What is the effect of increasing the resistance of the potentiometer wire on the potential gradient?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the effect of increasing the resistance of the potentiometer wire on the potential gradient?
It increases the potential gradient
It decreases the potential gradient
It has no effect
It depends on the voltage applied
Increasing the resistance of the potentiometer wire while keeping the voltage constant decreases the current, which in turn decreases the potential gradient.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What is the effect of increasing the resistance of the potentiometer wire on the potential gradient?
Solution: Increasing the resistance of the potentiometer wire while keeping the voltage constant decreases the current, which in turn decreases the potential gradient.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand what a potentiometer is. It is a device used to measure voltage by comparing it to a known voltage.
Step 2: Know that the potentiometer wire has a certain resistance.
Step 3: Remember that the potential gradient is the change in voltage per unit length of the wire.
Step 4: If we increase the resistance of the potentiometer wire, we are making it harder for current to flow through it.
Step 5: With higher resistance and constant voltage, the current flowing through the wire decreases.
Step 6: Since the potential gradient depends on the current, a decrease in current means a decrease in the potential gradient.
Step 7: Therefore, increasing the resistance of the potentiometer wire decreases the potential gradient.
