Numerical answer
Twelve identical wires, each of resistance , are joined to form a cube. A battery of emf and internal resistance is connected across the two ends of a body diagonal of the cube. Find the potential difference, in volts, across any one of the six wires that do not touch either end of the diagonal.
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Answer: 4
By symmetry the cube between opposite corners splits into three groups of wires: three wires from the first corner, six middle wires, and three wires into the last corner. The equivalent resistance is for . The total circuit resistance including the battery is , so the current is A. At the first corner the current divides equally among the three wires, so each carries A. At the next set of vertices each current of A splits equally into two middle wires, so each middle wire carries A. The potential difference across a middle wire is V.
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