A technician investigates the potential difference (voltage) across an electrical heater. This circuit diagram shows the circuit the technician uses. This image shows a circuit with a heater connected in series with a variable resistor across a 12V battery. (i) Add a voltmeter to the circuit which will measure the potential difference (voltage) across the heater. (ii) The resistance of the heater is 15 Ω. The current in the heater is 0.56 A. Calculate the potential difference (voltage) across the heater.

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A technician investigates the potential difference (voltage) across an electrical heater - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2015 - Paper 1

Question 4

A technician investigates the potential difference (voltage) across an electrical heater. This circuit diagram shows the circuit the technician uses. This image sh... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A technician investigates the potential difference (voltage) across an electrical heater - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2015 - Paper 1

Step 1

Add a voltmeter to the circuit which will measure the potential difference (voltage) across the heater.

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Answer

To measure the potential difference across the heater, the voltmeter must be connected in parallel to the heater. This ensures that the voltmeter reads the voltage drop across it directly, effectively measuring the potential difference.

Step 2

Calculate the potential difference (voltage) across the heater.

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Answer

Using Ohm's law, we find the voltage across the heater using the formula: $V = I \times R$ Substituting the given values: $V = 0.56 \, \text{A} \times 15 \, \Omega$ Calculating this gives: $V = 8.4 \, \text{V}$ Thus, the potential difference across the heater is 8.4 V.

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A technician investigates the potential difference (voltage) across an electrical heater - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2015 - Paper 1

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A technician investigates the potential difference (voltage) across an electrical heater - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2015 - Paper 1

Add a voltmeter to the circuit which will measure the potential difference (voltage) across the heater.

Calculate the potential difference (voltage) across the heater.

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