Physics two-transformer chains: the answer before the calculation
A two-transformer problem is solved by treating the source, transformer A, cable, transformer B and load as separate stages. For each ideal transformer, use the local turns relation Vp/Vs = Np/Ns and the local ideal power relation VpIp = VsIs. Use a cable-loss figure only at the cable stage. Never treat a step-up in voltage as the creation of power.
The next move is to draw a short ledger, attach every value to a precise point and check the directions of both voltage and current. This chapter moves from the physical mechanism through model assumptions to difficult mixed-stage examinations. The calculations are original practice examples, not predicted exam questions.
Quick route: identify the input and output of each device; record turns and voltage pairs; solve ideal transformer stages; account separately for cable loss; check the final load and the claim made in words.
Begin with Volume 0829 on a.c. generators. For earlier single-transformer foundations see Volume 0737 and Volume 0335; this chapter owns the different intent of a two-stage chain.
The official scope is the 2027 SEAB G3 syllabus list and 2027 Physics K323 syllabus. The G3 SEC begins in 2027. The reader should follow the specific examination year and school instructions.
First understand what the chain is doing
A power-transfer chain may contain a generator, a step-up transformer, a long cable and a step-down transformer before electricity reaches a load. The reader’s first job is not to multiply every number in sight. It is to draw a boundary around each device and label what enters and leaves it. A transformer does not make extra energy. In the idealised examination model it changes the voltage and current relationship while the input and output electrical powers are equal. The cable is a separate component with its own possible loss. Once those boundaries are drawn, a complicated-looking diagram becomes a set of small, checkable relationships.
This volume develops a two-transformer chain rather than repeating a single-turns-ratio exercise. The central examination skill is to keep each primary and secondary pair local to its own device, and to ask whether a figure is a voltage, a current, an input power or a cable delivery value. Students who can do that are much less likely to apply a correct formula to the wrong pair of quantities. We shall use invented classroom numbers to practise the method; they are not equipment specifications or forecasts of examination questions.
Start with the physical sequence
Imagine a labelled chain: generator G supplies transformer A; transformer A feeds cable C; cable C supplies transformer B; transformer B feeds lamp bank L. The arrows describe an energy-transfer route, not necessarily the direction of alternating current at every instant. Each transformer has two windings around an iron core. An alternating input produces a changing magnetic field in the core, inducing an alternating e.m.f. in the other winding. The two coils are electrically separate in the simple model and linked magnetically through the core.
A classroom explanation should name the changing magnetic field rather than say that electricity jumps from one coil to another. If the input to a simple transformer is steady direct current, the magnetic flux is not continually changing after the transient and there is no sustained alternating induced output of the kind being studied. This is why the generator’s a.c. output in the preceding volume matters to the transformer story. The two volumes belong to one physical route, but each has a distinct question: generation first, transformation next.
Map the two local primary and secondary sides
The word primary means the winding connected to the input of a given transformer; secondary means the winding from which that transformer’s output is taken. Transformer A has its own primary voltage Vp,A and secondary voltage Vs,A. Transformer B has Vp,B and Vs,B. There is no rule that the primary of B has the same voltage as the primary of A. Indeed, the reason for placing a cable between them is that they may be very different.
Write separate pairs, even when a question uses a single diagram: for A, Vp,A/Vs,A = Np,A/Ns,A; for B, Vp,B/Vs,B = Np,B/Ns,B. Only after applying each local relationship should you connect the stages. If the cable has negligible voltage loss in an idealised question, Vs,A equals Vp,B. If the question gives a cable loss or a different receiving-end value, do not silently equate them. The presence or absence of a loss assumption changes the permissible step.
Why the turns ratio is a directional relationship
Suppose transformer A has 200 turns on its primary and 2,000 turns on its secondary. The secondary-to-primary turns ratio is 10:1, so an ideal 24 V input becomes 240 V output. That does not make the input current equal to the output current. For an ideal device, 24 × Ip = 240 × Is, so the output current is one tenth of the input current at the same power. Saying that both voltage and current increase tenfold would create energy without a source.
If a student remembers only a picture of a larger coil, ask for two sentences: which winding has more turns, and what happens to the corresponding voltage? Then ask a third question about power. A complete answer includes the conservation constraint. This simple three-question habit prevents the most serious direction errors when two transformers are placed in opposite orientations within a single diagram.
Why the second transformer often reverses the first
A step-up transformer can raise voltage before transmission, while a step-down transformer can lower it to a suitable level for a load. Suppose transformer B receives 240 V and has 1,200 primary turns and 120 secondary turns. Its ideal secondary voltage is 24 V. The voltage has returned to its original numerical value in this invented example, but that does not mean all the electrical conditions across the chain have returned unchanged. Cable resistance, operating losses and load conditions can alter real power delivered.
Do not infer a perfectly efficient transmission network merely because the two ratios cancel. A numerical cancellation of voltage factors is a statement about ideal transformations under particular assumed connections, not a measurement of the cable’s heat production. A good exam answer separates the physical purpose of voltage selection from the idealised algebra. It also states clearly which part of the model it is using.
Use conservation before using arithmetic shortcuts
For an ideal transformer, VpIp = VsIs. This relationship is a model assumption, not a universal measurement claim about all devices. Real transformers have losses. A question that explicitly gives efficiency or measured input and output power requires accounting for those values instead of imposing perfect equality everywhere. When there are two ideal transformers separated by a lossy cable, ideality applies locally at the transformers; it does not remove cable loss.
Students sometimes use a single long equation, multiplying all the voltages and currents together. That hides the origin of a value. A clearer solution is an input-output ledger with five entries: source output, transformer A output, cable receiving end, transformer B output and load. Keep the same power unit across the ledger, use watts for power and amperes for current, and only combine entries supported by the data. Fewer leaps generally mean fewer mistakes.
Reading the high-voltage cable explanation correctly
For a given transferred electrical power in a simplified model, P = VI means increasing transmission voltage permits a smaller current. In a cable of resistance R, resistive heating power can be described by I squared R. Smaller current therefore reduces cable heating when cable resistance and the transferred-power comparison are held suitably fixed. This is the scientific reason often given for high-voltage transmission, rather than the vague claim that high voltage contains less energy.
The comparison is conditional. If a question changes the load power, line length or conductor resistance at the same time, you must account for those changes. In reality high voltage also creates engineering and safety requirements, which are outside a simple line-loss calculation. An examination response should communicate the precise comparison being requested, not pretend that the highest possible voltage is automatically the best under every circumstance.
When the cable is allowed to lose power
Imagine that transformer A sends 480 W into the cable and the receiving end delivers 450 W to transformer B. The cable’s loss is 30 W. If B is ideal, its secondary provides 450 W to the load in this simplified question. It would be wrong to set B’s output equal to 480 W, because the cable has already removed 30 W from the electrical transfer. It would also be wrong to treat the 30 W as a change in voltage without knowing the relevant current and resistance.
The ledger gives a clean sequence: 480 W leaving A, 30 W lost in cable C, 450 W entering B, and 450 W leaving ideal B. If B is stated to be 90% efficient instead, the output is 0.90 × 450 = 405 W. Each number belongs at one boundary. An examiner can alter the order or hide one of the values, but the principle remains the same: account for the transfer at each stage before solving the unknown.
Why a small difference between measurements matters
A question may supply two readings that appear almost equal. Before declaring a tiny loss, check the units, measurement resolution and whether readings were taken at the same operating point. A voltage recorded during one load condition and a current recorded during a different load condition may not form a valid power product. A displayed 12.0 V could be rounded; treating it as an infinitely exact number is not justified.
This does not mean avoiding calculation. It means calculating from a consistent record and then judging the strength of the conclusion. In a direct numerical examination question, follow the stated model and instructions. In an evidence-evaluation question, explain why a quantity cannot be established from mismatched readings. These are related but different tasks: one tests algebra, while the other tests disciplined use of evidence.
What a schematic can tell you, and what it cannot
A two-transformer schematic can show how windings are connected, the direction of the power-transfer route and which pair of terminals are input or output. It can also supply turns counts or specified voltage values. Unless the question tells you otherwise, a simple drawing does not reveal coil efficiency, cable resistance, operating temperature or the complete waveform. Do not invent these from the appearance of the coils.
For example, the secondary winding might be drawn larger for clarity even though its actual turns count is lower. The labelled number of turns controls the calculation, not how many loops an illustrator happened to draw. Similarly, a cable shown as one line has no stated resistance merely because it is long on the page. Read annotations as evidence. Treat the drawing as a model with declared boundaries, not a photograph of a fully specified machine.
A safe study model is not a mains experiment
The electrical ideas here can be explored through simulations, diagrams, teacher-led low-voltage demonstrations and written data. They do not require learners to construct, open or modify household mains equipment, distribution boxes, substations or transformer wiring. A classroom model should be used under appropriate supervision and local safety rules. The examination goal is to reason from the physical principles and supplied data.
This distinction is important because a numerical exercise may mention hundreds or thousands of volts without authorising physical experimentation. Solving for a theoretical high voltage on paper is a mathematics and physics task. Operating high-voltage equipment is a separate professional activity. The right learning response is to practise accurately with model diagrams, not to imitate industrial equipment at home.
How this fits the actual G3 examination
SEAB’s 2027 G3 Physics subject is K323, corresponding to earlier 6091. Topic 19 includes a simple iron-cored transformer, the ideal turns-voltage relationship and the ideal power relationship, as well as cable losses and high-voltage transmission. G3 Physics Paper 1 is 40 multiple-choice marks in one hour; Paper 2 is 80 marks in one hour 45 minutes; Paper 3 is 40 practical marks in one hour 50 minutes. The respective weightings are 30%, 50% and 20%.
This guide is a learning sequence, not an official specimen paper. It extends familiar syllabus relations into multi-stage reasoning, which is useful because one of Physics’ assessment goals is application to unfamiliar information. In a paper, always obey the wording and stated assumptions of the particular question. A model that is ideal in one part may be given measured losses in another. Highlight that change before doing arithmetic.
What to write when the question says explain
An instruction to explain normally requires a causal connection, not an isolated fact. For a step-up transformer: the secondary has more turns than the primary; an alternating current in the primary produces a changing magnetic flux in the iron core; an e.m.f. is induced in the secondary; the secondary voltage is higher because of the turns ratio in the ideal model. Select the steps that actually answer the question asked.
For high-voltage transmission, the explanation uses a different chain: for the same intended power transfer, a higher voltage permits a lower current; cable heating follows I squared R for the same cable resistance; lower current reduces that heat loss. Avoid an answer that simply says “the transformer produces more power”. A correct explanation preserves energy conservation. A precise three-sentence response is usually better than an extended paragraph that repeats a false claim.
How to handle a question asking for a prediction
A prediction should identify the variable that changes, the conditions being held fixed and the direction of the result. If the secondary turns of transformer A are doubled while its primary turns and applied primary voltage remain fixed, the ideal secondary voltage doubles. If the question instead doubles both primary and secondary turns, the ratio stays unchanged and the ideal secondary voltage is unchanged.
The word “double” is not enough: learners must notice what was doubled. Predictions become more demanding when the question also changes a load or inserts a cable resistance. At that point, do not assume that every other current stays fixed. Either use the stated relation to derive the consequence or identify that insufficient information has been supplied. Reliable exam performance depends on respecting the independent and dependent quantities, not guessing a direction from a single number.
A clear five-line answer layout
When the chain is numerical, begin by naming the input to each transformer. Next write the local turns relation beneath that transformer’s label. Then calculate the local secondary voltage and, where power is known and ideality is specified, the relevant current. Carry the output to the next physical stage only where a connecting assumption permits. End by checking the answer’s direction and units.
For a cable stage, put the given loss or receiving-end power on a separate line. This is not about making answers long. It is about showing enough structure that a lost digit or inverted fraction can be found. A reader should be able to tell whether 240 V is the output from A, the input to B or the load voltage. That clarity earns its place in a mathematical and scientific explanation.
The boundary between the model and the world
A school examination simplifies physics in order to test a relationship. That simplification is useful but does not turn an ideal transformer into a perfectly efficient real machine. In real equipment, energy can be dissipated through resistance and other mechanisms. Likewise, high-voltage transmission is beneficial in the relevant comparison but needs insulation, protection and engineered operation.
A mature answer therefore has two layers. First, use the mathematical model exactly as stated. Second, when asked to evaluate, name the assumption and explain what evidence or loss mechanism the ideal model omits. This is not a contradiction. It is the difference between solving a specified ideal case and claiming that the solution is a complete report on an operating installation.
Twenty-five distinct exam checkpoints: practise the boundary, not just the arithmetic
For each item, cover the explanation first. Write your own result, name the stage involved and only then compare the correction. These are formative questions and are not an official SEAB paper. The final sentence of each case tells you what has to transfer to an unfamiliar question.
Checkpoint 1: Transformer A has Np = 120 and Ns = 600. Vp = 18 V. Find Vs.
Worked answer. Vs = 18 × 600/120 = 90 V. The secondary has five times the turns, so it is a step-up device.
Likely mistake. A common error is 18 × 120/600 = 3.6 V, which reverses the ratio. Transfer check. Test your answer before accepting it: more secondary turns at the same primary voltage must give a higher ideal secondary voltage.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 2: Transformer B has Np = 900 and Ns = 90. Its input is 180 V. Find output.
Worked answer. Vs = 180 × 90/900 = 18 V. This device is step-down, and the 18 V belongs to its output terminals.
Likely mistake. Do not copy the turns ratio of transformer A from the preceding problem. Transfer check. Write B above the equation. Labelling each device prevents accidental substitution of the other transformer’s numbers.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 3: An ideal transformer receives 80 W at 20 V. Find its input current.
Worked answer. Ip = P/Vp = 80/20 = 4 A. The input current is four amperes.
Likely mistake. A student may use secondary voltage even though the question asks for input current. Transfer check. Power and voltage must describe the same side of the device when using P = VI.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 4: An ideal transformer delivers 80 W at 100 V. Find its secondary current.
Worked answer. Is = P/Vs = 80/100 = 0.8 A. The larger output voltage is paired with a smaller output current.
Likely mistake. Do not claim that the step-up device makes the output power five times larger. Transfer check. Check 100 × 0.8 = 80 to verify power consistency in the ideal case.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 5: A sends 120 V through an ideal cable into B. State Vp,B.
Worked answer. Vp,B = 120 V because the cable is explicitly ideal and the two points are directly linked in this diagram.
Likely mistake. Do not state the equality without reading the cable assumption. Transfer check. The equality depends on the connection description, not on a general rule that all primaries have the same voltage.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 6: A sends 120 V; the receiving end of the cable is measured at 114 V. State Vp,B.
Worked answer. Vp,B is 114 V if the receiving-end terminals connect directly to B’s primary.
Likely mistake. Do not overwrite a measured receiving value with the ideal sending value. Transfer check. The point of this item is to separate a local boundary from the previous stage.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 7: The cable receives 350 W and delivers 332 W. Find the loss.
Worked answer. Cable loss is 18 W, by subtracting power delivered from power received.
Likely mistake. It is not enough to subtract voltages or divide 332 by 350 without identifying the requested quantity. Transfer check. Use the same unit for both powers. The loss is a power difference, not an energy difference over a period.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 8: An ideal B receives 332 W and delivers 24 V. Find load current.
Worked answer. I = P/V = 332/24 = approximately 13.8 A at three significant figures.
Likely mistake. Do not use the 350 W entering the earlier cable. Transfer check. Work from B’s actual input under the stated ideality; 332 W is the stage-appropriate power.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 9: B is 90% efficient and receives 300 W. Find power delivered.
Worked answer. Pout = 0.90 × 300 = 270 W. Its loss is 30 W in the simplified account.
Likely mistake. Do not apply ideal power equality after the question explicitly states efficiency below 100%. Transfer check. The phrase ‘90% efficient’ changes the model assumption for B only.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 10: A’s primary and secondary both have their turns doubled. What happens to ideal Vs?
Worked answer. Vs is unchanged if the primary input voltage is unchanged, because Ns/Np stays the same.
Likely mistake. A student who notices only the larger secondary count may predict double the voltage. Transfer check. A ratio is a comparison between two quantities; changing numerator and denominator together can preserve it.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 11: A’s secondary turns double, other transformer values fixed. Predict Vs,A.
Worked answer. The ideal secondary voltage of A doubles if its primary voltage and primary turns are fixed.
Likely mistake. Do not confuse the immediate voltage prediction with later cable current or load output. Transfer check. First identify the variable asked for and its local relation. Other parts of the network may require further information.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 12: A diagram labels 50 turns on the primary but draws eight visible loops. Which controls calculation?
Worked answer. Use 50, the declared number of turns, not eight artistic loops.
Likely mistake. A picture is not necessarily drawn to the scale of the coil’s winding count. Transfer check. Distinguish quantitative labels from schematic features. The diagram represents function and connection.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 13: A transformer has 6 V a.c. applied. Can you assume a fixed 6 V d.c. produces the same steady secondary e.m.f.?
Worked answer. No. A simple transformer relies on a changing magnetic flux; a steady direct current does not sustain that changing flux.
Likely mistake. The word ‘voltage’ alone does not identify the required time variation. Transfer check. State the mechanism rather than claiming that any applied potential difference will automatically transfer.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 14: A generator rotates but no external meter reading appears. Does this prove there is no induction?
Worked answer. No. It might be caused by an open connection, unsuitable measurement or a fault. The absence of an external reading does not, by itself, prove no induced e.m.f.
Likely mistake. Avoid treating a single negative observation as an exhaustive diagnosis. Transfer check. Specify a safe, teacher-led check of the measurement connection before concluding anything about the source.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 15: A transformer changes 12 V to 120 V and is ideal. Which side is likely to carry greater current at equal power?
Worked answer. The 12 V side has the greater current because the ideal input and output power are equal.
Likely mistake. Do not repeat the incorrect intuition that high voltage necessarily means high current. Transfer check. State which sides the voltages describe, then compare currents through P = VI.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 16: A cable’s current halves while its resistance stays constant. Compare heat-loss power.
Worked answer. The resistive heating power becomes one quarter because I squared R depends on the square of current.
Likely mistake. Do not say half; current and heating do not scale in the same way. Transfer check. The comparison is conditional on the same resistance, and the stated current change is the one to use.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 17: A cable’s resistance doubles while current remains fixed. What happens to heating power?
Worked answer. The power dissipated as heat doubles because P_loss = I squared R.
Likely mistake. The usual high-voltage explanation cannot be used to ignore a change in resistance. Transfer check. Check the variable held constant: a fixed current gives a different proportional relationship from a fixed voltage.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 18: Two students use 12.0 V from one run and 0.5 A from another run to quote 6 W. Evaluate.
Worked answer. The multiplication is arithmetically valid but the power claim is not supported unless the readings describe one consistent operating condition.
Likely mistake. Avoid confusing neat arithmetic with reliable paired evidence. Transfer check. An examination evaluation should name the mismatch and say what simultaneous or same-condition readings would be needed.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 19: A power ledger shows 420 W before a cable and 390 W after. State cable delivery percentage.
Worked answer. 390/420 × 100 = approximately 92.9% of the power entering the cable is delivered.
Likely mistake. Do not call 92.9% the efficiency of a transformer that was not measured. Transfer check. The percentage belongs to the cable boundary. The component name is part of the answer.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 20: A’s ideal output is 450 W, the cable loses 20 W, and B is ideal. Find load power.
Worked answer. The load receives 430 W in the simplified chain.
Likely mistake. Do not subtract the loss twice and do not restore it at the second transformer. Transfer check. Trace the ledger one stage at a time: A output, cable loss, B input, B output.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 21: A’s ideal secondary voltage is 200 V; cable-end voltage is unspecified. Can you calculate B’s primary voltage?
Worked answer. Not uniquely, unless a stated ideal or negligible-loss connection makes it equal to 200 V.
Likely mistake. Do not silently invent a zero-voltage-loss assumption. Transfer check. ‘Insufficient information’ is sometimes the scientifically correct conclusion, provided you identify the missing connection data.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 22: An exam question says ‘explain why high-voltage transmission is used’. What comparison must be stated?
Worked answer. For a given power delivered in the relevant simplified comparison, higher voltage permits lower current and thus smaller I squared R cable losses.
Likely mistake. Do not say that high voltage reduces all possible losses or abolishes resistance. Transfer check. This is a causal explanation; connect the voltage choice to current and current to resistive heating.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 23: Transformer A has 100:1,000 turns; B has 1,500:150 turns; cable ideal; input 15 V. Find final output.
Worked answer. A produces 150 V. B reduces 150 V by a factor of ten to 15 V. Final output is 15 V.
Likely mistake. Do not treat the cancellation as evidence of zero energy loss in every real machine. Transfer check. The cancellation is valid here only because the question specified ideal transformations and the intervening cable as ideal.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 24: A records power in watts, B in kilowatts. How should you compare 850 W and 0.80 kW?
Worked answer. Convert 0.80 kW to 800 W before subtraction, giving a 50 W difference.
Likely mistake. Do not subtract 0.80 from 850 as if the quantities were in the same unit. Transfer check. Unit conversion comes before evaluation. The same principle applies to milliamperes and amperes.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
Checkpoint 25: A student writes ‘the step-up transformer increases energy’. Correct it.
Worked answer. It increases the ideal secondary voltage relative to primary voltage when secondary turns exceed primary turns; it does not create additional power or energy.
Likely mistake. A single inaccurate noun can reverse the physical meaning of an otherwise fluent answer. Transfer check. Replace ‘energy’ with the correct quantity and state the conservation condition explicitly.
To review this checkpoint, identify the givens before reading the calculation again. Put a box around the exact component whose quantity is sought, then annotate the unit and model assumption. Where a relationship is stated as ideal, say so; where the evidence is incomplete, resist adding an invisible measurement. This habit turns a one-off example into a repeatable exam method.
A final diagnosis that combines all five stages
A school exhibition proposes the following purely theoretical chain. A 20 V a.c. input drives ideal transformer A with 100 primary turns and 1,000 secondary turns. A cable receives 400 W from A and delivers 376 W to ideal transformer B. Transformer B has 1,600 primary turns and 160 secondary turns. The task is to calculate both voltages and the final delivered power, then explain why the cable matters. The correct results are 200 V at A’s secondary, 20 V at B’s secondary if its input is 200 V under the simplified negligible-voltage-drop connection, and 376 W at the load. The cable’s 24 W loss is not erased by the numerical return to 20 V. If the problem does not declare the receiving-end voltage equal to the sending-end voltage, the secondary voltage of B cannot be fixed from the turns ratio alone. That missing assumption is part of the answer.
Now change only one sentence: instead of saying B is ideal, the task specifies that B is 95% efficient. The final output power becomes 0.95 × 376 W = 357.2 W. It would be unreasonable to leave it at 376 W after receiving an explicit efficiency. The correct method tracks which facts govern which stage. A complicated answer is often nothing more than a series of simple and honest local steps. The improvement to practise tomorrow is not speed alone; it is learning to see the boundaries automatically.
How to review this chapter in a week
On the first day, redraw the five-stage diagram from memory and explain the difference between power and voltage. On the second, answer checkpoints 1–8 without looking. On the third, explain the cable and efficiency cases aloud. On the fourth, work from the end of the chain backwards, asking which information is sufficient at each boundary. On the fifth, mix numerical and explanation questions; on the sixth, mark your own written responses for units and hidden assumptions; and on the seventh, teach the whole process to someone else in less than five minutes. When an error recurs, return to that boundary rather than completing more random worksheets.
If your difficulty is with proportional reasoning, revisit Volume 0810 on energy calculations and the PSLE-to-secondary word-problem transition. For the scientific habit of evidence before claims, return to the PSLE Science reasoning route. The next volume applies G3 Mathematics to multistage quantitative constraints rather than repeating this physical explanation.
Questions learners often ask
Does a step-up transformer always carry less current on the secondary? In the ideal model at the same power, the higher-voltage side has the smaller current. Do not make an unrestricted claim for a changed load or an unspecified real system.
Can two transformer ratios cancel while energy is lost? Yes. Voltage ratios can cancel numerically under specified ideal and connection conditions, while a cable still dissipates energy.
Must I memorise the entire chain? No. You need the two local ideal relationships, an understanding of changing magnetic flux and a habit of labelling boundaries. The rest is careful interpretation.
Is a high-voltage transformer safe to build at home? Do not attempt to construct, modify or test mains or high-voltage equipment. The examples here are conceptual; use approved supervised demonstrations or simulations.
What is the shortest reliable self-check? Verify that a step-up voltage did not magically increase ideal power, that each transformer used its own turns pair, and that cable loss was neither omitted nor counted twice.