Question

If 3.2*10^20 electrons pass through a wire in 4s, what would be the electrical current in the wire?

Answer 1

Answer: 12.8 A

Explanation:

Current is defined as the rate of flow of electric charge based on the formula:

I(current) = deltaQ(change in charge)/deltat(change in time).

First, however, we must convert the number of electrons into the number of coulombs. Based on the fact that the charge of 1 electron or 1 elementary charge is equal to 1.6*10^-19 C, we can calculate:

3.2*10^20 e = 1.6*10^-19*3*10^20 C = 51.2 C.

Now we use: I = Q/t = 51.2/4 = 12.8 A.

Hope this helped.