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Comprensión de Lectura en Ingles I para I.M.E.

Profa. Martha Patricia Martínez Miranda
Ohm’s law

Ohm’s law
Text taken from: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/Lesson-3/Ohm-s-Law

Journey of a Typical Electron

Resistance
Ohm's Law
5 Power Revisited
There are certain formulas in Physics that are so powerful and so pervasive that they reach the state of popular
knowledge. A student of Physics has written such formulas down so many times that they have memorized it
without trying to. Certainly, to the professionals in the field, such formulas are so central that they become
engraved in their minds. In the field of Modern Physics, there is E = m • c2. In the field of Newtonian
10 Mechanics, there is Fnet = m • a. In the field of Wave Mechanics, there is v = f • λ. And in the field of current
electricity, there is ΔV = I • R.

The predominant equation which pervades the study of electric circuits is the equation

ΔV = I • R

In words, the electric potential difference between two points on a circuit (ΔV) is equivalent to the product of
15 the current between those two points (I) and the total resistance of all electrical devices present between those
two points (R). Through the rest of this unit of The Physics Classroom, this equation will become the most
common equation which we see. Often referred to as the Ohm's law equation, this equation is a powerful
predictor of the relationship between potential difference, current and resistance.

Ohm's Law as a Predictor of Current

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The Ohm's law equation can be rearranged and expressed as

As an equation, this serves as an algebraic recipe for calculating the current if the electric potential
difference and the resistance are known. Yet while this equation serves as a powerful recipe for
25 problem solving, it is much more than that. This equation indicates the two variables that would affect
the amount of current in a circuit. The current in a circuit is directly proportional to the electric
potential difference impressed across its ends and inversely proportional to the total resistance offered
by the external circuit. The greater the battery voltage (i.e., electric potential difference), the greater
the current. And the greater the resistance, the less the current. Charge flows at the greatest rates when
30 the battery voltage is increased, and the resistance is decreased. In fact, a twofold increase in the
battery voltage would lead to a twofold increase in the current (if all other factors are kept equal). And
an increase in the resistance of the load by a factor of two would cause the current to decrease by a
factor of two to one-half its original value.
The table below illustrates this relationship both qualitatively and quantitatively for several circuits
35 with varying battery voltages and resistances.
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Comprensión de Lectura en Ingles I para I.M.E.
Profa. Martha Patricia Martínez Miranda
Ohm’s law

Rows 1, 2 and 3 illustrate that the doubling and the tripling of the battery voltage leads to a doubling and a
tripling of the current in the Battery
circuit. Comparing rows 1 and Circuit Total 4
40 or rows 2 and 5 illustrates that Voltage Resistance Current
the doubling of the total Diagram
resistance serves to halve the   (ΔV) ( ) (Amps)
current in the circuit.
Because the current in a circuit 1. 1.5 V 3  0.50 Amp
45 is affected by the resistance,
resistors are often used in the
circuits of electrical appliances
2. 3.0 V 3Ω 1 Amp
to affect the amount of current
50 that is present in its various
components. By increasing or
decreasing the amount of 3. 4.5 V 3  1.5 Amp
resistance in a
particular branch of the
55 circuit, a manufacturer can
increase or decrease the 4. 1.5 V 6  0.25 Amp
amount of current in
that branch. Kitchen
appliances such as electric 5. 3.0 V 6  0.5 Amp
60 mixers and light dimmer
switches operate by altering
the current at the load by
increasing or decreasing the 6. 4.5 V 6Ω 0.75 Amp
resistance of the circuit.
65 Pushing the various buttons on
an electric mixer can change
7. 4.5 V 9Ω 0.50 Amp
the mode from mixing to
beating by reducing the
resistance and allowing more
70 current to be present in the mixer. Similarly, turning a dial on a dimmer switch can increase the resistance of its
built-in resistor and thus reduce the current.

The Ohm's law equation is often explored in physics labs using a

resistor, a battery pack, an ammeter, and a voltmeter. An ammeter is
75 a device used to measure the current at a given location. A
voltmeter is a device equipped with probes that can be touched to
two locations on a circuit to determine the electric potential
difference across those locations. By altering the number of cells in
the battery pack, the electric potential difference across the external
80 circuit can be varied. The voltmeter can be used to determine this
potential difference and the ammeter can be used to determine the
current associated with this ΔV. A battery can be added to the battery pack and the process can be repeated
several times to yield a set of I-ΔV data. A plot of I versus ΔV will yield a line with a slope that is equivalent to
the reciprocal of the resistance of the resistor. This can be compared to the manufacturers stated value to
85 determine the accuracy of the lab data and the validity of the Ohm's law equation.