Question

Three wires meet at a junction. Wire 1 has a current of 0.40 A into the junction. The current of wire 2 is 0.57 A out of the junction. The current of wire 2 is 0.65 A out of the junction.

Required:
a. How many electrons per second move past a point in wire 3?
b. In which direction do the electrons move -- into or out of the junction?

Answer 1

a. 1.56 × 10¹⁸ electrons per second

b. The electrons in wire 3 flow into the junction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Here is the complete question

Three wires meet at a junction. Wire 1 has a current of 0.40 A into the junction. The current of wire 2 is 0.65 A out of the junction. (a) How many electrons per second move past a point in wire 3? (b) In which direction do the electrons move in wire 3 -- into or out of the junction?

Solution

(a) How many electrons per second move past a point in wire 3?

Using Kirchhoff's current law, at the junction, i₁ + i₂ + i₃ = 0 where i₁ = current in wire 1 = 0.40 A, i₂ = current in wire 2 = 0.65 A and i₃ = = current in wire 3,

So, i₃ = -(i₁ + i₂)

taking current flowing into the junction as positive and those leaving as negative, i₁ = + 0.40 A and i₂ = -0.65 A

So, i₃ = -(i₁ + i₂)

i₃ = -(0.40 A + (-0.65 A))

i₃ = -(0.40 A - 0.65 A)

i₃ = -(-0.25 A)

i₃ = 0.25 A

Since i₃ = 0.25 C/s and we have e = 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C per electron, then the number of electrons flowing in wire 3 per second is i₃/e = 0.25 C/s ÷ 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C per electron = 0.1561 × 10¹⁹ electrons per second = 1.561 × 10¹⁸ electrons per second ≅ 1.56 × 10¹⁸ electrons per second

(b) In which direction do the electrons move -- into or out of the junction?

Given that i₃ = + 0.25 A and that positive flows into the junction, thus, the electrons in wire 3 flow into the junction.