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When the ends of a wire are connected to a battery, initially the current is slightly larger, but soon it decreases slowly and becomes steady at a lower value although the emf of the battery remains unchanged. Explain.

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When the ends of a wire are connected to a battery, initially the current is slightly larger, but soon it decreases slowly and becomes steady at a lower value although the emf of the battery remains unchanged. Explain.


1 Answer


Initially, the resistance of a wire is small, and a large current flows. After some time the wire gets heated and as a result, the resistance being temperature-dependent R2 = R1 (1 + αΔθ) increases and hence, current decreases, emf remains constant (V = IR)

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