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How will the time constant of an L-R circuit change if you doubled the length and the number of turns in the coil? (Note: The resistance of the coil is proportional to its length)

a. It will double
b. It will quadruple
c. It will become one quarter
d. It will stay the same
e. It will halve

User Ashok Goli
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The time constant of an L-R circuit will double when both the length and the number of turns in the coil are doubled, because inductance increases by a factor of four while resistance doubles.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you double the length and the number of turns in the coil of an L-R circuit, the time constant of the circuit will change.

The time constant (τ) in an L-R circuit is defined as the time it takes for the current to change significantly, specifically until it reaches about 63.2% of its final value, and is given by the equation τ = L/R, where L is the inductance and R is the resistance. Doubling the number of turns in the coil increases the inductance by a factor of four, because inductance is proportional to the square of the number of turns (L ∼ N2). Doubling the length of the wire would double the resistance because resistance is proportional to length (R ∼ L). As a result, the new time constant is Lnew / Rnew = (4L) / (2R) = 2L/R = 2τ, meaning the time constant will double.

User Musica
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