device and also the current through the device. Which calculation gives the resistance of the device?
May/June 2018
An electricity meter shows that $200\ \text{MJ}$ of electrical energy are taken from the $240\ \text{V}$ mains supply over a $24$ hour period. What is the average rate at which electrical charge passes through the meter?
May/June 2018
Fig. 10.1 shows a balloon suspended on an insulating thread.
May/June 2018
An uncharged conducting metal plate is supported on insulating stands. Fig. 10.1 shows the plate with a positively charged insulating plastic sheet resting on it.
May/June 2018
Diagram 1 displays two thin strips of plastic that are uncharged. Diagram 2 displays the same strips after they have been rubbed with a dry cloth. Which row states the charge on the strips after rubbing, and the force acting between the strips after rubbing?
May/June 2019
The resistance of a resistor changes in direct proportion to temperature, as the graph shows. Which statement is correct?
May/June 2019
Diagram 1 shows two thin strips of plastic that are initially uncharged. Diagram 2 shows those same strips after being rubbed with a dry cloth. Which row gives the charge on the strips after rubbing, and the force between the strips after rubbing?
May/June 2019
Diagram 1 displays two thin plastic strips that are uncharged. Diagram 2 displays the same strips after they have been rubbed using a dry cloth. Which row gives the charge on the strips after rubbing, and the force acting between them after rubbing?
May/June 2019
Diagram 1 depicts two thin strips of plastic that are not charged. Diagram 2 shows those same strips after being rubbed with a dry cloth. Which row states the charge on the strips after rubbing, and the force between the strips after rubbing?
May/June 2019
A cell has an electromotive force (e.m.f.) of $1.5\,\text{V}$. What is meant by this statement?
May/June 2019
Which two alterations to a metal wire both cause its resistance to increase?
May/June 2019
Diagram 1 illustrates two thin strips of plastic that are not charged. Diagram 2 shows those same strips once they have been rubbed with a dry cloth. Which row gives the charge on the strips after rubbing, and the force between the strips after rubbing?
May/June 2019
A cell has an electromotive force (e.m.f.) of $1.5\ \text{V}$. What is meant by this statement?
May/June 2019
A metal wire that is $100\ \text{cm}$ long and has a cross-sectional area of $0.20\ \text{mm}^2$ has a resistance of $8.0\ \Omega$. What would the resistance be for another wire made from the same metal, with length $50\ \text{cm}$ and cross-sectional area $0.40\ \text{mm}^2$?
May/June 2019
Diagram 1 shows two thin, uncharged plastic strips. Diagram 2 shows these same strips after rubbing them with a dry cloth. Which row states the charge on the strips after rubbing, and the force between the strips after rubbing?
May/June 2019