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6th Year HL · Physics
Energy · Electrical circuits

Ohm's law

Your phone charger, the bulbs on a Luas stop and the fan in your laptop all depend on one question: how much current will flow? You already know that voltage pushes, resistance holds back and current is what flows. But the three are linked by a formula so useful that it has a name of its own: Ohm's law.

The formula: V = I·R

In the school lab we connect a metal wire to several cells and record the results: at $1.5\ \text{V}$ a current of $0.25\ \text{A}$ flows; at $3\ \text{V}$, $0.50\ \text{A}$ passes; at $4.5\ \text{V}$, $0.75\ \text{A}$ is measured. When we divide each voltage by its current, the result is always $6$. What universal mathematical law links the push of the cell to the current that manages to flow?

The laboratory measurements from the start: voltage against current. The three points lie on a straight line through the origin and V / I is always 6 Ω. I (A) V (V) 0.250.50.75 1.534.5 V / I = 6 Ω every time slope of line: R = 6 Ω

From that same equation we can rearrange to find the other two quantities:

$$I = \frac{V}{R} \qquad\qquad R = \frac{V}{I}$$
Practice★☆☆Not started
Write down the formula for Ohm's law and state what quantity each letter represents, specifying the unit in which each is measured.

Write down the formula for Ohm's law and state what quantity each letter represents, specifying the unit in which each is measured.

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A current of $2\ \text{A}$ flows through a resistor of $5\ \Omega$. What is the voltage across its ends?

A current of $2\ \text{A}$ flows through a resistor of $5\ \Omega$. What is the voltage across its ends?

Solve
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A light bulb of $6\ \Omega$ is connected to a $12\ \text{V}$ battery. What current passes through it?

A light bulb of $6\ \Omega$ is connected to a $12\ \text{V}$ battery. What current passes through it?

Solve
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A computer fan operates at $12\ \text{V}$ and has a resistance of $60\ \Omega$. What current does it draw?

A computer fan operates at $12\ \text{V}$ and has a resistance of $60\ \Omega$. What current does it draw?

Solve

Verifying Ohm's law experimentally

In the practical, you vary the voltage with a variable resistor, read the current from an ammeter (in series) and the voltage from a voltmeter (in parallel), then plot $V$ against $I$. For an ohmic conductor the graph is a straight line through the origin, and its slope is the resistance $R$.

How to read your data: draw the best-fit line through the points. Pick two points far apart on the line and work out slope $= \dfrac{\Delta V}{\Delta I}$. For the lab results at the start, $\dfrac{4.5 - 1.5}{0.75 - 0.25} = 6\ \Omega$. A straight line through the origin means $V \propto I$, so Ohm's law holds. Repeat readings and keep the wire cool, because heating changes the resistance. Record your data in a table, repeat each reading and average them, and quote the result to a sensible number of significant figures (no more than your meters can read).

A water analogy can help (it is only a help, not the real mechanism): the height of a tank is the voltage, the flow rate of water is the current and the narrowness of the pipe is the resistance. A narrower pipe at the same height gives a smaller flow. To get the flow back, raise the tank, which means a bigger voltage in the circuit.

Calculating voltage, current or resistance

Depending on which quantity is missing, we use one of the three forms of the formula. Play with the interactive and notice how the brightness of the bulbs changes as you move the sliders.

Practice★☆☆Not started
When connecting the motor of a toy boat to a $9\ \text{V}$ battery, a current of $3\ \text{A}$ passes through it. What is the resistance of the motor?

When connecting the motor of a toy boat to a $9\ \text{V}$ battery, a current of $3\ \text{A}$ passes through it. What is the resistance of the motor?

Solve
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A current of $0.3\ \text{A}$ flows through a resistor of $20\ \Omega$. Calculate the voltage across its ends.

A current of $0.3\ \text{A}$ flows through a resistor of $20\ \Omega$. Calculate the voltage across its ends.

Solve
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The bulb of a torch has a resistance of $9\ \Omega$ and is connected to a $4.5\ \text{V}$ battery. What current flows through it?

The bulb of a torch has a resistance of $9\ \Omega$ and is connected to a $4.5\ \text{V}$ battery. What current flows through it?

Solve
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A current of $0.5\ \text{A}$ flows through a resistor connected to a $1.5\ \text{V}$ battery. What is the resistance?

A current of $0.5\ \text{A}$ flows through a resistor connected to a $1.5\ \text{V}$ battery. What is the resistance?

Solve
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A light bulb of $300\ \Omega$ is connected to a $9\ \text{V}$ battery. Calculate the current passing through it and express the result in amperes and in milliamperes.

A light bulb of $300\ \Omega$ is connected to a $9\ \text{V}$ battery. Calculate the current passing through it and express the result in amperes and in milliamperes.

Solve
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A current of $300\ \text{mA}$ flows through the buzzer of a doorbell connected to $4.5\ \text{V}$. a) Express this current in amperes. b) Calculate the resistance of the…

A current of $300\ \text{mA}$ flows through the buzzer of a doorbell connected to $4.5\ \text{V}$.

  1. a) Express this current in amperes.
  2. b) Calculate the resistance of the buzzer.
Solve
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A USB charger provides $5\ \text{V}$ and powers an accessory of $250\ \Omega$. Calculate the current it supplies and express it in amperes and in milliamperes.

A USB charger provides $5\ \text{V}$ and powers an accessory of $250\ \Omega$. Calculate the current it supplies and express it in amperes and in milliamperes.

Solve

What happens if I change the voltage or the resistance

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A circuit has a $6\ \text{V}$ battery and a resistor of $3\ \Omega$. a) Calculate the current that flows. b) If we replace the resistor with one of $6\ \Omega$, what is…

A circuit has a $6\ \text{V}$ battery and a resistor of $3\ \Omega$.

  1. a) Calculate the current that flows.
  2. b) If we replace the resistor with one of $6\ \Omega$, what is the current now?
  3. c) Explain what happens to the current when the resistance is doubled while keeping the same battery.
Solve
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A certain current flows when a $5\ \text{V}$ battery is connected to a resistor of $10\ \Omega$. a) Calculate it. b) What current would flow with a $10\ \text{V}$…

A certain current flows when a $5\ \text{V}$ battery is connected to a resistor of $10\ \Omega$.

  1. a) Calculate it.
  2. b) What current would flow with a $10\ \text{V}$ battery and the same resistance?
  3. c) How does the current change when the voltage is doubled? Relate this to Ohm's law.
Solve
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Two light bulbs, one of $45\ \Omega$ and another of $90\ \Omega$, are connected separately to the same $9\ \text{V}$ battery. a) Calculate the current passing through…

Two light bulbs, one of $45\ \Omega$ and another of $90\ \Omega$, are connected separately to the same $9\ \text{V}$ battery.

  1. a) Calculate the current passing through each one.
  2. b) Which one shines brighter? Reason your answer by relating resistance and current.
Solve
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Andrea says: "If we double the voltage, the current also doubles." Bruno replies: "No, it is halved." a) Who is right if the resistance does not change? b) Verify it by…

Andrea says: "If we double the voltage, the current also doubles." Bruno replies: "No, it is halved."

  1. a) Who is right if the resistance does not change?
  2. b) Verify it by calculating the current passing through a resistor of $8\ \Omega$ with $8\ \text{V}$ and with $16\ \text{V}$.
  3. c) Write a sentence summarizing the relationship between voltage and current according to Ohm's law.
Solve
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Using a $9\ \text{V}$ battery, we measure the current for several resistors: with $3\ \Omega$, $3\ \text{A}$ flows; with $9\ \Omega$, $1\ \text{A}$; and with…

Using a $9\ \text{V}$ battery, we measure the current for several resistors: with $3\ \Omega$, $3\ \text{A}$ flows; with $9\ \Omega$, $1\ \text{A}$; and with $18\ \Omega$, $0.5\ \text{A}$.

  1. a) Verify that the three measurements satisfy Ohm's law.
  2. b) Predict the current for a resistance of $45\ \Omega$.
  3. c) What resistance would need to be connected for $0.1\ \text{A}$ to flow?
Solve
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Use the hydraulic analogy (height of the tank = voltage, flow rate = current, narrowness of the pipe = resistance): a) Explain why increasing the resistance of a circuit…

Use the hydraulic analogy (height of the tank = voltage, flow rate = current, narrowness of the pipe = resistance):

  1. a) Explain why increasing the resistance of a circuit decreases the current if the voltage does not change.
  2. b) Check this with numbers: calculate the current for a $12\ \text{V}$ battery with resistances of $6\ \Omega$ and $12\ \Omega$.
  3. c) After "narrowing the pipe", what could you do to the "tank" to recover the initial flow rate? What does this correspond to in the circuit?
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Resistors that do not obey Ohm's law

If we repeat the previous measurements but connect the filament of a traditional bulb, we find that when we double the voltage from $3\ \text{V}$ to $6\ \text{V}$ the current does not double, but rises much less than expected. Why does the relationship between voltage and current stop being constant in some devices?

A diode (such as an LED) is also non-ohmic: in forward bias it conducts only once the voltage passes a small threshold, and then the current rises steeply; in reverse bias almost no current flows. A thermistor is different again: its resistance changes strongly with temperature. For an NTC thermistor the resistance falls as it gets hotter, whereas for a metal wire or filament the resistance rises with temperature. So the two behave in opposite ways. On an $I$–$V$ graph, the filament's curve flattens as it heats up (see the bulb graph below), because its resistance rises. The $I$–$V$ curve of an NTC thermistor that heats up through its own current bends upwards, because its resistance falls and the current grows faster than $V$.

The V–I graph of a diode is not a straight line. In forward bias the current is almost zero until about $0.6\text{–}0.7\ \text{V}$ (higher for an LED), then rises steeply. In reverse bias the current stays almost zero for all the voltages used in school.

Graph of current against voltage comparing the straight line of an ohmic resistor with the curve of an incandescent bulb, which flattens as the voltage rises current I (A) voltage V (V) 0 resistor: straight line I proportional to V bulb: curves resistance increases Graph of current against voltage for a diode: almost no current in reverse bias, then a steep rise in forward bias after about 0.7 V I (A) V (V) 0.7 V reverse bias: I ≈ 0 forward bias: steep rise

To plot this in the practical, set the diode in forward bias and increase the voltage in small steps, recording the current each time. Then turn the diode round (reverse bias) and repeat. Plot both sets on one graph: the curve is not a straight line, so a diode is non-ohmic.

Practice★★★Not started
We measure the current passing through a resistor by applying different voltages, as shown in the graph: with $2\ \text{V}$, $0.5\ \text{A}$ flows; with $4\ \text{V}$,…

We measure the current passing through a resistor by applying different voltages, as shown in the graph: with $2\ \text{V}$, $0.5\ \text{A}$ flows; with $4\ \text{V}$, $1\ \text{A}$; and with $6\ \text{V}$, $1.5\ \text{A}$.

2468 0.511.5 Voltage (V)Current (A) R = ?
  1. a) Calculate the value of the resistance in each measurement.
  2. b) What do you conclude?
  3. c) Predict the current we will measure if we apply $12\ \text{V}$.
Solve
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In an experiment with a filament light bulb, you obtain the following results, as shown in the graph: with $2\ \text{V}$, $0.5\ \text{A}$ flows; with $4\ \text{V}$,…

In an experiment with a filament light bulb, you obtain the following results, as shown in the graph: with $2\ \text{V}$, $0.5\ \text{A}$ flows; with $4\ \text{V}$, $0.8\ \text{A}$; and with $6\ \text{V}$, $1\ \text{A}$.

Current versus voltage graph for a filament light bulb 2 4 6 8 0.5 1 1.5 Voltage (V) Current (A)
  1. a) Calculate the apparent resistance of the light bulb in each case.
  2. b) Does the light bulb obey Ohm's law, that is, does it keep its resistance constant?
  3. c) Knowing that the filament glows red-hot when lit, propose an explanation for what was observed.
Solve

Protecting a circuit with a resistor

Diagram of a series circuit with a cell, a protective resistor and an LED, showing the direction of the current protective R R cell + − LED conventional direction of current I

Maximum current means minimum resistance

If a component or wire can only carry a maximum current $I_{max}$ from a supply of voltage $V$, the resistance must be at least $R_{min} = \dfrac{V}{I_{max}}$. A smaller resistance would let more current flow than the limit.

Resistors in series

You will study series circuits fully in the next section. For now, all you need for the last exercise is this: when two resistors are placed one after the other along the same path, the same current passes through both and the total resistance is the sum, $R = R_1 + R_2$. A longer, harder path means less current for the same voltage.

Practice★★☆Not started
We want a current of $1.2\ \text{A}$ to flow through a light bulb of $10\ \Omega$. a) What voltage needs to be applied to it? b) If we only have a $6\ \text{V}$ battery,…

We want a current of $1.2\ \text{A}$ to flow through a light bulb of $10\ \Omega$.

  1. a) What voltage needs to be applied to it?
  2. b) If we only have a $6\ \text{V}$ battery, what resistance should the bulb have for the same current to flow?
Solve
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A resistor of $9\ \Omega$ requires $0.5\ \text{A}$ passing through it to operate correctly. a) What voltage needs to be applied to it? b) Will a $4.5\ \text{V}$ lantern…

A resistor of $9\ \Omega$ requires $0.5\ \text{A}$ passing through it to operate correctly.

  1. a) What voltage needs to be applied to it?
  2. b) Will a $4.5\ \text{V}$ lantern battery be suitable? Justify your answer with calculations.
Solve
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The wire of a scale model melts if more than $2\ \text{A}$ flows through it, and we power it with a $12\ \text{V}$ battery. a) What is the minimum resistance the circuit…

The wire of a scale model melts if more than $2\ \text{A}$ flows through it, and we power it with a $12\ \text{V}$ battery.

  1. a) What is the minimum resistance the circuit must have so that the wire does not melt?
  2. b) What happens if we use a resistor of $4\ \Omega$? Justify your answer with calculations.
Solve
Practice★★★Not started
A toy LED can take a maximum of $0.02\ \text{A}$; if more current passes through it, it burns out. We connect it to a $9\ \text{V}$ battery with a protective resistor in…

A toy LED can take a maximum of $0.02\ \text{A}$; if more current passes through it, it burns out. We connect it to a $9\ \text{V}$ battery with a protective resistor in the same path, as shown in the figure.

9 VR = ?LED
  1. a) What is the minimum value this resistor must have?
  2. b) What would happen if we connected the LED directly to the battery without a resistor? Explain using Ohm's law.
Solve
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An unknown resistor is connected to a $24\ \text{V}$ battery, and the ammeter reads $1.5\ \text{A}$, as shown in the figure. a) Calculate the value of the resistance. b)…

An unknown resistor is connected to a $24\ \text{V}$ battery, and the ammeter reads $1.5\ \text{A}$, as shown in the figure.

A 24 VR = ?1.5 A
  1. a) Calculate the value of the resistance.
  2. b) What would the ammeter read if we changed to a $8\ \text{V}$ battery?
  3. c) Returning to the $24\ \text{V}$ battery, we place a second identical resistor after the first one along the same path. Reason what happens to the total resistance and calculate the new current.
Solve

Summary

See all the exercises in this section