SNC1D

Practice Test on Electricity

Name:___________________
Do not look at the answers until you have tried every question first!
Total marks
Inquiry

/72 Knowledge and Understanding /5 Thinking and

Part A: Multiple Choice Circle the best answer

[20 KU]
1.
a)
b)
c)
d)
2.
a)
b)
c)
d)

7.

A series of dry cells connected

together is called a:
resistor
voltage
lamp
battery

8.

3.
a)
b)
c)
d)

A good example of an insulator:

salt water
iron
copper
plastic

4.

The four basic components of a

circuit are:
power source, lamps, resistors,
batteries
wires, connectors, switches, lamps
power source, connectors, loads,
switches
batteries, lamps, resistors, fuses

a)
b)
c)
d)
5.
a)
b)
c)
d)
6.

In a conductor, the moving

charges are usually:
protons
electrons
neutrons
charges cannot move in a
conductor

The invention of the voltaic cell is

attributed to:
Benjamin Franklin
Alessandro Volta
Guglielmo Marconi
Andre-Marie Ampere

A list of materials placed

according to how strongly they hold
on to electrons is called:

a)
b)
c)
d)

electrostatic series
law of electrostatics
electronic list
law of electromagnetics

The three methods of charging an

object are:
a) contact, induction, friction
b) friction, contact, deduction
c) contact, induction, grounding
d) induction, friction, grounding
a)
b)
c)
d)

9.

the
the
the
the

One kilowatt is equal to:

1 Watt
10 Watts
100 Watts
1000 Watts

This is a measure of how much

energy is being used per unit of
time:
a) current
b) voltage
c) power
P = E/t
d) resistance

10.

A 480W computer is left on for 8

hours during the day. The energy
wasted is:
a) 8 Watt hours
b) 480 Watt hours
c) 60 Watt hours
d) 3840 Watt hours

11.
The purpose of a fuse is:
a) to break a circuit if too much
current is passing through
b) to add resistance to a circuit
c) to make a battery less powerful

d) to make a short circuit

think about it!
12.
a)
b)
c)
d)

The unit of energy is the:

Joule
Watt
Ohm
Ampere

13.
a)
b)
c)
d)

The symbol for charge is:

C
A
W
Q

17. A circuit consist of a dry cell and

two resistors in series. The current
through one resistor is:
a) equal to the current going through
the other resistor
b) less than the current going through
the other resistor
c) less than the current going through
the cell
d) more than the current going
through the cell

14. The symbol for the unit of charge

is:
a) Q
b) C
c) I
d) A
15. The unit for time is the:
a) Watt
b) Joule
c) metre
d) second
16. A circuit consists of a dry cell and
two unknown resistors in parallel.
The current through one resistor is:
a) equal to the current leaving the cell
b) equal to the current in the other
resistor
c) less than the current leaving the
cell
d) less than the current in the other
resistor

18. The common term for potential

difference is:
a) current
b) voltage
c) resistance
d) energy
19. Given the formula V = E/Q, one
volt is equal to:
a) one Joule-Coulomb
b) one Joule per Ampere
c) one Joule per Coulomb
d) one Watt per Ampere
20. Given the formula E = P t, one
Joule is equal to:
a) one power-time
b) one Ampere per second
c) one Watt per Coulomb
d) one Watt-second

Part B: UnitsFill in the following table:

[15 KU]

Measure

Symbol

Unit

Unit Symbol

Time

Second

Power

Watt

Energy

Joule

Current

Ampere

Resistance

Ohm

Potential
Difference

Volt

Part C: Word Problems For each problem, show your formula and all calculations.
Make sure your final answer includes units.
[21 KU]
1. A 940 Watt toaster is plugged into the 120V outlet in my kitchen.
a) How much current does it draw
from the outlet? [3 KU]
P = IV
I = P/V
I = 940/120
I = 7.83 Amperes

b) How much energy will it use up if

it takes 40 seconds to toast
bread?[3 KU]
E=Pt
E =940 (40)
E = 37600 Joules

2. A lamp has a resistance of 40. Find the voltage loss in the lamp when 2.4A
of current is running through it.
[3 KU]
V = IR
V = (2.4)(40)
V = 96 Volts
3. A current of 1.5A runs through a resistor in a circuit. A voltmeter reads a loss
of 3.4V across the resistor.
a) Find the resistance of the
resistor.
[3 KU]
V=IR
R =V/I
R = 3.4/1.5
R = 2.3

b) Find the power loss of the

resistor.
[3 KU]
P = IV
P = 1.5(3.4)
P = 5.1 W

4. An oven coil plugged into a 240V power source has a resistance of 30. Find
the power of the oven coil. [6 KU]
P = IV don't know I, so find current first
V = IR
I = V/R
I = 240/30
I = 8.0A

Now use P = IV
P = IV
P = (8.0)(240)
P = 1920 W

Part D: Diagrams
When calculating values, please show your formula, all calculations and units.
[16 KU, 5 TIPS]
1. Four lamps are connected in a circuit as shown below:

a) What would happen to the lamps if points A and B were connected with a
wire?
[2 TIPS]
Lamps L2 and L3 would go out (dark) because no current would go
through them.
b) What do you call a wire that bypasses part of a circuit?
[1 KU]
This is called a short circuit.
2. Consider the following circuit:
[8 KU]

a) What kind of circuit is

shown?
A parallel circuit

c) What is the voltage loss in R3?

12V

b) Calculate the current running

through R2.
Voltage burned in R2 is 12V
I2 = V2/R2
I2 = 12/40
I2 = 0.3A
There is 0.3 Amperes going
through R2.

d) Calculate the current leaving the

battery.
Method 1:
I1 = V1/R1
+1/R3
I1 = 12/20
1/20+1/40+1/40
I1 = 0.6A
I2 = 0.3A
10
I3 = 0.3A
I0 = I 1 + I 2 + I 3
Io = 0.6 +0.3+0.3 =

Method 2:
1/Req = 1/R1+1/R2
1/Req =
1/Req = 4/40
Req = 40/4 =
I0 = Vo/Ro
I0 = 12/10 = 1.2A
1.2A

So by either method, the total current =

3. Draw a diagram or diagrams illustrating

1.2Acharging an object negatively by
induction. Write a short explanation of each step in the space on the right.
[6 KU]
Diagrams

Explanation
Touch object with hand to connect it to
ground. Object and hand are both neutral
at this point.
Bring positively charged rod near but not
touching object.
Electrons are attracted to positive rod.
Electrons will come from the ground up into
your hand and into the object.
Remove hand from object, isolating the
electrons. They are now "stuck" in the
object.

Remove charged rod. Object is now

charged
4. You are making toast when you
realizenegatively
your toastby
is induction.
stuck in the toaster.
You get a fork to pry out the toast from the toaster. As you pry the toast
out, you get a nasty shock that damages your hand.
a) Explain why you got a shock. Try to be as specific as possible.
[1 KU]

Electrons go through the plug, into the wire coils of the toaster, through
the fork, into your hand, through your body and into the ground.
Electrons always want to go into the ground because they repel each
other, your body is a short cut into the ground.
b) Give three ways that you could have prevented or lessened the shock
and perhaps saved your hand from damage.
[3 TIPS]
Unplug the toaster first (duh!), or
Use an insulator (wooden or rubber fork) instead of a conductor (metal
fork) to prevent the electrons from entering your hand, or
Turn the toaster upside down to shake the toast out.
Realistically you should only do the first method. Never stick something
in your toaster without unplugging it first. There is no such thing as a
perfect insulator, you are always risking a shock if you stick even a
rubber object in the toaster. Your hand could slip, or the insulating
object could have a weakness in it (such as a metal insert) that you are
not aware of.