CBSE · Class 10 · Science · Chapter 11
Electricity — Class 10 Science (CBSE) explained
- Board exam 2026-27
- 4 lessons
- 32 scenes
- About 24 min
- Updated
Quick answer
Electricity is Chapter 11 of CBSE Class 10 Science. It covers current definition and measurement, potential difference, resistance and current regulation, resistivity and material selection, Joule’s law and practical heating applications. AI Lessons teaches it in 4 narrated lessons (about 24 minutes) with an AI tutor and board-pattern practice.
What you’ll learn
Lesson 1: Current, Potential Difference and Ohm’s Law
6 min- A Closed Path Allows Current
- Current Is the Rate of Flow of Charge
- Example 11.1: Charge Through a Bulb
- Potential Difference Sets Charges in Motion
- Example 11.2: Work Done Moving Charge
- Read the Language of Circuit Diagrams
- Activity 11.1: Discover Ohm’s Law
- Resistance Controls Current
Lesson 2: What Determines Resistance?
6 min- Different Components Offer Different Resistance
- Length, Area and Material Determine Resistance
- Resistivity Helps Us Choose Materials
- Example 11.3: Same Voltage, Different Currents
- Example 11.4: Find Resistance Before the New Current
- Example 11.5: Identify a Wire Using Resistivity
- Example 11.6: Shorter and Thicker
- Recognise Series and Parallel Connections
Lesson 3: Resistor Combinations and Electrical Heating
6 min- Series Resistance Is the Sum
- Example 11.7: A Lamp and Conductor in Series
- Parallel Resistance Uses Reciprocals
- Example 11.8: Three Parallel Resistors
- Example 11.9: Simplify Parallel Groups First
- Why Different Devices Need Parallel Paths
- Where Does the Source Energy Go?
- Joule’s Law: Current, Resistance and Time
Lesson 4: Heating Applications, Power and Electrical Energy
6 min- Example 11.10: Current and Resistance of an Electric Iron
- Example 11.11: Heat Reveals the Potential Difference
- Heating Devices and the Bulb Filament
- A Fuse Breaks an Excessive-Current Path
- Electric Power and Example 11.12
- A Kilowatt Hour Is Energy, Not Power
- Example 11.13: From Energy Use to Cost
- Recap: Trace, Calculate, Explain and Practise
Key concepts
- Current definition and measurement
- An ammeter measures current and is always connected in series in the circuit being measured.
- Potential difference
- One volt means one joule of work is done to move one coulomb of charge between the two points.
- Resistance and current regulation
- The constant ratio in Ohm’s law is called resistance.
- Resistivity and material selection
- Rho represents electrical resistivity, a characteristic property of the conductor's material.
- Joule’s law
- Heat is directly proportional to the time for which current flows.
- Practical heating applications
- A filament bulb also uses heating to produce light. Its filament must become very hot without melting.
- Fuse protection
- A fuse protects a circuit by stopping an unduly high current. It is placed in series with the device.
- Electrical energy units
- One watt hour is the energy consumed when one watt is used for one hour. The commercial energy unit is kilowatt hour, commonly called a unit.
Exam focus
- Board exam
- CBSE assesses this chapter in the 2026-27 year-end board examination.
- Syllabus
- Electric current, potential difference and electric current. Ohm's law; Resistance, Resistivity, Factors on which the resistance of a conductor depends. Series combination of resistors, parallel combination of resistors and its applications in daily life. Heating effect of electric current and its applications in daily life. Electric power, Interrelation between P, V, I and R.
- Paper pattern
- 80 marks, 3 hours, 39 questions in three sections (A Biology, B Chemistry, C Physics); internal assessment 20. Units: I Chemical Substances 25, II World of Living 25, III Natural Phenomena 12, IV Effects of Current 13, V Natural Resources 5.
- Question style
- About 50% of board questions are competency-focused: case-based, source-based, integrated, data interpretation, situational and application-oriented.
- Practice in the app
- 117 board-pattern questions with marking schemes: 34 multiple choice (1 mark), 16 assertion–reason (1 mark), 25 very short answer (2 marks), 24 short answer (3 marks), 6 long answer (5 marks) and 12 case-based (4 marks).
Sample questions with marking points
Board-pattern questions from the AI Lessons practice set for this chapter. The marking points show what an examiner looks for; full model answers are in the app.
Very short answer2 marks
For a 4 Ω resistor producing 100 J of heat in 1 s, a learner calculates H / (R × t) and reports the current as 25 A. Identify the error and calculate the correct current.
Marking points
- Identifies that H / (R × t) represents I² and that its square root is required.1
- Correctly substitutes in I = sqrt(H / (R × t)) and obtains 5 A.1
Short answer3 marks
A student's circuit drawing contains three errors: (i) The long plate of a cell is marked negative. (ii) A wire crossing with a small hop and no dot is described as a wire joint. (iii) A circle containing V is labelled as an ammeter. Write the correction required for each error.
Marking points
- Corrects the long plate to positive and the short plate to negative.1
- Identifies the crossing as unjoined and states that a solid dot marks a joint.1
- Identifies the circle containing V as a voltmeter and A as the ammeter symbol.1
Long answer5 marks
A steady current I flows for time t through a purely resistive circuit of resistance R at potential difference V. Starting from the definition of potential difference, derive an expression for the heat produced. Explain its dependence separately on current, resistance and time, stating the quantities held constant.
Marking points
- Uses V = W / Q and I = Q / t to obtain W = VIt.1
- Explains that supplied energy becomes heat in a purely resistive circuit, giving H = VIt.1
- Substitutes V = IR to obtain H = I² Rt.1
- Heat is proportional to the square of current when resistance and time are fixed.1
- Heat is proportional to resistance when current and time are fixed.0.5
- Heat is proportional to time when current and resistance are fixed.0.5
Frequently asked questions
What does Electricity cover in Class 10 Science?
It covers current definition and measurement, potential difference, resistance and current regulation, resistivity and material selection, Joule’s law and practical heating applications. AI Lessons teaches it in 4 lessons: Current, Potential Difference and Ohm’s Law, What Determines Resistance?, Resistor Combinations and Electrical Heating and Heating Applications, Power and Electrical Energy.
Is Electricity in the CBSE Class 10 board exam?
Yes. CBSE assesses Electricity in the 2026-27 year-end board examination.
What is resistance?
The constant ratio in Ohm’s law is called resistance.
Why are insulating supports used to thermally isolate the filament of an electric bulb?
To help the filament retain heat and become hot enough to emit light. Thermal isolation helps the filament retain heat so that it becomes very hot and emits light without melting.
What is power?
Power is the rate of doing work, or the rate of consuming energy.
What kinds of questions come from Electricity?
Board-pattern questions for this chapter include multiple choice (1 mark), assertion–reason (1 mark), very short answer (2 marks), short answer (3 marks), long answer (5 marks) and case-based (4 marks). AI Lessons has 117 of them for Electricity, each with a marking scheme.
How does AI Lessons teach Electricity?
As 4 narrated, animated lessons (32 scenes, about 24 minutes in all), with an AI tutor that knows the step you are on and board-pattern practice with marking schemes. The full lessons open after sign-in on an AI Lessons account.
Watch the full lesson
Electricity, as a narrated, animated lesson
4 lessons · 32 animated scenes · about 24 minutes, with an AI tutor that knows the step you are on and 117 board-pattern questions with marking schemes.
Lessons open after sign-in. A parent or guardian holds the account and adds each child.