Conduction of Electricity Through Liquids and Gases
Physics · 50 practice questions
Liquids — electrolytes and non-electrolytes, concept of electrolysis, Faraday's laws of electrolysis, applications (electroplating, ammeter calibration); gases — discharge through gases (qualitative treatment), applications of conduction through gases.
- Distinguish between electrolytes and non-electrolytes and analyse the process of electrolysis.
- Apply Faraday's laws of electrolysis to solve problems.
- Analyse discharge through gases and determine its applications.
Try a few questions
- Practice question 1
Aurora displays (northern and southern lights) result from charged particles from the sun interacting with gases in the earth's upper atmosphere, causing them to
- A.freeze instantly, forming visible ice crystals in the sky
- B.become permanently ionized, with no light emission at all
- C.absorb all incoming sunlight, producing a dark region in the sky
- D.emit light in a manner related to gas discharge phenomena
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D. emit light in a manner related to gas discharge phenomena
The excitation of atmospheric gas atoms by solar charged particles, followed by light emission, closely parallels the physics of gas discharge lamps.
- Practice question 2
Conduction through gases at low pressure occurs more readily than at atmospheric pressure, since gas molecules are more widely spaced, allowing
- A.ionization and current flow at a lower applied voltage
- B.ionization and current flow only at a much higher applied voltage
- C.no ionization or current flow to occur at all
- D.the gas to behave exactly like a typical solid conductor
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A. ionization and current flow at a lower applied voltage
Wider molecular spacing at low pressure makes it easier to ionize the gas and sustain a discharge at a lower voltage.
- Practice question 3
Electrolytes conduct electricity through the movement of
- A.free electrons within the liquid, exactly as in a metal
- B.neutral atoms migrating through the liquid
- C.ions (charged particles) within the liquid
- D.photons of light travelling through the liquid
Show the answer
C. ions (charged particles) within the liquid
Unlike metallic conduction via free electrons, electrolytic conduction relies specifically on mobile ions.
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