BRAINCAKEInternal Resistance
The internal resistance of a source is the loss of potential difference per unit current in the source when current passes through the source.
Due to th eopposition to the flow of charge through the source energy is dissipated as heat inside the source.
In circuit diagrams the internal resistance is shown as a small resistor in series with the source.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Electromotive force
- The electrical energy produced per unit charge by a source, such as a cell, in driving current around a circuit.
- Potential difference
- The energy transferred per unit charge as charge moves between two points in a circuit.
- Resistance
- The ratio of the potential difference across a component to the current flowing through it, measured in ohms.
More in Direct Current Circuits
- Potential Difference Rules
- Resistors in Series
- Resistors in Parallel
- Resistance Heating
- Power
- Measuring Internal Resistance
- Cells in Series
- Cells In Parallel
All 15 lessons in Direct Current Circuits · All AQA AS-level Physics topics