Question

A metallic resistor is connected across a battery. If the number of collisions of the free electrons with the lattice is somehow decreased in the resistor (for example, by cooling it), the current will ____________ .

Options

• increase

• decrease

• remain constant

• become zero

Answer 1

increase

 

If the number of collisions of the free electrons with the lattice is decreased, then the drift velocity of the electrons increases.
Current i is directly proportional to the drift velocity 'V_d' and is given by the following relation:
i = neAV_d , where 'n'  is the number density of electrons and 'A' is the area of the cross-section of the conductor.
So, we can easily see that current increases with increase in drift velocity.